Overview

The project-track Master’s Degree in Computer and Electrical Engineering provides you the opportunity to develop technical depth through a yearlong project that has the same scope and ambition as a nine-credit MS thesis.

The track is also designed to allow you to develop the professional skills that will help accelerate your career advancement in industry or prepare you for success in Ph.D. studies.

Program Highlights

  • Ideas to Innovation Project: A special highlight of the program is an intensive, yearlong design experience in which you will interact with Purdue’s world-class faculty and industry advisors.
  • Pursue Your Interests: Design your own plan of study to develop technical depth and breadth.
  • Build Breadth at the Edges: Choose to take one-credit courses from a rich suite of options to develop breadth at the edges.
  • Rise Above Your Peers: Develop your professional skills, including teamwork, communication, and project management skills, as part of the design experience.
  • Prepare for the Next Step: Take advantage of career advice, placement services, and tight connections to industry and to the Purdue alumni network.
  • Accelerated Option: If desired, complete the program in one calendar year (Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions).

Contact Us

Industry Advisors

Student Guide

Curriculum

The project-track MSECE requires 30 hours of coursework.

  • ECE core course: 3 hours
  • Graduate math course: 3 hours
  • Ideas to Innovation courses: 9 hours
  • ECE graduate-level courses: 15 hours

Students will have the flexibility to focus on a specific area of interest by selecting one of the following areas:

  • Automatic Control
  • Communications, Networking, Signal & Image Processing
  • Computer Engineering
  • Fields and Optics
  • Microelectronics and Nanotechnology
  • Schweitzer Power and Energy Systems
  • VLSI and Circuit Design

    • student working in lab

    Ideas to Innovation

    You will begin your immersive design experience during the fall semester. Each team identifies, proposes, and initiates work towards their project. Most of the technical work takes place in the spring semester and is completed either during the summer or fall session.

    • Team Formation: Teams will include students with different backgrounds and technical areas of concentration, some with industry experience and others coming directly from undergraduate programs.
    • Project Selection: Ideas for projects may come from students themselves, Purdue faculty, or from other sources.
    • Skills Gained: Gain technical, product-development, project-management, and professional skills that will set you apart from your peers.

    Learn more about Ideas to Innovation coursework and projects.

    Admissions

    Full MSECE admissions requirements.

    Application Deadlines

    For Fall Start:

    • Priority Admissions: July 1
    • Final Admissions: July 31

    Apply Now

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How does this MS track differ from the other on-campus MSECE tracks?

    • All of our MS tracks lead to the same degree: the MSECE. Students in the project-track MS complete nine credit hours of Ideas to Innovation courses, in which they will complete a technical project from start to finish and learn essential professional skills for success in industry.

    Can a student in the project-track MSECE be a TA or RA?

    • No. Students interested in TA or RA positions should consider our thesis-track MS.

    Are international students in the project-track MSECE eligible for CPT?

    • Yes, the project-track MSECE is a STEM program within the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Students who leave campus for the summer for CPT will finish their Ideas to Innovation coursework in the following fall semester.

    Can I start my degree online and complete it on campus?

    • Yes! We offer a rich online curriculum to help you start right away from where you are now. In addition, you are able to start your project online.

    Once I’m on campus, can I switch to the MS thesis track?

    • Yes, if you find a faculty member who commits to serving as your thesis advisor. However, due to the large number of ECE MS and PhD students at Purdue, the likelihood of finding a thesis advisor and switching to the thesis track is low.

    Why should I choose Purdue for my MS?

    • Purdue ECE was established in 1888 and has a long history of excellence. It is currently the largest school at Purdue, with more than 1500 undergraduate students, 750 graduate students, 100 faculty members, and 23,000 alumni.

    A coursework-based, entirely-online MSECE program with the same courses, same faculty, and same degree as the on-campus programs.