» 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. -» Telecommunications lab

» 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!