University of Texas at Dallas

The MS and PhD degrees in Computer Engineering emerged as a bridge between the increasingly overlapping disciplines of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. The MSCE degree program provides intensive preparation for engineers who seek knowledge and skills necessary for the design of complex systems comprised of both hardware and software components. It has a heavy emphasis on the design of high-speed and complex hardware and highly reliable and time-critical software systems.

It is designed to serve the needs of engineers who wish to continue their education. Courses are offered at a time and location convenient for the student who is employed on a full-time basis.

Master of Science in Computer Engineering (MSCE) Degree Requirements
The university's general degree requirements are discussed in the University of Texas at Dallas Graduate Catalog. The MSCE requires a minimum of 33 semester hours.

The MSCE program has both a thesis and a non-thesis option. All part-time MSCE students will be assigned initially to the non-thesis option. Those wishing to elect the thesis option may do so by obtaining the approval of a faculty thesis supervisor. All supported students are required to participate in the thesis option. The thesis option requires six semester hours of research, a written thesis submitted to the graduate school, and a formal public defense of the thesis. The supervising committee administers this defense and is chosen in consultation with the student's thesis advisor prior to enrolling for thesis credit. Each student must take four required courses:
Microprocessor Systems, Computer Architecture, VLSI Design, and Advanced Operating Systems.

Required courses must be passed with a grade of B or better. Approved electives must be taken to make a total of 33 hours. These courses must be at 6000 level or higher from computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and telecommunications engineering curricula with the approval of the advisor. It is highly recommended that two of these electives be chosen from the following list:
• Testing and Testable Design
• Computer Arithmetic
• Real-Time Systems
• Performance of Computer Systems and Networks
• Compiler Construction
• Design and Analysis of Reconfigurable Systems
• Design Automation of VLSI Systems
• Distributed Computing
• Synthesis and Optimization of High Performance Systems
• DSP Architectures

PhD Requirements
The minimum number of semester credit hours required for the doctoral degree is 90 semester credit hours beyond a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering or a related field. These credits must include at least 30 semester hours of graduate-level courses beyond the bachelor's degree and a doctoral dissertation. However, a student's supervising committee may impose course requirements that are necessary and appropriate for the student's research program. It is expected that MS degree students planning to enter the proposed doctoral program will take most of the courses as part of their MS degree requirements.