Electrical and Computer Engineering Contiguous Bachelor's Master's Pathway

Introduction

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) offers a contiguous bachelor’s (B.S.) and master’s of science (M.S.) degree path. Undergraduate students can apply to this pathway to earn a B.S. degree in their own major together with an M.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering. Depending on the student’s progress, students can complete the contiguous path in five years.

The five-year bachelor's/master's pathway offers a competitive edge to students who are completing their undergraduate degree at UC Santa Cruz by enabling those with advanced preparation to move directly from the undergraduate to the graduate program and complete an M.S. degree with as few as seven courses beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Particularly motivated students can complete both the bachelor’s and the master’s degrees in 15 quarters (five academic years). However, advance planning is essential. Interested students should contact the Baskin Engineering Graduate Affairs Office and their staff adviser early in their college career—no later than the end of their junior year. Students in this pathway retain undergraduate status until the completion of all undergraduate requirements, but may begin graduate coursework in advance of graduate standing.

Admission process to the contiguous pathway

The undergraduate degree requirements are not changed by the bachelor's/master's pathway; however, the pathway capitalizes on graduate-level courses that may be taken while students are still completing the bachelor’s degree (see Course Requirements below). Students should consult Undergraduate Advising concerning their respective undergraduate degree requirements.

Students can apply to the B.S./M.S. contiguous pathway in electrical and computer engineering at any time starting in the first quarter of junior standing by completing the ECE Contiguous Pathway Eligibility Survey. The Graduate Affairs Office will verify and track students' eligibility for the pathway until completion of the bachelor's degree. Admission to the contiguous pathway in ECE is open to all qualified UC Santa Cruz students. All students who apply to the pathway will be admitted into it, provided they satisfy the requirements (see below). However, approval of an undergraduate student into a five-year bachelor’s/master’s path does not automatically guarantee admission into the one-year master’s program. Students apply for admission into the M.S. program during their senior year using the same procedure and timeline as all other applicants to the program. Students are then considered for the M.S. program along with regular applicants. Students who do not satisfy the requirements for the contiguous pathway will be encouraged to apply to the regular M.S. program.

If admitted to the ECE M.S. program, pathway students are able to count up to 10 credits of qualified graduate-level courses previously completed as an undergraduate toward their ECE M.S. degree requirements. To ensure courses are qualified to count toward the M.S. degree, students should review the ECE M.S. degree requirements and communicate with their graduate student advisor. Campus policy requires a minimum of 35 credits be completed during the graduate career, of which a maximum of 15 credits can be undergraduate upper-division coursework. Please note that MS students who follow Plan II B: Project may not count Independent Study/Thesis Research coursework toward the 35 credits that must be completed during the graduate career.

Students who do not meet the bachelor's/master's pathway eligibility requirements or who wish to take time off between the bachelor's and master's degree programs are encouraged to apply for admission to the standard ECE M.S. program through the regular graduate admissions process.

Requirements

The minimum requirements for the B.S./M.S. contiguous pathway are as follows:

• Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA when they apply to the B.S./M.S. contiguous pathway, and must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher until the completion of their undergraduate requirements.
• Applicants who are a current UC Santa Cruz undergraduate declared in a major within Baskin Engineering do not need to complete any prerequisite coursework. Applicants who hold a declared major outside of Baskin Engineering must select a designated core area and complete the required coursework prerequisites prior to their submission of the formal M.S. program application:

Electronic Circuits and Energy Systems

At least two classes from one of the following two lists with grade B+ or higher:

Electronic Circuits

Energy Systems

Photonics and Electronic Devices

At least two classes from the following list with grade B+ or higher:

Robotics, Controls, and Cyber-Physical Systems

At least two classes from the following lists with grade B+ or higher:

One required course from the following list:

And at least one course from the following list:

Signals, Image Processing, and Communications

Both of the following classes with grade B+ or higher:

Students should refer to the ECE M.S. program statement for more specific information on degree requirements, concentrations, academic progress, and applying to graduate.