A master’s student seeking to use graduate coursework completed at another institution and not used or counted toward another degree must provide the ECE Graduate Studies Committee via an ECE Graduate Coordinator with an official transcript, the official explanation of the institution’s course numbering system and grading system, and the course description from the catalog of the institution. If the graduate course was taken as an undergraduate, an additional letter from an administrator of the institution is required, confirming that the course was not used toward the bachelor’s degree, that it is a graduate course ordinarily open to graduate students only, that special permission was required to enroll in the course, and that it was not counted toward the bachelor’s degree.
Along with these documents, the Petition to Transfer a Graduate Course From Another Institution form should be submitted by the ECE Graduate Advisor via an ECE Graduate Coordinator for approval by the graduate dean. That form can be found HERE.
In ECE, the ECE Track Advisor fills out the course equivalency section of the form and signs in the blank space below each equivalent course. The ECE Graduate Advisor signs at the bottom of the form with the assistance of the ECE Graduate Coordinator. This form must be submitted before 12 hours of graduate coursework are completed at UT Austin.
Visit the Graduate School’s course transfer credit website to review the additional requirements at the link There are three different options for students in our program to graduate with a Masters Degree.
| Option | Major Work | Supporting Work |
|---|---|---|
| Thesis Option | Must consist of ECE 698A, ECE 698B, and 5 to 6 approved letter-graded courses. | Must consist of 2 to 3 approved letter-graded courses, including at least one graduate course. |
| Report Option | Must consist ofECE 398R, and 5 to 7 approved letter-graded courses. | Must consist of 2 to 4 approved letter-graded courses, including at least one graduate course. |
| No-Thesis/No Report (Courses Only) Option | Must consist of 6 to 8 approved letter-graded courses. | Must consist of 2 to 4 approved letter-graded courses, including at least one graduate course. |
Reminders on limitations, grades, GPA, Coursework:
- List 10 courses only on the master’s Program of Work, including ECE 398R, Report; or ECE 698A, Thesis and ECE 698B, Thesis, if applicable. Your official transcript will list all the courses you took at UT-Austin, but you list 10 courses only on the master’s Program of Work form.
- Thesis/Report options: ECE 698A must be taken once only in prior semester, and ECE 698B, Thesis, or ECE 398R, Report, must be taken in semester you earn the MSE.
- List letter-graded courses only, except for ECE 398R; ECE 698A and ECE 698B; and approved spring 2020 courses (pandemic exception) which are graded credit/no-credit that would ordinarily count if letter-graded.
- One course with a grade of C or C+ is allowed; none with grade less than C.
- GPA of all course grades listed on the master’s Program of Work upon completion must be 3.00 minimum or above, overall. Leave the grade field blank if a course is in progress.
- No ECE x97C, no ECE x97G, no ECE 397N, ECE 397M, no ECE 398T allowed on Program of Work.
- Up to two, approved non-ECE courses in Major Work allowed if the course subject is considered Major Work in ECE by student’s academic track.
- Up to two, approved upper-division undergraduate courses allowed as Major Work or Supporting Work or both; track advisor/supervisor determine(s) in which section course(s) should be listed.
BS/MS Integrated program students will follow the same procedure to earn the master’s degree as any other master's student, but you will not apply online to earn the BSECE degree. This will be done for you manually by a staff member in Engineering Student Services. You will earn both the BSECE and the MSE in ECE in the same semester and both degrees will be listed on your transcript.
Steps needed to Graduate.
In order to graduate on time during your final semester, you must follow several time sensitive steps.
- Step One: On or before September 30th, you must complete the Program of Work form found HERE. This form confirms that you have taken the proper coursework required to earn your Masters degree.
- Step Two: Your Program of Work form will be reviewed and approved by Graduate Advising staff. This process typically takes two weeks to four weeks.
- Step Three: Once your Program of Work form is approved by the Graduate Advising staff, you will receive detailed instructions via email to formally apply to graduate from the Graduate School.
Information on the graduate school application process can be found HERE.