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The Electrical Engineering graduate program at the University of Detroit Mercy focuses on you, the student. You'll get personal attention in small classes and research seminars from faculty who place teaching first. Our relevant and practical research and close connections with industry help create an exciting learning environment that will guarantee your success. In addition, many of our full-time graduate students obtain paid internships in local industry during their graduate program.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers two graduate degrees:

• Master of Electrical and Computer Engineering (M_ECE)
• Doctor of Engineering with a major in Electrical Engineering (DE)

The graduate degrees allow for specializations in one of four areas:

• Computer Engineering
• Robotics
• Mechatronic Systems
• Signals and Systems

Program Strengths

• Graduate Co-op Program: Qualified individuals can choose to work in a paid position in industry on either alternating semesters or during the summer semesters. A rich variety of advanced engineering opportunities are available in the Southeastern Michigan region
• Design and Project Oriented: Participate in exciting hands-on projects that integrate theory and application. For example, students are currently working on the design and development of an internationally competitive autonomous vehicle to participate in the International Ground Vehicle Competition (www.IGVC.org). In the 2006 and 2007 competitions, our team placed 3rd in the Grand Award among 37-40 teams. In 2008, 2009, and 2010 the UDM team placed 1st in the international competition against 40-50 teams from around the world. In 2010, for the third consecutive year, University of Detroit Mercy took home the top prize at the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition. Fifty-Eight teams representing 47 schools entered the competition which required building and testing autonomous robots. UD Mercy competed against universities from around the world including the University of Wisconsin Madison, the US Naval Acadamy, Princeton, Cornell, University of Illinois Urbana, Penn State, Georgia Tech, Hosei (Japan), Ecole de Technologie Superieure (Canada), Waterloo (Canada), and the University of Texas Austin.
• Student Centered: Take advantage of small class sizes and opportunities for one-on-one contact with professors. Most courses include opportunities to work in teams and advance the professional and personal skills so vital to long term career success in industry.

Students may enter the Master of Electrical & Computer Engineering program in one of two ways:

Traditional Students
Traditional students must apply for the graduate program online through the admissions webpage. Typical minimum requirements include an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering or a closely related discipline from an accredited university. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are not required but encouraged.

5-Year Bachelor/Master Students
The 5-year Bachelor/Master Degree program is designed to enable completion of both the Bachelor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the Master of Electrical & Computer Engineering degrees in five calendar years and extend elements of a student's undergraduate financial aid package to cover the master's degree (open to UDM undergraduate in electrical and computer engineering with a GPA of at least 3.25). The program allows qualified University Bachelor of Electrical & Computer Engineering students to take up to three graduate level courses during their final three academic semesters that will meet undergraduate degree requirements while also accruing course credits toward their graduate degree. More information on the 5-year BEE-MECE program can be found in the ECE Department’s graduate program brochure.

All graduate courses in the program are offered in the late afternoon and evening in order to accommodate those already in the work force.

The Master of Electrical & Computer Engineering may be completed by either a thesis or a non-thesis plan.

Thesis Option
The thesis plan includes 24 credit hours of coursework, 6 credit hours of thesis, and an oral presentation of the thesis to the departmental thesis committee and the public. Acceptance in the thesis degree option requires demonstration of strong academic performance and the ability to secure a thesis supervision agreement with one of the ECE Department faculty members.

Non-Thesis Option
The non-thesis plan consists of 33 credit hours of coursework. A student's plan of study must consist no fewer than six courses form the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

Concentrations - flexibility and focus
The four possible concentrations for the Master's degree follow:

Concentration in Computer Engineering
The computer engineering specialization is a program focused on the design and development of embedded computer/control and wireless smart sensor systems. This focus uniquely addresses the needs of the BioElectric, Wireless Communications, Multimedia, Aerospace and Automotive communities. The program seeks to provide students with the ability to design real-time distributed microcontroller-based systems. Career opportunities in this area are excellent.

Concentration in Robotics
Robotics, the combination of sensing, computation and actuation in the real world, is experiencing rapid growth. This growth is driven by the decreased cost and increased availability of advanced sensors, high-performance computing devices, and actuators and by national needs for defense and security, elder care, automation of household tasks, customized manufacturing, and interactive entertainment.

The robotics specialization at UDM is structured to integrate three elements of robotics: Computation, Sensing, and Action. These three elements thus define the courses and projects as students explore Perception, Cognition, Control and Dynamics as well as experiential areas related to environment interaction such as Learning, Power Systems and Mechatronics (embedded systems, sensors and actuators).

Other courses may be substituted with permission of the advisor and Department Chairperson depending on prior preparation and offerings available.

Concentration in Signals and Systems
The signals and systems specialization provides a background in digital signal and image processing, and control systems. The advent of high-speed specialized digital signal processor and FPGA integrated circuits has spurred rapid development in this area (witness cellular phones, software radios, CD and DVD players, and HDTV systems). The subsequent demand for specialists in this field has created excellent career opportunities. Students completing this program will have both the theoretical background and practical experience to design and develop quality products in this market.

Concentration in Mechatronics
Mechatronics Engineering is a modern discipline that transcends the boundaries between Embedded Systems, Mechanical, Electrical, and Computer Engineering. Mechatronics Engineering is commonly defined as "The discipline that focuses on the design and control of electromechanical devices" or "the integration of electronics, control engineering and mechanical engineering." The faculty of the ECE department, in close cooperation with the Mechanical Engineering department has designed an innovative world class Mechatronics program that offers a balance of Electrical, Software, and Mechanical content with a focus on Embedded Systems design. Career opportunities can be found in the Aerospace, BioMedical, and Automotive fields among many others.

Partial List of Commonly Accepted Technical Elective Courses:
The remaining course for all master's concentrations are selected (with approval of advisor) from ELEE, MENG, ENGR, MTH, and CSSE courses.

Other courses may be substituted with permission of the advisor depending on prior preparation.

The Doctor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering program at the University of Detroit Mercy focuses on you, the student. You'll get personal attention, in small classes and research seminars, from faculty who place teaching first. Our relevant and practical research and close connections with industry help create an exciting learning environment that will guarantee your success. For the working person, all of our classes are held in the late afternoon and evening. Many of our full-time graduate students obtain paid internships in local industry for one or two terms during their course of study.

Degree Requirements
The Doctor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering adheres to the College's general requirements for admission to and candidacy in a Doctor of Engineering program with some department specific modification/additions. Coursework

Coursework
The doctoral program requires 51 credit hours of coursework beyond the engineering baccalaureate or 21 hours past an approved Master's degree. Up to 36 credit hours can be transferred but at least 21 additional graduate credits must be accrued at UDM. Coursework is divided into Doctoral Core, Concentration Core, and Discipline Specific courses. There are three Doctoral Core courses (or equivalent): ENGR 5020, Design of Experiments; ENGR 5200, Optimization; and ENGR 5300, Advanced Engineering Mathematics. For Concentration Core courses, each concentration has a number of associated courses, all of which must be taken to fulfill the requirements for the concentration. Discipline Specific courses are those related to Electrical and Computer Engineering. all Doctoral courses must be at the 5000 level (unless specifically approved by the advisor/committee and the department chairperson). Also, all doctoral programs of study must be approved by the faculty advisor/committee and the department chairperson.

Examination
Examinations comprise three stages: Qualifying, Dissertation Topic, and Final.

The Qualifying exam consists of two parts: Mathematics and Discipline Specific (in this case, Electrical and Computer Engineering topics relevant to the individual examinee). The Mathematics Qualifying examination is administered and interpreted by the college-level Engineering & Science Graduate Committee. This Qualifying Exam should be taken in the first year of the program and must be taken when the student has completed the Doctoral Core Courses. The Discipline-Specific Qualifying exam is written and administered by the ECE Department Graduate Program Committee. This exam comprises an 8-hour major area exam and a 4 hour minor area exam. Major and minor areas are selected by the student in cooperation with his/her doctoral advisor. These exams are typically taken after the area specific coursework has been completed. Students passing the Qualifying Examinations are allowed to advance in the Doctoral Program. Students can repeat the qualifying exam once. Students failing the second time are dismissed from the Doctoral program.

The Dissertation Topic Examination consists of the formal presentation of the dissertation topic to the supervisory committee. The committee provides feedback to the student regarding scope, depth and relevancy of the topic. With approval of the committee, the student can proceed with the research and subsequent accrual of dissertation credits.

The Final Examination consists of the formal and public presentation of the dissertation results. The written dissertation must also be approved and accepted by the supervisory committee. The Final Examination, in concert with submission of the approved version of the written dissertation, constitutes the last step in completion of the Doctor of Engineering degree.

Information about the Mathematics Qualifying Exam as well as Masters and Doctoral Thesis guidelines can be found on the Engineering & Science website.