Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Spring 2013
Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.
Catalog Copy
Electrical Engineering
- Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering
- M.S. in Electrical Engineering (MSEE)
- M.S. in Engineering (MSE)
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
246 Woodward Hall
(704) 687-8593
Graduate Programs Director
Dr. Asis Nasipuri
Graduate Faculty
Ian Ferguson, Professor and Chair
Ryan Adams, Assistant Professor
David Binkley, Professor
Jonathan Bird, Assistant Professor
Steve Bobbio, Professor
Lee Casperson, Emeritus
Valentina Cecchi, Assistant Professor
James Conrad, Associate Professor
Robert Cox, Assistant Professor
Kasra Daneshvar, Professor
Abasifreke Ebong, Professor
Johan Enslin, Professor
Michael Fiddy, Professor
Mohamed-Ali Hasan, Associate Professor
Ivan Howitt, Associate Professor
Eric Johnson, Professor
Bharat Joshi, Associate Professor
Aravind Kailas, Assistant Professor
Yogendra P. Kakad, Professor
Sukumar Kamalasadan, Associate Professor
Vasilije Lukic, Professor
Mehdi Miri, Associate Professor
Arindam Mukherjee, Associate Professor
Asis Nasipuri, Associate Professor
Arun Ravindran, Associate Professor
Zia Salami, Associate Professor
Ronald Sass, Associate Professor
Edward B. Stokes, Professor
Farid Tranjan, Professor
Raphael Tsu, Distinguished Professor
Thomas P. Weldon, Associate Professor
Andrew Willis, Associate Professor
Jiang (Linda) Xie, Associate Professor
Yong Zhang, Bissell Distinguished Professor
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers programs leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering. The department provides unsurpassed education to its students, preparing them for careers in high-tech industries or academia. The Ph.D. program is focused on providing research expertise, and is designed to impart the aptitude and confidence for generating new knowledge and practices in a chosen research area. The Master’s degree can be earned by successfully completing 30 credits of approved graduate coursework, which can be completed either under the thesis or non-thesis options. Our students are provided with both breadth of knowledge in Electrical and Computer Engineering and related areas and depth of knowledge in the chosen research specialty. The department is staffed with a prestigious faculty conducting research in a number of areas that include circuits and electronics, communications and signal processing, computer engineering, control systems, microelectronics, optics and optoelectronics, power and energy systems. A full range of state-of-the-art laboratories is available enabling faculty and students to conduct research at the cutting edge of technology.
Ph.D. In Electrical Engineering
The Ph.D. program is designed to provide the students with research-level expertise in a focus area within electrical and computer engineering and breadth of knowledge in areas related to the focus area. In addition to taking a set of courses in a chosen area of concentration, a key aspect of the doctoral degree is the student’s research dissertation. Each dissertation is expected to be a significant original contribution on research on a chosen subject, which usually leads to one or more archival publications. Successful doctoral candidates learn how to acquire advanced knowledge from published research articles, identify research problems, formulate plausible approaches to solve them, analyze and evaluate proposed solutions, and present technical material orally and in writing.
Additional Admission Requirements
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, the Electrical and Computer Engineering department seeks the following from applicants to the Ph.D. program in Electrical Engineering:
- A master’s degree in electrical and/or computer engineering or a closely allied field, demonstrating strong academic background for performing research in a chosen area of interest. Exceptional students with only a baccalaureate degree who are motivated to pursue a Ph.D. may also be considered for direct admission to the Ph.D. program.
- The applicant must receive satisfactory scores on the quantitative and verbal sections of the Graduate Record Examinations General Test.
- The statement of purpose, written by the applicant, must specify the applicant’s research interests within Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Degree Requirements
The following is a chronologically ordered set of requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering:
- Appointment of a Ph.D. advisor and formation of an advisory committee.
- Development of a Ph.D. Plan of Study detailing all course and examination requirements.
- Successful completion of the qualifying examinations.
- Presentation of a proposal for Ph.D. research and admission to candidacy.
- Successful defense of the Ph.D. Dissertation.
Within the first semester of being admitted into a Ph.D. program, the student should choose a Ph.D. advisor and form an advisory committee. In conjunction with the Ph.D. advisor and this advisory committee, the student will develop a Plan of Study to meet the Ph.D. program requirements of coursework and examinations and prepare to undertake original research leading to a doctoral dissertation. Normally, a student would be expected to have at least one archival publication on the research performed for the dissertation.
Plan of Study
The Plan of Study must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Programs for review and approval within the second semester of enrollment in the Ph.D. program. The Plan of Study must show a minimum of 72 hours of credit beyond the Baccalaureate degree, including 18 hours of doctoral dissertation credits. At least 12 hours of coursework must be taken after admission to the Ph.D. program. The specific course requirements will be set by the student's Advisory Committee. Doctoral students should take 8000-level courses when they are available. 6000 and 5000 level graduate courses that do not have 8000-level counterparts may also be counted towards the doctoral degree if approved by the Advisory Committee. For students who do not possess bachelor's and/or master's degrees in appropriate fields of study, additional coursework may be required. Courses taken without the approval of the advisory committee may not be counted toward the degree.
Grades
A student must have a GPA of at least a 3.0 in order to graduate. The dissertation is graded on a Pass/Unsatisfactory basis and, therefore, will not be included in the cumulative GPA. An accumulation of more than two marginal (C) grades will result in suspension of the student's enrollment in the graduate program. If a student makes a grade of U on any course, enrollment will be suspended. A graduate student whose enrollment has been suspended because of grades is ineligible to attend any semester or summer session unless properly readmitted to the graduate program. Readmission to the program requires approval of the Dean of the Graduate School upon the recommendation of the student's major department.
Residence
A student may satisfy the residency requirement for the program by completing 18 hours, either coursework or research credits, by study-in-residence during the academic year and during the summer terms, as long as the study is continuous. Study-in-residence is deemed to be continuous if the student is enrolled in one or more courses (including research/dissertation credit) in successive semesters until eighteen hours of credit are earned.
Qualifying Examination
In addition to demonstrating a high level of competence in coursework, the student must pass the Ph.D. qualifying examinations. The qualifying examination should be taken before completion of 24 hours beyond the master's degree but must be passed no later than four semesters after initial enrollment in the program. Failure to pass the qualifying examination after two attempts will result in the termination of the student's enrollment in the Ph.D. program.
The qualifying examination is divided into two test sessions. The first session comprises of a written examination on the breadth areas of electrical and computer engineering, and the second session is a research aptitude test that comprises of a technical presentation. . For a detailed description of the procedures for the Ph.D. qualifying examinations in electrical and computer engineering please contact the ECE department or visit ece.uncc.edu.
Dissertation Proposal and Admission to Candidacy
Because the Ph.D. program is heavily based on independent research, each student must write a proposal describing his/her proposed dissertation research following the technical guidelines established by the department. The proposal must be presented to and orally defended before the student's advisory committee. The proposal must be presented within one year after the qualifying examination is passed. Upon approval of the student's dissertation proposal, the advisory committee will recommend the student's admission to candidacy subject to the approval of the Engineering Doctoral Graduate Committee and the Dean of the Graduate School. It is the responsibility of the student to file the Admission to Candidacy form to the Graduate School by the filing date specified in the University Academic Calendar.
Dissertation
Evidence of a high degree of competence in scholarship, written exposition, independent inquiry and the ability to organize and apply knowledge must be demonstrated by the student in the dissertation. The student will make a public defense of the dissertation at which time the dissertation, as well as the student's knowledge of the field, will be appropriate matter for examination by the student's advisory committee. Although questions may be asked by the general audience, evaluation of the dissertation defense is the sole responsibility of the advisory committee. The dissertation will be graded on a Pass/Unsatisfactory basis.
Application for Degree
Students preparing to graduate must submit an online Application for Degree by the filing date specified in the University Academic Calendar. If a student does not graduate in the semester identified on the Application for Degree, then the student must update his/her Admission to Candidacy and submit a new Application for Degree for graduation in a subsequent semester.
Time Limit
Students are allowed a maximum of eight (8) calendar years from formal admission to the Ph.D. program to complete the program successfully.
Assistantships
There are two forms of assistantships that are offered by the ECE Department. These are Teaching Assistantships (TAs) and Research Assistantships (RAs). RAs are controlled by faculty members with research grants, and the faculty members make the decisions in selecting students for RAs. Therefore, for RAs, students should contact individual faculty members directly. TAs are given to students to help faculty members with classroom teaching or laboratory instruction and these allocations are related to the ECE department needs and available resources. In all cases, the TAs and RAs are awarded to exceptional students. Application forms are available online at ece.uncc.edu.
Tuition Waivers
For exceptionally qualified candidates who are awarded TAs or RAs, a limited number of tuition awards are available on a competitive basis.
Master’s Programs
in Electrical Engineering
The Master's programs are designed to provide technical expertise in a specific area of electrical and computer engineering as well as breadth of knowledge in supporting areas. The thesis option provides the students the opportunity to work on a research project that culminates in the publishing of a thesis. The non-thesis option is designed to provide additional breadth in areas that support the chosen focus area. It is also the goal of the program to graduate engineers with effective problem solving and communication skills.
Additional Admission Requirements
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering seeks the following from applicants to the Master’s programs in Electrical Engineering:
Applicants should have baccalaureate degrees in electrical and/or computer engineering with a GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4.0. Applicants must have satisfactory scores in the quantitative and verbal sections of the Graduate Record Examinations general test.
Applicants with baccalaureate degrees in fields closely related to electrical and computer engineering (e.g., electronics, computer science, mathematics, physics, etc.) may also be considered. However, satisfactory evidence on the aptitude to pursue graduate studies in electrical and computer engineering must be demonstrated. If additional preparatory courses are required, such courses should be taken before applying for the MSEE.
Admission is based on the overall background, motivation, and potential, as determined by the department.
Early Entry to the Graduate School
Exceptional undergraduate students of UNC Charlotte may be accepted into the graduate program and begin work towards a graduate degree before completion of their baccalaureate degree. An early entry student may take up to six hours of graduate coursework that will be counted towards his/her undergraduate hours and also towards his/her graduate degree, i.e., up to six credits of graduate coursework may be “double counted” for both baccalaureate and graduate degrees.
An applicant may be accepted at any time after completion of 75 or more hours, although it is expected that close to 90 hours will have been earned by the time the first graduate course is taken. To be accepted into this program, an undergraduate student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.2 and have earned satisfactory scores in the Graduate Record Examinations general tests. If any early-entry student does not meet the normal admission requirements of a 3.0 2.75 overall undergraduate GPA and a 3.0 junior-senior GPA at the end of his/her baccalaureate degree, he/she will be dismissed from the graduate program.
M.S.E.E. Degree Requirements
The M.S.E.E degree is awarded to those students who complete the M.S. program of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Students admitted to the M.S. program who do not have a B.S. degree in electrical or computer engineering or related field, may need to take undergraduate preparatory courses in order to succeed in their graduate studies.
Thesis and Non-Thesis Options
Students may pursue either the thesis or non-thesis option for a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. In the thesis option, the student must complete 9 hours of thesis research. Alternatively, the student may complete the requirements of a Master’s degree under the non-thesis option by taking 30 credits of coursework only, or by taking 27 credits of coursework along with three credits of individualized project work.
Degree Requirements for the Thesis Option
- Plan of Study - the student must meet with his/her advisor to formulate a plan of study and get the committee’s approval. The plan of study must be submitted after completing at least 9 but no more than 18 semester credits.
- Satisfactory completion of 30 hours of approved graduate credits in major or related area of study including 9 hours of thesis.
- Not more than 6 credits may be taken from outside the electrical and computer engineering department.
- Admission to candidacy - the Admission to Candidacy form must be completed prior to the thesis defense. The student should consult the schedule of classes for deadlines on submitting this form for fall or spring graduation.
- Thesis Defense - a copy of the thesis should be distributed to each member of the program committee at least two weeks prior to the defense. The student should make a public announcement of the defense within the department to allow attendance by interested faculty members and students of electrical and computer engineering.
Degree Requirements for the Non-Thesis Option
- Plan of Study - the student must meet with his/her advisor to formulate a plan of study and get the committee’s approval. The plan of study must be submitted after completing at least 9 but no more than 18 semester credits.
- Satisfactory completion of 30 hours of approved graduate credits. At least 21 hours of courses must be in the ECE department.
- A student may take up to three credits of individualized project that will require a written report and an oral presentation. Alternately, the student may take all 30 credits of coursework.
- Admission to candidacy - the admission to candidacy form must be completed prior to the oral exam. The student should consult the schedule of classes for deadlines on submitting this form for fall or spring graduation.
- The student must pass a written exam (for coursework only) or an oral exam/presentation (for project) that will be administered by the program advisory committee.
Program Committee
For the thesis and non-thesis project options, the student must select a program committee that is composed of at least 3 members of the graduate faculty, the majority of whom must be members of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. The graduate program advisor generally serves as the chairman of the committee. For the non-thesis coursework only option, the advisor alone plays the roles of the committee (i.e., no other members are required).
Admission to Candidacy Requirements
Each student must file an Admission to Candidacy Form to the Graduate School by the filing date specified in the University Academic Calendar.
Application for Degree
Students preparing to graduate must submit an online Application for Degree by the filing date specified in the University Calendar. If a student does not graduate in the semester identified on the Application for Degree, then the student must update his/her Admission to Candidacy and submit a new Application for Degree for graduation in a subsequent semester.
Graduate Concentration in Power and Energy Systems
The Electrical and Computer Engineering department offers a Graduate Concentration in Power and Energy Systems, which requires taking a set of core and elective courses as described below. Students who elect to pursue the Graduate Concentration in Power and Energy Systems towards their MSEE degree will primarily take course work in modern power and energy systems, devices modeling, analysis, protection and control. This concentration prepares students for jobs with power utilities, power and energy devices manufacturing companies, national and regional laboratories, or for continued academic training in power and energy fields. The graduate concentration will be reflected in the student’s transcript upon successful completion of the MSEE program. Students interested in earning their MSEE degree with the graduate concentration must indicate their interest in this option in their Plan of Study that must be submitted within their second semester into the MSEE program. The MSEE degree can also be earned without specifying a concentration, where the student has greater flexibility in selecting their courses.
There are two course tracks for the Graduate Concentration in Power and Energy Systems: (a) the Power Systems track, and (b) the Power Electronics and Machines track. In order to earn an MSEE degree with a graduate concentration in Power and Energy Systems, a student must take the four core courses from one of these course tracks and a minimum of three courses from the list of elective courses as described below.
Core courses in the Power Systems track:
ECGR 5142: Power Generation Operation and Control
ECGR 5104: Computational Methods in Power Systems
ECGR 5194: Power System Analysis II
ECGR 6144: Electric Power Distribution Systems-I
Note: students who opt to take the Power Systems course track are expected to have taken the following courses or their equivalents before entering the Master’s program: ECGR4141: Power System Analysis I, ECGR4143: Electric Machinery, ECGR4144: Power Electronics-I. If a student has not taken these courses or their equivalents, the student must take their graduate equivalents as elective courses for the graduate concentration or obtain permission from their advisor.
Core courses in the Power Electronics and Machines track:
ECGR 5144: Power Electronics
ECGR 5195: Electric Machinery
ECGR 6197: Power Electronics II
ECGR 6199: Dynamics and Control of AC Drives
Note: students who opt to take the Power Electronics and Machines course track are required to have taken ECGR4141: Power System Analysis or its equivalent, before entering the Master’s program. If a student has not taken this course or its equivalent, the student must take its graduate equivalent as an elective course for the graduate concentration or obtain permission from their advisor.
Elective Courses that can be taken for both tracks:
ECGR 5104: Computational Methods in Power Systems
ECGR 5112: Nonlinear Analysis
ECGR 5142: Power Generation Operation and Control
ECGR 5188: Modeling and Analysis of Dynamic Systems
ECGR 5194: Power System Analysis II
ECGR 5411: Control Systems Theory I
ECGR 5412: Control System Theory II
ECGR 6141: Power System Protection
ECGR 6144: Electrics Power Distribution Systems-I
ECGR 6147: Power System Stability and Control
ECGR 6190: Smart Grid: Characteristics, Design and Analysis
ECGR 6198: Design of Renewable Energy Electromagnetic Devices
ECGR 6145: Electric Power Distribution Systems-II
ECGR 6111: Linear Systems
ECGR 6115: Optimal Control Theory I
ECGR 6116: Optimal Control Theory II
ECGR 6117: Multivariable Controls
With written permission from their advisor a student may request to take one course outside of the listed course electives.
Students are advised to review the ECE graduate program web pages for updates and additions to the list of electives.
In addition to the seven courses from the above lists, students seeking a graduate concentration must also complete the general requirements for the MSEE degree for their chosen option. This involves taking 9 credits of thesis, if taking the thesis option; three credits of individualized studies and projects plus two additional courses as approved by the advisor, if taking the project option; and three additional courses approved by the advisor and pass the comprehensive examinations, if taking the comprehensive examinations option.
ECGR 5144. Power Electronics I (3). Prerequisite: Graduate standing and knowledge of fundamentals of electric circuit analysis and electronics, or permission from the department. High power solid state circuits. Topics include power transfer, DC/DC converters, DC/AC inverters for use in resonant converters and motor drives, AC/DC rectifiers, gate-drive circuits for linear and switching amplifiers, pulse-width modulators, introduction to power supply design correction Credit will not be given for ECGR 5144 where credit has been given for ECGR 4144. (Spring).
ECGR 6144. Electric Power Distribution Systems I (3). Prerequisite: Graduate standing and knowledge of fundamentals of power systems, or permission from the department. This course will provide the fundamental principles of the electric power delivery system with emphasis on distribution systems. The course will go over three-phase unbalanced system and component models, distribution power flow analysis, and radial power flow techniques. Credit will not be given for ECGR 6144 where credit has been given for ECGR 8144. (Fall)
ECGR 6145. Electric Power Distribution Systems II (3). Prerequisite: Graduate standing, knowledge of fundamentals of power systems, and ECGR 6144/8144, or permission from the department. This course will focus on distribution automation and optimization methods applied to distribution systems operation and planning. Credit will not be given for ECGR 6145 where credit has been given for ECGR 8145. (Spring)
ECGR 6190. Smart Grid: Characteristics, Design and Analysis (3). Prerequisite: Graduate standing and knowledge of fundamentals of power systems, or permission from the department. This course will provide the fundamental principles of the Smart Grid with emphasis on Grid modernization Analysis and design. The course will go over with design and integration of renewable energy resources to power grid, the impact of power system analysis in the context of smart grid, smart grid observability and controllability, Wide Area Monitoring and Control, Self-Healing network. Credit will not be given for ECGR 6190 where credit has been given for ECGR 8190. (Spring)
ECGR 6147. Power System Stability and Control (3). Prerequisite: Graduate standing and knowledge of fundamentals of power systems, or permission from the department. This course will provide the fundamental principles of power system stability with emphasis on modern power grid. The course will go over with various power system stability analyses starting from small signal stability, transient stability, voltage stability, frequency stability. Then the system dynamics based on various stability conditions and controller design will be discussed. Credit will not be given for ECGR 6147 where credit has been given for ECGR 8147. (Spring)
ECGR 6197. Power Electronics II (3). Prerequisite: Graduate standing, knowledge of fundamentals of power electronics and basics of semiconductor physics, and ECGR 5144, or permission from the department. This course focuses on more advanced topics in power electronics. Topics include converter modeling and control, advanced concepts in magnetic circuit design, gate and base drives, switching losses, resonant converters, zero-voltage and zero-current switching, utility-interfaced applications including FACTS, maximum power-point tracking, and power factor correction Credit will not be given for ECGR 6197 where credit has been given for ECGR 8197. (Fall)
ECGR 6198 Design of Renewable Energy Electromagnetic Devices (3). Prerequisite: Graduate standing and knowledge of (a) electric machines, (b) electromagnetic, and (c) programming, or permission from the department. This course will introduce students to the modern and classical methods used by engineers to design renewable energy electromagnetic devices, specifically electromagnetic machines. The course will be separated into two main sections. The first section of the course will review electromagnetic field theory and introduce the theory behind the finite element method. The second section will review the theory behind magnetic circuit modeling of electric machines. The emphasis will be placed on permanent magnet and induction machine design. (on demand)
ECGR 6199 Dynamics and Control of AC Drives (3). Prerequisite: Graduate standing and knowledge of (a) electric machines, (b) power electronics, and (c) programming, or permission from the department. This advanced course will focus on studying the theory behind the control of ac drive systems. Topics studied will include: coupled circuit modeling of ac machines, dynamic modeling of induction machines, power converter and converter modeling, the simulation of electric machines and drives, electric drive system control, steady state analysis with non-conventional sources, small signal dynamic response and doubly salient electric machines. (on demand)
ECGR 8144. Electric Power Distribution Systems I (3). See ECGR 6144 for Course Description. Credit will not be given for ECGR 8144 where credit has been given for ECGR 6144.
ECGR 8145. Electric Power Distribution Systems II (3). See ECGR 6145 for Course Description. Credit will not be given for ECGR 8145 where credit has been given for ECGR 6145.
ECGR 8190. Smart Grid: Characteristics, Design and Analysis (3). See ECGR 6190 for Course Description. Credit will not be given for ECGR 8190 where credit has been given for ECGR 6190.
ECGR 8147. Power System Stability and Control (3). See ECGR 6147 for Course Description. Credit will not be given for ECGR 8147 where credit has been given for ECGR 6147.
ECGR 8197. Power Electronics II (3). See ECGR 6197 for Course Description. Credit will not be given for ECGR 8197 where credit has been given for ECGR 6197.
ECGR 8198. Design of Renewable Energy Electromagnetic Devices (3). See ECGR 6198 for Course Description. Credit will not be given for ECGR 6198 where credit has been given for ECGR 8198.
ECGR 8199. Dynamics and Control of AC Drives (3). See ECGR 6199 for Course Description. Credit will not be given for ECGR 6199 where credit has been given for ECGR 8199.