Degree Requirements

The road to graduation may seem long, but we’re here to help you find the best route toward your degree. Continue reading to see important information about the Graduate program, electives, and more. 

Requirements

To meet the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) degree requirements, you must:

  • Complete 33 semester units with a Cumulative Major GPA of 3.0 or better.
  • Satisfy the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).
  • Have an overall SJSU GPA of 3.0 or better.

Students can complete the MSEE program with either the Project or Thesis option:

Required Courses

Courses Units
Two Core courses (Choose between EE 210, EE 221, EE 250, or EE 275) 6
One GWAR course (EE 295 or ENGR 200W) 3
Three courses in one Area of Specialization 9
Three Elective courses in one or more of the other Areas of Specialization or other core courses 9
MS Project (EE 297A & EE 297B)
OR
Thesis (EE 299A & EE 299B)
6
   
Total Units 33

Notes:

  • To see what Area of Specialization each of our courses belongs to, visit our Graduate Syllabi page.
  • Students can take either EE 181 OR EE 281 for the MSEE degree, but not both.

With approval from a Project/Thesis Advisor:

  • You can change from project to thesis option by taking EE 297A and EE 299B, OR
  • You can change from thesis to project option by taking EE 299A and EE 297B

In exceptional cases, with pre-approval from the Graduate Advisor:

  • Up to three units of undergraduate upper-division courses taken in the EE Department at SJSU, including MATE/EE 129, may be approved as electives, OR
  • Up to three units of graduate-level courses taken at SJSU but outside the Electrical Engineering Department may be approved as electives, OR
  • Up to six units of graduate-level Open University courses taken in the EE Department at SJSU (or transferred from another university before your admission to MSEE program at SJSU) may be approved as electives.

Culminating Experience

EE 297B (MSEE Project) and EE 299B (Master’s Thesis) are the culminating experiences of the MSEE program. You may take one of these classes after completing at least 12 units.

To enroll in EE 297A or EE 299A, students must be classified status, be good standing (NOT on probation), have overall GPA of 3.0 or above, satisfied GWAR requirement or completed EE 295 or ENGR 200W with grade C or above (or may be taken concurrently with EE 297A or EE 299A).  Students also should have filed the “Petition Advancement to Candidacy" form.

To register for EE 297A or EE 299A, students must complete the appropriate form on the "Graduate EE Forms" webpage and submit it to the EE department for approval.


Areas of Specialization

The Department offers you an opportunity to specialize in one of the following areas:

  • Communications, Signal Processing, and Remote Sensing
  • Network, Network Security, Mobile Network, and loT
  • Microprocessors, Computer, Embedded Systems, and Digital Systems
  • Device Physics, Micro Electronics, and Nano Electronics
  • Analog Electronics and Integrated Circuits
  • Power Electronics and Energy Systems
  • Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning
  • Control, Robotic, and Autonomous Systems
  • Quantum Information and Computing

You can specialize in an area by taking at least three courses in that area. You can choose the electives you take from your area of specialization or from other areas.


Practical Training for MSEE Students

We encourage you to gain real-world electrical engineering experience by doing internships.

International students must contact International Student and Scholar Services for CPT requirements and applications. If approved, international students must enroll in EE 298I when working as interns.

Note: EE 298I units do not count towards the number of units required to earn an MSEE degree.