EE-MS - Electrical Engineering (MS)
Download as PDF
Program Overview
Students with undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering, other branches of engineering, physics, mathematics, or related sciences are invited to apply for admission. Capable students without such undergraduate preparation may also be considered for admission. Students may hold either a BS or BA degree. Graduate study in electrical engineering requires that students be adequately prepared in circuits, digital systems, fields, lab work, mathematics, and physics. Students should typically be able to complete the master’s degree in five quarters; note that most courses are not offered during the Summer.
In planning a course of study, it is the student’s responsibility, in consultation with an advisor, to determine whether the prerequisites for advanced courses have been met. Prerequisite courses ordinarily taken by undergraduates may be included as part of the graduate program of study. However, if the number of these is large, the proposed program may contain more than the minimum 45 units, and the time required to meet the degree requirements may be increased.
The master’s degree program provides advanced preparation for professional practice or junior college-level teaching. Faculty are assigned as program advisors to guide course selection and exploration of academic opportunities and professional pathways. Each student, with the help of a program advisor, prepares an individual program and submits it to the Department for approval. The program proposal must be submitted to the Degree Progress Officer before the end of the first quarter of graduate study (second quarter for Honors Cooperative Program students); a final revised version is due at the beginning of the last quarter of study, before degree conferral. Detailed requirements and instructions are in the Electrical Engineering Department Graduate Handbook. All requirements for a master’s degree must be completed within three years after the student’s first term of enrollment in the master’s program (five years for Honors Cooperative Program students).
Admissions Information
Electrical Engineering MS Admissions information can be found here: https://ee.stanford.edu/admissions/ms
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
Complete 12 units from only one of the five (5) area lists. All depth courses must be 200-level and above. At least six units must be at the 300-level or above.
- 2152411
- 2087642
- 1038621
- 1038631
- 1038222
- 2146191
- 2158022
- 2158081
- 2135492
- 2241432
- 1039061
- 1039071
- 1039101
- 2215891
- 2094291
- 2152651
- 2224801
- 1039741
- 2168221
- 2167791
- 2167811
- 1040511
- 2228291
- 1041401
- 2215991
- 1057301
- 1057481
- 1057501
- 2198851
- 1057371
- 2164531
- 2205691
- 1057571
- 1057621
- 2085481
- 1057671
- 2010401
- 1057741
- 1057761
- 1057791
- 2135181
- 2115321
- 2046501
- 1058641
- 1058651
- 2199951
- 2206711
- 2226041
- 2174451
- 2253632
- 1039071
- 1039101
- 1039231
- 1039271
- 2206671
- 2172791
- 2213941
- 2237802
- 2228291
- 2152401
- 2042331
- 1049081
- 1049091
- 1049101
- 2085481
- 1058581
- 2226261
- 1038901
- 2241221
- 1040591
- 1039191
- 1039271
- 2206671
- 1040171
- 2232011
- 1040291
- 2222721
- 1040601
- 2042371
- 2129511
- 2104411
- 2256161
- 2255641
- 2164121
- 2042331
- 1040781
- 2031121
- 2106481
- 1400391
- 1040961
- 2080151
- 1045901
- 2110871
- 2042571
- 1038601
- 1038631
- 2052531
- 2240831
- 1038701
- 1405231
- 2249301
- 2108861
- 1038761
- 2195771
- 2238581
- 1039041
- 1038771
- 1038721
- 2061251
- 2202721
- 1038261
- 1038821
- 1038901
- 1038941
- 2240691
- 2241211
- 1038981
- 1039631
- 2094291
- 2224801
- 2224811
- 1039691
- 1041361
- 1039761
- 2212511
- 2089021
- 2155771
- 1039911
- 1039951
- 1038731
- 2027481
- 2031101
- 1040131
- 1040161
- 1040171
- 1040181
- 2207011
- 2069441
- 2181101
- 1046821
- 1047571
- 1048311
- 2241581
- 2188901
BIOE 300B: This course can only be used as a 200-level course.
- 2136621
- 2138881
- 2112741
- 2190451
- 2158402
- 2196961
- 2258811
- 2240691
- 2241211
- 2185454
- 2215362
- 1038971
- 1038981
- 1038991
- 1039011
- 2168541
- 2244042
- 2211591
- 2221521
- 2224331
- 1039161
- 2240831
- 2195003
- 2015391
- 2273941
- 2066521
- 2066541
- 2164111
- 1400361
- 1040481
- 1040491
- 2026311
- 2253561
- 1040541
- 2161992
- 1040631
- 2113111
- 2231501
- 2257041
- 2042361
- 1043361
- 1043471
- 1045831
- 1045841
- 1045871
- 1045881
- 1045971
- 1220311
- 2197381
- 1240681
- 1254901
- 1254911
All depth units must be letter graded.
Completing nine additional units from any area list other than the chosen depth area
All breadth units must be letter graded and at the 200-level or above
If a course is listed in the chosen depth area, it cannot be used to count in the breadth area
Completion of 15 units of courses in engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, or statistics
At least nine of the 15 units must be lecture courses at the 200-level or above
EE courses must be 200-level or above
A maximum of six units can be graduate-level independent study and/or 100-level courses; all units must be letter-graded
All technical units must be letter-graded
Independent study units may not be taken in place of the nine units of 200-level or above letter-graded lecture courses.
Mathematics, natural sciences, or engineering courses are acceptable, provided they use quantitative or scientific methods to analyze, design, or optimize artificial or natural systems. Courses primarily addressing entrepreneurship, management, economics, collaboration, design philosophy, language, or public speaking are typically unacceptable. Consult with your advisor or the Degree Progress Officer before selecting courses in Economics, GSB, d.school, MS&E, Psychology, or other departments offering semi-technical or non-technical courses.
Completion of at least nine additional units. These units must be at the 100-level or above and letter-graded or CR/NC in EE or other departments relevant to the EE MS degree and at the graduate level.
Suggested courses include:
• Depth/breadth courses
• Additional technical courses
• Independent study (e.g., EE 390, EE 391)
• Curricular Practical Training (e.g., EE 290A)
• Seminars
• Entrepreneurial or design courses
Please note: Athletics courses do not count toward the 45 units. EFSLANG (English for Foreign Students) courses do not count toward the 45 units. If the university requires you to take any of these classes, they are additional units above the required 45 units.
All units must be at the 100 level or higher. No courses numbered below the 100 level can count toward a graduate degree. Note: Athletics courses do not count toward the 45 units. EFSLANG (English for Foreign Students) courses do not count toward the 45 units. If the university requires you to take any of these classes, they are additional units above the required 45 units.
All units must be at the 100 level or higher. No courses numbered below the 100 level can count toward a graduate degree.
Master of Science with Distinction in Research
A student who wishes to pursue the MS in Electrical Engineering (EE) with distinction in research must first identify a faculty advisor who agrees to supervise and support the research work. The research advisor must be a member of the Academic Council and must hold an appointment in Electrical Engineering. The student and principal advisor must also identify another faculty member who need not be in the Department of Electrical Engineering to serve as a secondary advisor and reader for the research report. In addition, the student must complete the following requirements beyond those for the regular MS in EE degree:
Research Experience – The program must include significant research experience at the level of a half-time commitment over the three academic quarters. In any given quarter, the half-time research commitment may be satisfied by:
a. 50 percent appointment to a departmentally supported research assistantship
b. Six (6) units of independent study (EE 300 or EE 391)
c. A prorated combination of the two (such as a 25 percent research assistantship supplemented by three (3) units of independent
study)
d. An equivalent research experience while fully supported on a Stanford-funded or externally funded fellowship. Students and research advisors must document the planned research experience before the quarter starts and its completion at the end. Note: Fellowship must provide full support at the 10-unit tuition level and allow the student to pursue degree-related research in addition to their full-time course enrollment. This research must be carried out under the direction of the primary or secondary advisor.
Supervised Writing and Research – In addition to the research experience outlined in the previous requirement, students must enroll in at least three (3) units of independent research (EE 300 or EE 391) under the direction of their primary or secondary advisor. These units should be closely related to the research described in the first requirement but focused more on preparing the research report described in the next section. The writing and research units described in parts (1) and (2) may be counted toward the 45 units required for the degree.
All independent study units (EE 300 or EE 391) must be taken for letter grades, and a GPA of 3.0 (B) or better must be maintained.
Research Report – Students must complete a significant report describing their research and its conclusions. The research report represents work publishable in a journal or at a high-quality conference, although it is presumably longer and more expansive in scope than a typical conference paper. A copy of the research report must be submitted to the student services office in the department three weeks before the beginning of the examination period in the student’s final quarter. The primary and secondary advisors must approve the research report before the distinction-in-research designation can be conferred.
Joint Degree MS/JD Program
The Department of Electrical Engineering (EE) and the School of Law offer a joint degree program leading to an MS degree in EE combined with a JD degree. The JD/MS program is designed for students who wish to prepare themselves for careers involving law and electrical engineering.
Students interested in this joint degree program must apply to and gain admission separately from the Department of Electrical Engineering and the School of Law and, as an additional step, secure consent from both academic units to pursue both degrees simultaneously. Interest in the program should be noted on a student’s application to each academic unit. A student currently enrolled in either the Department of Electrical Engineering or the School of Law may apply for admission to the other academic unit and joint degree status after commencing study in that unit.
Joint degree students may elect to begin their study in either the Department of Electrical Engineering or the School of Law. Faculty advisors from each academic unit participate in planning and supervising the student’s joint program. In the first year of the joint degree program, students must be enrolled full-time in the School of Law. Students must satisfy the JD and MS degree requirements specified in the Stanford Bulletin.
The Electrical Engineering Department approves courses from the Law School that may count toward the MS degree in Electrical Engineering, and the Law School approves courses from the Department of Electrical Engineering that may count toward the JD degree. In either case, approval may consist of a list applicable to all joint degree students or tailored to each student’s program.
No more than 45 quarter hours of approved courses may be counted toward both degrees. No more than 36 quarter hours of courses that originate outside the School of Law may count toward the Law degree. To the extent that courses under this joint degree program originate outside the School of Law but count toward the Law degree, the School of Law credits permitted under Section 17(1) of the Law School Regulations shall be reduced on a unit-per-unit basis but not below zero.
The maximum number of School of Law units that may be counted toward the MS degree in Electrical Engineering is the greater of:
1. 12 units, or
2. The maximum number of units from courses outside of the Department that MS candidates in Electrical Engineering are permitted to count toward the MS degree under general departmental guidelines or as outlined in the case of a particular student’s program.
Tuition and financial aid arrangements are typically administered through the school in which the student is enrolled.
Joint Degree MS/MBA Program
The Joint MS in Electrical Engineering /MBA Degree Program (EE/MBA) enables students to pursue simultaneously a Master of Business Administration at the Graduate School of Business (GSB) and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at the Stanford School of Engineering. Joint MS/MBA degree students will be interested in technology and leadership and want to become managers or entrepreneurs in technologically-inclined businesses. The Joint MS/MBA Degree Program requires an application to, and acceptance for admission by, the Electrical Engineering Department (EE) and the GSB. MS/MBA students typically apply to and gain approval for admission to both programs within the same year. However, it is possible for current EE (or MBA) students who previously did not apply for the joint degree option to apply for and pursue the Joint MS/MBA Degree Program. EE students in the second year and MBA students in the second year may not apply for the Joint MS/MBA Degree Program.
Additional information on the MS in Electrical Engineering/MBA Joint Degree Program and its requirements is available on the Electrical Engineering Department’s website.