Master of Electrical Engineering (MEE) Program
—Telecommunications

Why study telecommunications?

UH's telecommunications program was developed in conjunction with Houston companies having a strong interest in telecommunications. The goal of the program is to prepare its graduates for professional careers in this exciting and exponentially growing field. It was developed through consultation with a 30-member industrial advisory board, and continues to benefit from the encouragement, financial support and other assistance from that group. (advisory board)

Telecommunications is one of the hot areas for job opportunities today. The rate of expansion of the telecommunications industry is variously estimated as in the range of 15 to 30 percent annually. Employers are actively seeking engineers with training or experience in this field. Cullen College of Engineering is educating engineers for leadership in telecommunications engineering and management careers.

What are the advantages of UH's M.E.E. with a specialty in Telecommunications?

• Non-thesis degree plan enabling relatively rapid completion of requirements.
• A solid base of required coursework plus opportunities to develop both depth and breadth through specialization in areas such as wireless, computer engineering, software and DSP, RF and microwave engineering.
• Scholarships which entitle students to waiver of nonresident tuition and fees.
• Opportunities for paid internships in industry.

In general, does a master's degree really give much advantage over the BS?

Most individuals would rate the greatly increased job satisfaction they get by working at a higher level well worth the extra time, effort and cost involved in getting the advanced degree, even if salary didn't matter.

However, since salary usually does matter, here is some more food for thought. A 1998 survey by the Engineering Workforce Commission shows that, after 10 years in the work force, engineers with an MS or ME degree are earning median salaries about 10.5% more than their counterparts with a BS. The spread grows throughout the middle years of the career track and peaks at an average of 12.6% more in 16 years. Over a 33-year career—even taking into account the expense and lost salary while getting the master's degree—an engineer with the master's will earn $181,400 more than one with a bachelor's degree. The master's degree is a good investment no matter how you look at it!

Curriculum

In contrast to the MSEE, the Master of Electrical Engineering (MEE) a nonthesis master's degree. The MEE is intended for students who wish to practice electrical and computer engineering at a professional level significantly above that afforded by the BS degree. The courses taken for MEE by students are the same as those taken by MS and Ph.D. candidates, but greater number of courses (10-12 vs. 7 for the MS) offers a better opportunity to gain both depth and breadth in preparation for a professional career

Admission Criteria

Same as for MSEE except that US citizens or permanent residents may be admitted conditionally with a GPA as low as 2.6 with acceptable GRE scores. Conditional admission requires maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or better in the first 12 hours of graduate work after enrollment.

Advising

Graduate advising is mandatory upon admission into the graduate program in Electrical and Computer Engineering and prior to the first registration. MEE students must make an appointment with the Director of Graduate Studies for advising by contacting the Graduate Admissions Office. The Director shall review the student's records, discuss the future plans of the student, and prepare a preliminary study plan. MS/PhD students must be advised by their thesis/dissertation advisors. The thesis/dissertation advisor should approve all proposed coursework during registration cycles before each academic semester. All approval of coursework must be done by completing the Graduate Academic Advising Form. (Please see Documents and Forms).

Course Requirements

36 semester credit hours including:

• 18 semester credit hours—These represent the following required core courses:
  - ECE 5351/6321 Data Communications and Networks I,
  - ECE 6331 Advanced Telecommunications,
  - ECE 6337 Introduction to Stochastis Processes,
  - ECE 6342 Digital Signal Processing,
  - ECE 6351 Microwave Engineering or ECE 6352 Antenna Engineering, and
  - one ECE 6000-level course to be taken from the Signal and Communications area.
• 12 semester credit hours—Electives. (to be selected from courses in ECE, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Economics, Law, Psychology, or Communications, with approval of advisor)
• 6 semester credit hours—Internship or co-op in a company engaged in telecommunications or a closely related field. Alternatively, additional electives as above.
  

Internship

To satisfy the requirements for course credit for the internship, the student must submit, for approval, a proposal for an engineering project. Completion of the project will be marked by a final written and oral presentation of a report to a committee consisting of both industry and university representatives. Students' presentations will be reviewed critically with respect to how well they communicate both orally and in writing. See internship guidelines.

Part Time Enrollment

Engineering graduate courses (and those of several other colleges) are routinely offered in late afternoon and evening to accommodate part time students.

Courses

Click here for a list of courses required for Telecommunication.