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Ph.D. Program Overview

The Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering is a research-oriented degree allowing students to specialize in a subfield of the discipline and participate in the discovery of new ideas.  The doctoral program allows ample opportunities for interdisciplinary research and collaboration across multiple departments.
Ph.D. students must meet several milestones, which culminate in a doctoral dissertation.

Our Department requires that all doctoral students hold an M.S. degree.  Although students are not required to hold an M.S. degree at the time of admission, they must complete an M.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, or a related field, before beginning their Ph.D. program requirements. Ph.D. students admitted without holding an M.S. degree are required to devote the first two years of their graduate program to the completion of this degree.

The major milestones for the Ph.D. program are listed below:

All Ph.D. requirements must be completed within five (5) academic years. Students admitted to the Ph.D. program without an M.S. degree will receive an additional two (2) academic years to complete the M.S. degree requirements.  Additionally, Ph.D. students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 throughout the duration of the Ph.D. program.

Areas of Study

Students may pursue specialization across three major areas of study: (1) circuits and embedded systems, (2) physical and wave electronics, and (3) signals and systems. These areas cover a broad spectrum of specializations in, for example, communications and telecommunications, control systems, electromagnetics, embedded computing systems, engineering optimization, integrated circuits and systems, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), nanotechnology, photonics and optoelectronics, plasma electronics, signal processing, and solid-state electronics.

Course Requirements

The selection of courses for the Ph.D. program is tailored to the professional objectives of the students and must meet the requirements stated below. The courses should be selected and approved in consultation with the faculty adviser. Departures from the stated requirements are considered only in exceptional cases and must be approved by the departmental graduate adviser. Normally, students take additional courses to acquire deeper and broader knowledge in preparation for the dissertation research.

Minimum Requirements for the Ph.D. Program
  • Requisite. M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field granted by UCLA or by an institution recognized by the UCLA Graduate Division
  • All Ph.D. program requirements should be completed within five academic years from admission into the Ph.D. graduate program in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 in the Ph.D. program
  • Students must complete at least the following requirements: (a) four formal graduate courses selected in consultation with the faculty adviser, (b) Electrical and Computer Engineering 297, (c) one technical communications course such as Electrical and Computer Engineering 295, (d) no 500-level courses, other seminar courses, nor Electrical and Computer Engineering 296 or 375 may be applied toward the course requirements, (e) pass the Ph.D. preliminary examination which is administered by the department and takes place once every year. In case of failure, students may be reexamined only once with consent of the departmental graduate adviser, (f) pass the University Oral Qualifying Examination which is administered by the doctoral committee, (g) complete a Ph.D. dissertation under the direction of the faculty adviser, and (h) defend the Ph.D. dissertation in a public seminar with the doctoral committee
  • A formal graduate course is defined as any 200level course, excluding seminar or tutorial courses. Formal graduate courses taken to meet the M.S. degree requirements may not be applied toward the Ph.D. course requirements
  • At least two of the formal graduate courses must be in electrical and computer engineering
  • Within two academic years from admission into the Ph.D. program, all courses should be completed and the Ph.D. preliminary examination should be passed. It is strongly recommended that students take the Ph.D. preliminary examination during their first academic year in the program
  • The University Oral Qualifying Examination must be taken when all required courses are complete, and within one year after passing the Ph.D. preliminary examination
  • Students admitted originally to the M.S. program in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department must complete all M.S. program requirements with a grade-point average of at least 3.5 to be considered for admission into the Ph.D. program. Only after admission into the program can students take the Ph.D. preliminary examination
  • Students must nominate a doctoral committee prior to taking the University Oral Qualifying Examination. A doctoral committee consists of a minimum of four members. Three members, including the chair, are inside members and must hold appointments in the department. The outside member must be a UCLA faculty member in another department. By petition, one of the four members may be a faculty member from another UC campus

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations


The written qualifying examination is known as the Ph.D. preliminary examination in the department. The purpose of the examination is to assess student competency in the discipline, knowledge of the fundamentals, and potential for independent research. Students admitted originally to the M.S. program in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department must complete all M.S. program requirements with a grade-point average of at least 3.5 to be considered for admission into the Ph.D. program. Only after admission into the program can students take the Ph.D. preliminary examination, which is held once every year. Students are examined independently by a group of faculty members in their general area of study. The examination by each faculty member typically includes both oral and written components, and students pass the entire Ph.D. preliminary examination and not in parts. Students who fail the examination may repeat it once only with consent of the departmental graduate adviser. The preliminary examination, together with the course requirements for the Ph.D. program, should be completed within two years from admission into the program.

After passing the written qualifying examination described above, students are ready to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The nature and content of the examination are at the discretion of the doctoral committee, but ordinarily include a broad inquiry into the preparation for research. The doctoral committee also reviews the prospectus of the dissertation at the oral qualifying examination.

Students must nominate a doctoral committee prior to taking the University Oral Qualifying Examination. A doctoral committee consists of a minimum of four members. Three members, including the chair, are inside members and must hold appointments in the department. The outside member must be a UCLA faculty member in another department. By petition, one of the four members may be a faculty member from another UC campus.