Active areas of research in electrical engineering are signal and image processing and estimation, with emphasis on digital techniques; communications theory; devices and materials, with emphasis on semiconductors, electronic materials, and integrated optics; electrooptical systems, with emphasis on optical communication and holography; and digital systems, with emphasis on distributed software, microprocessor applications, speech characterization, and networking. 

Facilities are available for research in each of the areas. Excellent departmental laboratories support the devices, materials and electrooptical systems research in addition to the extensive facilities of the various other components of the interdepartmental materials program in engineering. Solid state and optical communication facilities include class 10 and class 1000 clean rooms equipped for semiconductor device fabrication and crystal growth, and well-equipped labs for electronic and optical measurements. 

Excellent computing facilities are readily available for research. The Electrical Engineering Department, in cooperation with the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, maintains a large number of SUN workstations for use in VLSI design, modeling and simulation, signal processing, and computer networking research. Image processing research is supported by several high-performance Silicon Graphics imaging workstations. In total, the department has two Sun-4/300 servers, twenty SUN-4 workstations, twenty-five SUN-3 workstations, three Silicon Graphics workstations, three VAX 11-780 minicomputers, a 16-processor Sequent parallel computer, and some thirty IBM PC's. In addition, the University provides a large number of computers to support research and teaching activities including several SUN-4/490's, an IBM RS/6000-950, an IBM 3090 supercomputer, and a large number of SUN-4 workstations. 

All graduate students must participate in the research programs of the University. Publication of the results of student research is an important goal of the program. Graduate students are required to participate in one of the research seminars conducted in each of the areas of departmental concentration. 

Applicants are expected to have: 

1. A baccalaureate degree in the field or in a closely allied field of engineering, science or mathematics. 
2. Applicants are expected to have a "B" or better undergraduate record which is based on the last two years of undergraduate schooling plus the applicant's record in advanced engineering, mathematics, and science courses. 
3. A minimum of three letters of strong support from former teachers or supervisors. 
4. All applicants are required to submit Graduate Record Examination Scores (GRE). The department requires a combined score of the verbal and math sections in excess of 1050 with a mathematics score in excess of 700. (Foreign student applicants with low verbal scores will be considered if the applicant's TOEFL score is acceptable and if the applicant has a high quantitative GRE score.). 
5. A minimum score of 550 (600 required for teaching assistantship) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language for students whose first language is not English and who have not received a degree from a college or university in which English is the sole language of instruction. 

Master's Degree - Thesis Program 

The thesis degree program requires 30 credit hours including at least 24 graduate course credits and at least 6 credits of master's thesis. The 24 credit course program of each student must include: 

• Six credits of foundation electrical engneering courses. 
• Eighteen credits of advanced technical courses related to the student's area of interest. At least three credits of these must be of 800 level electrical engineering courses and at most six credits can bear non-ELEG numbers. 

This program is intended to satisfy the continuing education needs of working engineers and recent graduates who want to broaden their electrical engineering foundation before starting an industrial career. Financial aid is usually not available to students taking this program. The non-thesis master's program requires 30 credit hours of course work meeting the following requirements: 

• Six credits of foundation electrical engneering courses. 
• 24 credits of advanced technical courses related to the student's area of interest. At least six credits of these must be of 800 level electrical engineering courses and at most six credits can bear non-ELEG numbers. 

Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must complete the course requirements for the thesis master's degree as outlined above, or have been awarded a master's degree in electrical engineering. In addition, a Ph.D. candidate must complete a course program in his/her area of specialization. All Ph.D. candidates in residence must participate in the one credit research seminar in their area of concentration and must also be enrolled in at least one advanced technical course, acceptable to their advisor each regular term, regardless of where they are in their program. For the Ph.D., the University requires one continuous academic year of full-time study as a residency requirement. The Ph.D. is a research degree. Each Ph.D. candidate must carry out a program of substantial original research on a topic agreed upon by his/her committee and the departmental Graduate Committee and prepare a written dissertation.