Masters Roadmap


Application

1. Students file applications with the Office of Admissions or with the Academic Department.

2. Academic Graduate Program Director reviews the admission packet and makes admission decision (Typically admit, admit contingent, admit provisional, or reject).

3. Academic Graduate Program Director returns screening form to the Admissions Office. Director of Admissions notifies the student of the decision.

4. If accepted, student contacts Academic Graduate Program Director for initial advising.

Registration

5. New graduate students report to Graduate Admission in Room 160 Allen Hall to obtain Enrollment Agreement form.

6. New graduate students then meet with Graduate Program Director for assistance in planning the semester's schedule of courses and assignment of a Registration Access Code (RAC).

7. Currently enrolled graduate students obtain Enrollment Agreement forms, including a RAC, from the department during preregistration. Note that a RAC will not be released until the student submit a completed and signed Program of Study and Committee Request Forms.

8. Students register for courses either by accessing the Web https://www.uis.msstate.edu or via a touchtone telephone 325-INFO (4636).

Obtaining a Graduate Committee and Program of Study

9. New graduate students will have until preregistration for the first semester (approximately two months) to select a Major Professor and two additional members of the student's Graduate Committee. For CPE students, the student's Graduate Committee will consist of at least one faculty from ECE and CSE.

10. Program of Graduate Study and Committee Request forms are to be filled out and required signatures obtained. Forms should be submitted to the Graduate Program Director for approval prior to preregistration in the first semester enrollment. Editable forms are available at http://www.msstate.edu/dept/grad/publications.htm.

Program requirements:

a. At least one-half of all course work must be graduate only, 8000 level and/or no more than six hour of directed individual study (700X)

b. CPE majors must have at least 9 credit hours of CSE and ECE courses for the thesis option and 12 credit hours of CSE and ECE for the non-thesis option. CSE 6113 may not be used for a CSE credit

c. Thesis Option: 24 credit hours of course work and 6 credit hours of research/thesis, Non-Thesis Option: 33 credit hours of course work.

Note: Only selected courses outside the ECE and CSE programs may be used. For example, MA/ST 8114 is not appropriate.

11. Currently enrolled students are required to submit a Change of Program of Study form with required signatures to the Graduate Program Director if there is a change in the student's program.

12. Currently enrolled students are required to submit a Change of Committee form to the Graduate Program Director if there is a change in the student's Major Professor or other committee members.

Transfer from the M.S. Program

ECE M.S. Students who wish to transfer to the Ph.D. program prior to completing the requirements for the Master of Science degree must submit a new application provided that they meet the following requirements: A minimum undergraduate equivalent GPA of 3.5 on the last 60 hours of undergraduate courses (or a first class with distinction degree classification for students whose degrees are from institutions where no GPA is reported), a minimum graduate GPA of 3.8 on the first15 credit hours of graduate courses, and a GRE score of 1200 (verbal + quantitative) and 3.5 (writing) for students who do not have an undergraduate degree from an ABET accredited University.

Applying for Graduation

13. Students apply for graduation over the web or in the Registrar's Office. The deadline to apply for graduation is early in each semester and the deadline date is posted online at http://www.msstate.edu/dept/grad/calendar.htm and in the front of the Graduate Bulletin.

14. Graduate Program of Study forms remain in the academic office until the semester the student applies for graduation. At the time the student applies for graduation, the updated Program of Graduate Study form is forwarded to the Office of Graduate Studies for degree audit. Program of Study forms that have not been completed accurately or are not in compliance with the graduation requirements will result in the Dean notifying the department that the student is ineligible to graduate.

Oral Exam

15. In preparation for the oral examination, students are required to make a comprehensive and detailed review of all graduate course work taken toward their degree for the non-thesis option.  Students pursuing the thesis option must prepare their thesis presentation and defense.

16. Student must schedule the oral exam prior to the deadline so that the signed Report of Examination Result form may be forwarded to the Office of Graduate Studies by the deadline posted in the Graduate Academic Calendar located online at http://www.msstate.edu/dept/grad/calendar.htm or in the Graduate Bulletin.

Thesis

17. A student pursuing the thesis option must complete the M.S. Thesis Defense form and return it to the program Graduate Program Director at least one week prior to scheduling the Thesis defense. Before submitting this form, the thesis must be read and approved by the Major Professor and presented to the remaining committee readers and Graduate Program Director. This form also requires the student to post a notice of their oral examination stating the time, date, the room, and the title of their thesis, and an abstract. This notice should be posted (1) using email directed to faculty and graduate student aliases (faculty@ece.msstate.edu and grads@ece.msstate.edu) and (2) to the departmental Web site by addressing the information to Michael Lane (Send Email). Submission of this form verifies the execution of these requirements at least one week prior to the scheduled oral examinations. Students are also required to file an Announcement of Thesis Defense form with the Office of Graduate Studies one week prior to the Defense.

18. Student must supply each committee member with an unbound duplicated copy of the finished work with all corrections along with the copy of the committee member's corrections.

19. The Graduate Program Director will be provided with a finished copy of the thesis at least one week before the coordinator's thesis signature is required.

20. Student submits theses to the Technical Services department for the Acquisitions Unit in Mitchell Memorial Library by the deadline posted in the Academic Calendar in the current Graduate Bulletin. Guidelines for Preparing Dissertations and Theses are available in the Office of Graduate Studies, in the Library, and at http://www.msstate.edu/dept/grad/thesis_guidelines.htm.

21. Following final revisions, an electronic copy identical to that supplied to the library must be submitted to the Graduate Program Director.