M.Eng. Degree Requirements

Our curriculum is built on a core of four (4) technical courses. But unlike many other schools, you select these from a roster of core courses, choosing those that will best prepare you for your individual goals. A required one credit-hour course in professional development and practice helps to prepare you for the workplace. For electives, you can choose from courses within ECE, as well as hundreds of other engineering and technical courses all across campus, including business courses, that allow you to prepare for multiple areas of specializations - or create your own.

The centerpiece of the M.Eng. program is the professional project, in which you apply theory to a real problem, with the guidance from faculty, and often in collaboration with other students.

Cornell ECE M.Eng. Degree Requirements 

Curriculum and Grading Details

One Academic Year / Two Semester Plan in a Fall / Spring Sequence

Professional Seminar Course

  • Number of Required Courses: One (1)
  • Total Credit Hours Expected: One (1)

Description

  1. Course: ECE 5010
  2. Offered in the Fall Semester Only
  3. Professional Advice and Development

Details

Taken as S/U Only

  • Required for All ECE M.Eng. Students
  • Cannot be used to satisfy either of the Two (2) 5000+ Level Requirements

Core Courses

  • Number of Required Courses: Four (4)
  • Total Credit Hours Expected: Seven (7) - Eight (8) Per Semester; Fourteen (14) – Sixteen (16) Overall

Description

  • Courses may ONLY be selected from the approved ECE Core Course List which will be updated at the start of each semester
  • ECE Core Courses must be a Minimum of at least Three (3) Credit Hours Each
  • All ECE Core Courses must be at the Graduate Level (ECE 5000+ Level)
  • All ECE Core Courses may only be selected from the approved Core Course List
  • No more than One (1) ECE Outside Core Course may be used to satisfy Core Course Requirements
    • Courses may only be selected from the approved ECE Outside Core Course List
    • Students should enroll in the correct 5000 Level version of an Outside ECE Core Course
    • Enrollment in an Outside ECE Core Course at 4000 Level will NOT count

Design Project

  • Number of Required Courses: Two (2) - ECE 5995 (Fall), ECE 5996 (Spring)
  • Total Credit Hours Expected Overall to satisfy Design Project Requirement: Three (3) – Eight (8)
    • Total Number of Credit Hours Expected to enroll in per Semester: One (1) – Four (4)

Description

  • The M.Eng. Design Project is completed over the course of Two (2) Semesters in both the Fall and Spring
  • Design Project Course Fall Semester: ECE 6930
    • Must enroll in One (1) – Four (4) Credit Hours
  • Design Project Course Spring Semester: ECE 6931
    • Must enroll in One (1) – Four (4) Credit Hours
  • All M.Eng. Students are required to enroll in a Minimum of at least One (1) Credit Hour of the Design Project in their First Semester of full-time enrollment

Details

  • On average, most M.Eng. Students will enroll in a higher number of Credit Hours in the Spring Semester for their Design Project
  • M.Eng. Students must consult with their Design Project Advisor on the appropriate total number of Credit Hours to enroll in for each semester
  • All ECE M.Eng. Design Projects must be Two (2) Semesters in length

Tech Electives

  • Number of Suggested Courses: Two (2) – Four (4)
  • Total Credit Hours Anticipated: Six (6) – Sixteen (16) Overall
    • Total Number of Credit Hours Suggested to enroll in per Semester: Three (3) – Eight (8)

Description

  • M.Eng. Students may use the following to count towards the Tech Elective Requirement
    • ECE Courses at the 5000+ Level
    • Courses at the 5000+ Level offered within the College of Engineering
    • Select Courses from the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management (ONLY courses from the approved Tech Electives List may be used)

Details

  • There are no minimum requirements for total number of courses or credit hours for Tech Electives
  • All M.Eng. Students will likely need to enroll in Two (2) - Four (4) Tech Electives in order to reach the minimum requirement of 30 credit hours overall to graduate
  • Undergraduate Courses of any kind (4000 Level and below) will NOT COUNT towards ECE M.Eng. Degree Requirements

Required Enrollment of Two (2) ECE Courses Each Semester of Full-Time Registration

All ECE M.Eng. Students must be enrolled in Two (2) ECE Courses during each semester of Full-Time Registration. 

  • All ECE Courses must be at least Three (3) Credit Hours Each
  • The following do NOT count as either of the Two (2) Required ECE Courses each semester: Design Project Course, Johnson School Business Courses, Seminars, Independent Study

Details

Students must be enrolled in some combination of the following Two (2) types of ECE Courses during each semester of Full-Time Registration: 

  • ECE 5000+ Level Course (Core Course or Tech Elective)
  • Outside ECE Core Course (Only One (1) Outside ECE Core Course will count towards the M.Eng. Degree Requirements)

Full-Time Student Status

  • All ECE M.Eng. Students must be enrolled in a Minimum of Twelve (12) Credit Hours for each semester that they are registered in order to be considered a “Full-Time Student”
    • This is a University Policy that applies to all Graduate and Professional Student
    • This is especially relevant for Foreign National Students in order to maintain a valid F-1 Student Visa Status

Degree Completion and Grading Requirements

  • An overall Total of Thirty (30) Credit Hours must be earned to complete the ECE M.Eng. Degree
  • ECE M.Eng. Students must earn a Letter Grade of “C” or better in All Courses that are being used to count towards the M.Eng. Degree Requirements
    • There will be NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule
  • A Maximum of Two (2) Credit Hours of courses graded S/U may be counted towards ECE M.Eng. Degree Requirements
    • Note that ECE 5010 is a Required Course and is graded S/U; this leaves the option to take only One (1) additional course with the S/U grading option
    • The Course must be at the 5000+ Level and must be Participatory in Nature
    • M.Eng. Students who enroll in a course that is more than One (1) Credit Hour using the S/U grading option will NOT be allowed to use any of the additional credit hours towards the M.Eng. Degree Requirements

Enrollment Outline – Expected Credit Hours Per Semester

Course Type: Core Courses

  • Fall Semester: Six (6) – Eight (8)
  • Spring Semester: Six (6) – Eight (8)

Course Type: Required Seminar Course (ECE 5010)

  • Fall Semester: One (1)

Course Type: Design Project Course

  • Fall Semester: One (1) – Four (4)
  • Spring Semester: Two (2) – Four (4)

Course Type: Technical Elective Courses

  • Fall Semester: Six (6) – Eight (8)
  • Spring Semester: Six (6) – Eight (8)

Course Type: Technical Elective Courses

  • Fall Semester: Six (6) – Eight (8)
  • Spring Semester: Six (6) – Eight (8)

Total Credit Hours Per Semester

  • Fall Semester: Fifteen (15) – Twenty-One (21
  • Spring Semester: Fifteen (15) – Twenty (20)

Internship Participation

Students enrolled in the ECE M.Eng. Program that voluntarily extend their degree program for a third semester are considered eligible to participate in an Internship.

  • Participation in an Internship is NOT a required part of the successful completion of the ECE M.Eng. Curriculum or degree requirements
  • Students are responsible for finding an Internship on their own
  • Students who have voluntarily extended their M.Eng. Program for a third semester may be considered eligible to participate in an Internship during the Summer Session between their Second and Third Semesters of enrollment
    • Participation in an Internship that is longer in duration and would require a Leave of Absence Status in the Third Semester is very unlikely to happen due to strict U.S. Immigration Policies.
    • I-20s are not allowed to be extended for an additional, or Fourth Semester, without a legitimate academic reason. 
  • Foreign National Students who participate in an Internship must consult with the Office of Global Learning to confirm all details in advance
  • Foreign National Students must apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) if they are participating in a Paid Internship
  • In order to satisfy the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) requirements, Foreign National Students must enroll for One (1) Credit Hour in the ECE 5999 – M.Eng. Technical Internship course for a Letter Grade option in the semester directly following the Internship
    • Successful participation in this course will involve the writing and submission of an 8 – 10 Page Paper documenting the Student’s experience in the Internship
    • The Paper will be graded by the ECE M.Eng. Director, Prof. Peter Jessel

Core Course and Tech Electives List

  • To receive the most recently updated version of either the Core Course List or Tech Electives List, please contact the ECE M.Eng. Student Services Office directly at ece-meng@cornell.edu.