Joint Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering and Materials

The graduate curriculum and the research programs in the Electronic Materials and Devices (EMD) and Optical and Optoelectronic Engineering (OOE) groups of the Electrical Engineering Department rely substantially on materials science. It is logical, therefore, to develop a joint graduate program between the EE Department and PRISM. Such an EE/Materials graduate track will become an integral part of the EE curriculum, augmented by a number of graduate courses now offered by PRISM.

1. Students interested in EE and Materials should submit their applications to the Graduate School and mention in their personal statement their interest in the joint program. On the Academic Interest portion of the application, students should select the PMI (PRISM) option. Applications will be reviewed by the EE department along with all other applications.

2. In some years, PRISM Fellowships will be available to the EE Department and will go toward supporting students interested in the EE/Materials track. PRISM will have access to the application files of these students. The PRISM Graduate committee, which includes EE faculty working in materials-related fields, will oversee the administration of these fellowships and the progress of the students involved in the EE/Materials track.

3. The EE/Materials track will consist of courses taken in the EE Department and at PRISM. The PRISM courses will constitute the "minor" that the EE/Materials Ph.D. students must take to fulfill the Ph.D. requirements. The EE general exam has accommodated the materials track by adding materials-related questions to the set of pick-and-choose questions presented to the students. At their second-year oral examination, the graduate students involved in the materials track can expect to be asked questions related to two of the materials oriented EE courses (i.e. EE541, EE551, Nano/Microfabrication, or EE549). The minor requirement will be satisfied by taking two core MSE courses (i.e. MSE502, MSE503 or MSE504) and perform satisfactorily (minimum grade of B) before graduating.

4. The degree will read "Ph.D. in Electrical and Materials Engineering"