Applying to
Graduate School
Instructions
For Applying to Graduate Programs in the Electrical and Computer
Engineering Department
Information
is provided here regarding deadlines for graduate applications,
the application procedure, and admission requirements.
Deadlines
for graduate applications are as follows:
For
admission in Fall Semester, applications must be received
in complete form by January 15th of the preceding Spring term.
For admission in Spring Semester, applications must be received
in complete form by September 15th of the preceding Fall term.
Application
Procedure for the M.S. in Electrical Engineering and the Ph.D.
in Electrical Engineering:
Applicants
should submit a completed application form on-line at
MSU
Graduate Admissions
along with an application fee of $50. On-line applications
are required except for those international students living
in areas where internet access presents a very serious logistics
problem. In that case, please send a request for a mail-in
application. However, be advised that a mail-in application
may result in a delay in consideration of the application
which may have an impact on funding. The fee for a paper application
is also $50. The on-line application goes directly to the
MSU Graduate School and is subsequently forwarded by the Graduate
School to the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
Please note that all applicants must submit a Personal Statement
with the on-line application explaining your reasons for seeking
graduate program enrollment and your career objectives.
ECE Program codes on the University application are as follows:
Masters
2348 Electrical Engineering
Doctoral
2349 Electrical Engineering
In
addition to submitting the application, the following 5 items
must be submitted to the address listed below. *NOTE:
If a paper application is used instead of an on-line application
it must also go to this address below along with the fee.
| Department
of
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Attn: ECE Graduate Application Processing
Michigan State University
2120 Engineering Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1226 |
- Three
Recommendation Forms
must be completed by instructors or supervisors familiar
with the applicants work. The e-mail address of the
recommender must be provided on the form. Please provide
a copy of the recommendation form to the recommender.
For applicants from international schools, this form must
be accompanied by letters of recommendation on official
stationery from the recommender's institution.
- A
Graduate
Admissions, Recruitment, and Financial Aid Information
Sheet must also be filled out and submitted.
(Note that this is an on-line form that is transmitted
to the Graduate Admissions Secretary when submitted.)
- Two
official copies of transcripts from all previous universities
attended.
- Graduate
Record Examination (GRE) aptitude scores are required
for all International Applicants and for all other applicants
with an undergraduate degree from an international school.
The GRE is recommended for all other applicants. GRE test
scores must be provided to us directly by the Educational
Testing Service.
- TOEFL
Scores are required for all international applicants who
are on an F-1 visa from a non-English speaking country.
TOEFL test scores must be provided to us directly by the
Educational Testing Service.
Note that items 1 through 5 above, along with the application
form and the application fee, are required
for a complete application to be considered for admissions.
We do not waive these requirements, nor can the application
fee be waived.
Financial
Support:
All applicants are automatically considered for
financial support in the form of research assistantships,
teaching assistantships, and fellowships. Admission into
the Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering is generally
linked to the availability of such support. For M. S. applicants,
support is only considered for those who enroll in the M.
S. plan with thesis.
Department Admission Process:
Our admission process is a two-step process. First, the Admissions Committee reviews the applications with regard to background. If the background is considered compatible with a good experience in our graduate program, then the application goes to the second step. In the second step, the application is reviewed for support. Admission to the department is linked to the availability of support in the form of a graduate teaching assistantship, research assistantship, fellowship, or scholarship. For international students, support is generally in the form of a research assistantship. The Admissions Committee reviews the applications to decide whether an application is considered qualified for admission if support is available. Then the research faculty review those applications to decide to whom an RA will be offered. This decision is made by the individual faculty who have funding for RA's.
Admission
Requirements:
- Students
should have a four-year bachelor's degree in Electrical
Engineering or a closely related field.
- A graduate assistantship, fellowship, or scholarship should be available to the applicant.
- Successful
domestic applicants are highly ranked in their bachelor's
class. Most successful domestic applicants have GPA's
of 3.5 or better. Domestic applicants with GPA less than
3.2 are generally not considered for admission.
- A
general profile of a successful international student
applicant is as follows.
- Graduate
of a highly ranked school.
- In
the upper 10% of their class.
- TOEFL
scores typically range from 600 to 650, paper, or
250-270, computer. (Paper TOEFL scores less than 570 or computer scores less than 230 will generally not be considered acceptable.)
- GRE
scores are generally above 750 for the quantitative portion. (Verbal GRE scores less than 400 and analytical scores less than 4.0 will generally not be considered acceptable.)
Some
specific further notes regarding successful applicants from
China and India are noted below.
- Additional
profile attributes of a successful applicant from China.
- Graduates
from Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiatong University,
or the Huazhong University of Science and Technology
with a GPA of 85 or better.
- Graduates
from other Chinese universities, with a GPA of 90
or better.
- Additional
profile attributes of a successful applicant from India.
- Graduate
from an Indian Institute of Technology with a GPA
of 8 or higher.
- Graduate
from a Regional Engineering College, or comparable
school, with grades of 80% or higher.
|