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Applicants need to complete and submit the ECE application to Graduate School by December 1 for Summer or Fall in the following year.
Does applying early improve my chances for consideration?
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Applicants to Graduate School in Engineering at UT-Austin use the custom application for graduate students in Engineering that is located on the Cockrell School website (link can be found HERE) Application Grad Students in Engineering UT. Make sure to select "Electrical and Computer Engineering (MSE, PhD)" for your major. The name of the major includes "MSE/PhD" to indicate the ECE department at UT-Austin offers both a Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. Applicants apply for select their ultimate degree goal, and do not apply for both degrees at the same time.
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After you have completed and submitted your application to Grad Graduate School, University the Office of Graduate Admissions (GIACOGA) will send you the link to your application status portal. Your status portal will have a checklist of items that you need to complete, and directions for doing so.
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Applicants to the Texas ECE major are required to select if you are applying to choose to apply to our Master’s program, or to our PhD program. Applicants are not permitted to submit more than one application to ECE. In In some rare cases, the admissions committee may decide to evaluate an applicant for both Master’s and PhD, e.g. to admit somebody a student who applied for a PhD into the MSE program instead.
A student can change between ECE degree programs after coming to UT-Austin, possibly. A student in the MSE program can apply for admission into the PhD program while at UT (see below). A student admitted into the PhD program can choose to obtain an MSE along the way if they do not already have a master's degree in the same (or related) field, although typically over a longer time period than a student within the MSE program. Students within the PhD program receive funding (see above), but are expected to participate in research and thus take fewer courses each semester from the beginning, which will delay completion of their MSE coursework.
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Similarly, a student in good standing who is awarded the ECE Master’s degree could be admitted later to the PhD program for continuing study. PhD students with a Master’s master’s degree from another school may be able to count up to 6 approved semester-long graduate courses (up to 9 approved quarter-long graduate courses) from their non-UT-Austin Master’s degree toward the ECE PhD degree. Coursework earned on the quarter system is normally calculated at two-thirds of the credit for courses offered during a term.
Can I apply to more than one track of study?
Applicants to our major are required to select your a primary track of study, and your can also select a second-choice track. Applicants are not allowed to apply to more than one study track. In considered for admission to the primary track of study. In some rare cases, the admissions committee may decide to evaluate an applicant for his or her second-choice track.