Why Choose Cal Poly's EE Graduate Program?
The Electrical Engineering Department offers a distinctive Master of Science program that emphasizes Cal Poly's signature "Learn by Doing" philosophy. Our program features extensive laboratory facilities spanning 35,000 square feet, providing students with hands-on experience that complements theoretical coursework. Many of our graduate courses integrate both lecture and laboratory components, offering practical application of advanced concepts.
Program Features:
- Integrated Learning Environment: Graduate students are fully integrated into our department community, with dedicated office space and opportunities to serve as laboratory instructors for undergraduate courses
- Faculty Focus: Our faculty concentrate their graduate education efforts on the Master's degree level, ensuring dedicated attention and mentorship for MS students
- Professional Development: Weekly EE 563 graduate seminars provide networking opportunities and exposure to current research and industry trends
- Flexible Program Tracks: Choose between Exam-Based and Thesis-Based tracks to align with your career objectives
- Research Opportunities: Work closely with faculty on cutting-edge research in areas including power systems, RF/microwave design, signal processing, and computational intelligence
Our program combines rigorous academic preparation with practical experience, preparing graduates for successful careers in industry or continued doctoral studies. Students benefit from small class sizes, personalized faculty attention, and a supportive academic environment that fosters both technical excellence and professional growth.
Getting Started in Your First Quarter: During your first quarter, prioritize meeting faculty members and exploring research opportunities within the department. The Electrical Engineering field encompasses diverse specializations, and it is essential to identify research groups and projects that align with your interests and career goals. Contact faculty members directly via email to schedule introductory meetings. Come prepared with questions about their research and potential collaboration opportunities. For thesis-based students, identifying a research advisor early in your first quarter is crucial for program success. Exam-based students should use this time to explore technical areas that will inform their coursework selection and comprehensive exam preparation.
HOW MANY UNITS TO GRADUATE? It takes 45 units of study to complete your MS degree. The break-down of units is as follows and more detailed descriptions are in the MS handbooks below:
- 3 units of EE563 Seminar (Every Friday afternoon all year long)
- 9 units of EE599 Thesis (for Thesis-based track)
- 25 Units minimum of units (16 units for Thesis-based track) from graduate 500-level EE courses. The main goal is to work with the EE graduate coordinator to get a study plan approved for your graduate work.
- 17 units of Electives either at the 4XX or 5XX level. The department is very flexible on the nature of these electives and they can be taken from multiple departments.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GRADUATE? The fastest possible route to graduation is 3 quarters at 15 units per quarter. During each quarter, you would take 1 unit of EE563 (Graduate Seminar), leaving an average of 14 units for coursework, about four classes per quarter including 3 units of EE599 for thesis students. Students have completed the program in three quarters, but for thesis-track students the key is to choose the MS thesis topic before the MS year begins and complete preliminary background research.
The second-fastest route is three quarters during the main academic year plus the following summer quarter, which provides focused time to complete research, write up results, and potentially submit a paper for publication. Another common option is a four-quarter path at a slightly slower pace, taking two lecture courses per quarter to enable deeper thesis progress; many students also pursue summer industry internships to build background before choosing an employment path.
Cal Poly also has several industry research partnerships that allow the MS thesis portion of the graduate program to be accomplished while working off campus. In this case, the student works closely with both the industry research partner and the faculty research supervisor in completing the research program.
Graduate Research Areas and Faculty Expertise
Explore the primary research areas within the Electrical Engineering graduate program. Faculty members actively supervise MSEE thesis, project, and research students across a broad range of modern electrical and computer engineering disciplines.
1. Signals, Systems, DSP, and Communications
This area focuses on signal acquisition, filtering, estimation, communications, and real-time digital signal processing. Research topics include wireless communications, software-defined radio, sensing systems, adaptive filtering, and embedded DSP implementation.
Faculty: Professors Hua, McKell, Pilkington, Yu and Zhang
2. Control Systems and Computational Intelligence
Research in this area includes modern control theory, robotics, autonomous systems, optimization, machine learning, computational intelligence, and cyber-physical systems. Applications span aerial systems, robotics, intelligent automation, and learning-enabled control.
Faculty: Professors Farzan, McKell, and Yu
3. Electronics and Integrated Circuits
This area covers analog, digital, mixed-signal, embedded, and VLSI system design. Research topics include integrated circuits, ASICs, SoCs, embedded hardware, biomedical electronics, and semiconductor systems.
Faculty: Professors Aggarwal, Ahlgren, Chakraborty, Ghamari, Jin, Kundu, and Prodanov
4. RF Electronics, Physical Layer Communications, Antennas, Electromagnetics, THz, and Photonics
Research includes RF and microwave engineering, antennas, wireless propagation, electromagnetics, THz systems, photonics, optical communications, and advanced sensing technologies.
Faculty: Professors Arakaki, Derickson, Jin, Kloosterman, Nayeri, and Prodanov
5. Power Systems and Power Electronics
This area focuses on electric power conversion, renewable energy systems, smart grids, motor drives, microgrids, and energy-efficient power electronics. Students work on both theoretical analysis and laboratory-based implementation.
Faculty: Professors Dolan, Poon, Poshtan, and Taufik
HOW DO I LEARN MORE ABOUT JOINING THE GRADUATE ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING TEAM AT CAL POLY?
First level contacts include;
a. Graduate Coordinator Siavash Farzan, sfarzan@calpoly.edu, 805-756-0650
b. Department Chair Vladimir Prodanov, vprodano@calpoly.edu, 805-756-5393
c. Electrical Engineering Front Desk, ee-office-staff@calpoly.edu, 805-756-2781
d. Electrical Engineering Faculty members can be contacted individually
RESOURCES AND HANDBOOKS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
The following are resources helpful for current or prospective students interested in Electrical Engineering Graduate Studies at Cal Poly:
