Electrical Engineering PhD

Introduction to COE and ECE

Ph.D. students in the College of Engineering (COE) are among an elite group of people who have chosen to advance their education at one of the premier engineering colleges in the country. The academic programs in UWMadisons College of Engineering are highly ranked and our faculty are widely recognized as leaders in their fields. Here you will find a community in which you will excel. You will find faculty, staff, and peer students who are supportive and committed to your success. You will find rigorous coursework that will prepare you to achieve your goals. You will experience an environment highly conducive to collaborationand you will meet faculty with a broad range of research interests and connections both on campus and around the world.

The vision of the ECE Department is to improve the world through global leadership in electrical and computer engineering research, education, technology transfer, and service to society.

In partnership with our students, it is the mission of the ECE Department to:

• Educate and inspire future leaders who contribute to society through the creation, application, and transfer of electrical and computer engineering knowledge.
• Expand knowledge through research into new technologies, design methods, and analysis techniques.
• Serve the state of Wisconsin, our nation, and the world with electrical and computer engineering expertise.

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering

The ECE Ph.D. degree program emphasizes creative and original approaches to solving problems through research activity. Research in the department spans several cross-cutting themes: data science, healthcare, mobile computing, security and infrastructure resilience, sensors and sensing, and sustainability. Specific areas of research expertise are: applied electromagnetics and acoustics; communications, networks, privacy and security; solid state electronics and quantum technologies; machine learning, signal processing and information theory; computer systems and architecture; plasma science and fusion energy; energy systems; optics and photonics, optimization and control. Students have the opportunity to pursue and perform Ph.D. research within interdisciplinary cooperative projects.

The ECE doctoral program provides in-depth training in research and allows students multiple opportunities to publish, including the student's final dissertation. The doctoral program involves:

1. A study phase with course requirements in the students major area of study, as well as a minor area.
2. A qualifying exam that establishes the student's suitability to continue with their Ph.D.
3. A preliminary examination in which the student describes their proposed dissertation research.
4. The presentation and oral defense of an original research dissertation.

All ECE Ph.D. students are required to earn a doctoral minor, either a distributed minor involving courses from multiple departments, or an external minor entirely in a different department. Typical minor programs draw upon the expertise of Mechanical Engineering, Computer Sciences, Math, or Physics, but students may choose other areas as well. The ECE Ph.D. programtypically requires five years of study beyond the bachelor's degree, although the exact time to degree completion varies depending on research progress.

Students with a bachelor's degree may apply directly to the ECE Ph.D. program. Ph.D. students also have the opportunity to earn a M.S.-ECE: Research degree along the way to their Ph.D.

For more information on this specific degree plan, please visit the ECE website.

1. Demonstrate an extraordinary, deep understanding of mathematical, scientific, and engineering principles in the field.
2. Demonstrate an ability to formulate, analyze, and independently solve advanced engineering problems.
3. Apply the relevant scientific and technological advancements, techniques, and engineering tools to address these problems.
4. Recognize and apply principles of ethical and professional conduct.
5. Demonstrate an ability to synthesize knowledge from a subset of the biological, physical, and/or social sciences to help frame problems critical to the future of their discipline.
6. Demonstrate an ability to conduct original research and communicate it to their peers.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: