Carnegie Mellon University

MS in ECE, AP (Master of Science, Applied program)

*The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will no longer be admitting and enrolling new students to the ECE Applied or SE Applied programs, including the ECE Applied Advanced and SE Applied Advanced programs, in both Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley, after the Spring 2023 semester. Students already admitted and enrolled in these programs during or before the Spring 2023 semester will remain eligible to complete their degree requirements at both the Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley campuses through the Spring 2024 semester for the Applied programs and the Fall semester 2024 for the Applied Advanced programs. 

All students who matriculated into the ECE MS program up to and including the Spring 2020 semester, please see the program requirements here.

The MS in ECE, AP is a three-semester program comprised of 97 units of graduate coursework (600-level and above) offered to students who begin their studies at the Pittsburgh campus. The Applied program has the following requirements:

Course option requirements

  • 60 units of ECE core courses
  • 24 units of CIT elective courses
  • 12 units of general technical elective courses
  • 1 unit of Introduction to Graduate Studies 
  • 1 summer internship (18-993)

Up to 27 units of research project coursework can be used to satisfy program requirements. Students interested in conducting additional project work may pursue the Intensive Project Option outlined below. All students apply for research projects through the Student Project Tracker site.

Up to 12 units of undergraduate coursework (300-level or higher) can qualify to be substituted toward the 96 units of core or elective requirements. Qualifying coursework must be offered by the same department as either an approved core or elective course.

Intensive Project Option requirements

The Intensive Project Option provides students the option to work intensively on a single research project with a CMU faculty member. A student will take a total of 36 units of graduate-level research to count toward their degree in two separate phases. The first phase of the Intensive Project Option is 12 units that will be taken no sooner than the student’s second semester in the program. The second phase is 24 units that will be taken in the following semester. These 36 units satisfy the degree requirements as follows:
  • 60 units of ECE core courses (36 units of ECE core coursework + 24 units of intensive research)
  • 24 units of CIT elective courses (12 units of CIT elective coursework + 12 units of intensive research)
  • 12 units of general technical elective courses
  • 1 unit of Introduction to Graduate Studies 
  • 1 summer internship

*You may not end your program on the summer internship. The required internship must be taken before you meet the program’s course unit requirements. For example, if you will complete all 97 units by Spring 2021, you cannot conduct your required internship during Summer 2021. Please note: International students who begin their studies full-time in the spring semester WILL qualify for CPT in the summer, as the internship is a program requirement.

 

60 units must be graduate coursework (600 level or above) within ECE (18-XXX).

EXCEPTIONS—The following ECE (18) courses may not be counted toward ECE core coursework. They may be counted toward CIT electives or general technical electives: 

  • 18-601, 18-602, 18-603, 18-605, 18-606, 18-700, 18-701, 18-702, 18-703

24 units must be graduate coursework (600 level or above) within CIT from the following departments

  • ECE (18)
  • Carnegie Institute of Technology (CIT) (39)
  • Biomedical Engineering (42)
  • Chemical Engineering (06)
  • Civil & Environmental Engineering (12)
  • Engineering & Public Policy (19)
  • Information Network Institute (14)
  • Integrated Innovation Institute (49)
  • Materials Science & Engineering (27)
  • Mechanical Engineering (24)
  • CMU–Africa (04)

*Note that the courses 39-699 and 18-994 can be counted towards an elective requirement only.

EXCEPTIONS—The following CIT courses may not be counted toward CIT Elective Coursework. They may be counted toward General Technical Elective Coursework.

  • Engineering & Public Policy (19): 19-602, 19-655
  • Integrated Innovation Institute (49): 49-750, 49-751, 49-761, 49-762, 49-763, 49-764, 49-765, 49-766, 49-767, 49-770, 49-771, 49-772, 49-773, 49-774, 49-775, 49-780, 49-781, 49-782, 49-788, 49-790, 49-791, 49-792, 49-793
  • Mechanical Engineering (24): 24-792
  • CMU–Africa (04): 04-601, 04-602, 04-605, 04-900, 04-980

12 units of coursework (600 level or above) can be from the following programs (shown under their parent college) or individually approved courses:

College of Engineering

  • ECE (18)
  • Carnegie Institute of Technology (CIT) (39)
  • Biomedical Engineering (42)
  • Chemical Engineering (06)
  • Civil & Environmental Engineering (12)
  • Engineering & Public Policy (19)
  • Information Network Institute (14)
  • Integrated Innovation Institute (49)
  • Materials Science & Engineering (27)
  • Mechanical Engineering (24)
  • CMU Africa (04)

Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences

  • Statistics (36)
  • Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (86)

H. John Heinz III College (HC)

  • Heinz School of Information Systems (95)
  • Heinz College-Wide Courses (94)

Mellon College of Science (MCS)

  • Biological Sciences (03)
  • Chemistry (09)
  • Mathematical Sciences (21)
  • Physics (33)

School of Computer Science (SCS)

  • Computational Biology (02)
  • Computer Science (15)
  • Entertainment Technology Center (53)
  • Institute for Software Research (08)
  • Robotics Institute (16)
  • Human–Computer Interaction Institute (05)
  • Language Technologies Institute (11)
  • Machine Learning (10)
  • Software Engineering (17)

Tepper School of Business (TEP)

  • Tepper School of Business (45)

Additional courses outside of these programs that are approved to be counted toward General Technical Elective coursework:

  • 46-926, 46-929
  • 47-830, 47-834
  • 51-882
  • 57-947, 57-948
  • 80-713
  • 84-688
  • 85-777
  • 90-756, 90-808
  • 93-711
  • 99-783

*Note that the courses 39-699 and 18-994 can be counted toward an elective requirement only.

One internship must be completed in a summer semester. Students will register for 18-993 via their academic advisor.

Internships will be approved by faculty advisors prior to registration to make sure they are in line with the ECE degree. Internships should be at least 20 hours per week and last for at least 10 weeks. Deviation from this internship length is possible with faculty approval.

In any semester prior to the summer internship, students are required to complete the prerequisite course 39-699 (Career & Professional Development for Engineering Masters Students). This course will assist students with applying for and securing external internships. If an external internship cannot be secured by the student, ECE faculty advisors will assist in assigning a departmental internship project to meet this requirement. 

You may not end your program on the summer internship. The required internship must be taken before you meet the program’s course unit requirements. For example, if you will complete all 97 units by Spring 2021, you cannot conduct your required internship during Summer 2021.

*Please Note: International students who begin their studies full-time in the spring semester WILL qualify for CPT in the summer, as the internship is a program requirement.

36 units (for the project option only) of 18-980 (M.S. Graduate Project) must be completed.

For the project option, students will register for 12 units of 18-980 in their second semester in the program. Students will then register for the remaining 24 units of 18-980 in the following semester.

*The M.S. Graduate Project is not required for students in the course option, however, these students may take up to 27 project units that can count towards degree requirements. 12 project units can count towards their core requirements and up to 15 project units can count toward their elective requirements. Only 15 units of M.S. Graduate Project can be taken in any given semester in the course option.

ECE Master’s students in the applied program will take 97 units for their degree, 85 units of which must be from within the College of Engineering (61 from within ECE, 24 from within CIT; see above). This rule applies to students matriculating fall 2020 or later and to all IMB students who sign their intent form after the start of the Fall 2020 semester. IMB students will be beholden to the program requirements in place when they sign their intent form and officially agree to enter the program.

*Please note: Additional units can be taken beyond the required 97 units described above in order to diversify your course schedule, however, they will not be counted towards the program requirements. Students who wish to take more than the recommended 36 units per semester (after their first semester) should make an appointment with their academic advisor to review your planned schedule.

Students who are pursuing the M.S. Applied Program cannot register for their final semester if they have already completed 120 units of coursework. These units include courses taken for audit, pass/no pass, and withdrawal. Please refer to CIT policy on MS degree units for additional information.