MSES-Emb Software Eng

INTRODUCTION

The world of electrical and cyber engineering is an ever-changing one. The advances in technologies over a new graduate’s professional career of approximately 40 years will be phenomenal. While the undergraduate coursework puts a solid foundation in mathematics, engineering science, and humanities, as well as the ability to tackle and solve new problems in a forthright manner, graduate school is the next step in a lifetime of learning for both new graduates and experienced working professionals who have been out a few years and recognize the need for more education.

The graduate program in Electrical and Cyber Engineering (ECE) is designed to provide advanced studies for those who wish to continue preparation for effective participation in the professions of electrical, software, and systems engineering. The program also provides continuing education in advanced subjects for experienced working engineers who desire to stay abreast of the rapidly changing technological world. Emphasis is placed on the development of the engineer’s capacity for independent study and continued professional growth.

DEGREES OFFERED

Housed in the College of Engineering and Business, the program offers:

• Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) degree (program)

• Master of Science in Embedded Software Engineering (MSES) degree (described here)

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1. Applicants must have earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering from an ABET accredited program or its equivalent with a QPA of 2.5 or better.

2. Applicants with non-electrical or computer engineering degrees may be admitted, but required to take additional course work as determined by the program director.

3. Applicants must submit the following:

   • Completed application

   • Transcripts for all prior college coursework

   • Three recommendation letters

   • TOEFL scores if English is not the first language

CURRICULUM

Upon commencement of graduate studies, the student will choose to study for an Electrical Engineering or Embedded Software degree. The student will be assigned an initial advisor by the program director. The advisor and student will select appropriate courses for the objectives of the student and obtain approval of this course of study through the academic approval sequence. All students must take the following two courses for the first 12 credits:

Course Requirements for Electrical Engineering:

• GECE 502 Embedded C Programming

• GECE 504 Advanced Engineering Analysis

Course Requirements for Embedded Software Engineering:

• GECE 502 Embedded C Programming

• GECE 503 Embedded OS Application Programming

All students must complete at least one systems development course before graduation. Systems development courses include:

• GECE 501 Engineering Project and Management

• GENG 580 Requirements Engineering

• GENG 570 Introduction to Systems Engineering

After the student has completed 12 credits of study, the student will be assessed relative to their preparedness to begin thesis or project work. The candidate must have a 3.0 QPA to continue for the degree. The candidate must then choose one of the three projects/thesis plans below for completion of their degree and an advisor will be assigned to guide the candidate for the completion of the degree work. Students cannot register for project/thesis credits until after 12 credits of graduate work are completed (see plans A, B, and C below). The degrees require a total of 30 credit hours of graduate work. Up to 6 credits of approved graduate work can be transferred from another graduate program.

Graduate students intending to pursue two Master’s degrees simultaneously (see Dual Majors for more information) or a second Master’s degree (see Second Master’s Degree for more information) in the Electrical and Cyber Engineering department must be first admitted into the second-degree program before any coursework toward the second Master’s degree.

Plan A (Thesis):

The candidate will be required to submit a 6 credit thesis as part of the 30 credits of graduate course work and pass a final oral examination on the thesis material and related subjects. The thesis work must be approved by the faculty and program director prior to the commencement of the research work. The thesis advisor will direct the student’s work and determine when to recommend the manuscript for review by a faculty committee. The review committee will be appointed by the program director and shall consist of at least three full-time Gannon engineering faculty members familiar with the subject material and one member outside the ECE department. The outside member can be from industry. The faculty advisor will be the chair of the review committee.

Plan B (Project):

The student will be required to complete a design project and to pass a final examination covering the student’s project and related subject areas. The project can be worth 3 or 6 credits as part of the 30 credits of graduate course work depending on the difficulty of the project. The project must be approved by the faculty and program director prior to the commencement of the project work. The project advisor will direct the student’s work and determine when to recommend the manuscript for review by a faculty committee. The review committee will be appointed by the faculty and program director and shall consist of at least three full-time Gannon engineering faculty members familiar with the subject material and the faculty advisor will be the chair of the review committee.

Plan C (Project Course):

The student will be required to complete a 3 credit course designated as a project course. The program director will approve the project course prior to the commencement of the project work and must include a significant project for its completion. The course instructor will inform the student of the complete requirements for the project course and oversee the work to ensure that the student satisfies these requirements. Students are required to prepare a manuscript in the thesis format for the project.

DEGREE PROGRAMS

Electrical Engineering Degree

The program’s goal is to give an Electrical and Cyber Engineering graduate the necessary education to be an effective design or systems engineer. The student shall devise a curriculum with his/her advisor to pursue knowledge in advanced control theory, system modeling, electronics, communication, systems engineering, and embedded software. The student must complete at least 9 credits of Electrical Engineering program courses and satisfy the project/thesis requirement in Electrical Engineering.

Embedded Software Engineering Degree

The program’s goal is to give an Electrical and Cyber Engineering graduate the necessary education to be an effective embedded software/systems engineer. The student shall devise a curriculum with his/her advisor to pursue knowledge in computer hardware and software implementation strategies, software development, software quality measures, software design and testing techniques, microprocessors, digital system design and/or hardware description languages. The student must complete at least 9 credits of Embedded Software Engineering program courses in system, software, hardware categories, and satisfy the project/thesis requirement in a topic related to Embedded Software Engineering.

Five-Year Accelerated B.S./M.S.

The Five-Year Bachelor of Science/Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering is designed to allow outstanding undergraduate students the opportunity to earn both an undergraduate and a graduate degree within five years. Admission into the accelerated Five-Year B.S./M.S. program will be based on several factors, including past academic performance, and considerations of overall aptitude and maturity. Students in their junior year, second semester (or one semester before reaching senior standing) with a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA, can apply for this program. Students accepted into this program should plan to complete specific first-year graduate courses during the senior year, and in the following summer term, with completion of all degree requirements in the following academic year. Students admitted to the Five-Year B.S./M.S. program may apply up to 6 graduate credits towards completion of the B.S. degree.

CO-OP Track

The objective of the CO-OP track is to present an academic program combined with application training on actual industrial problems in engineering environments. This is to give students a targeted education on real-world problems. Students may join this program after completing sufficient coursework to succeed in an industrial environment and receive approved industrial sponsorship. International students participating in a CO-OP are required to contact the Office of Global Support and Student Engagement to apply for Curricular Practical Training before engaging in any CO-OP activity.

Students accepted to the co-op track are assigned a Gannon professor as a mentor, and must take the Graduate Professional Experience (GENG 700-series) course each semester they are enrolled in the program.

Students must complete 30 credits of graduate course work in addition to their Graduate Professional Experience courses. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 for the duration of their master’s degree program, and fulfill all other requirements for their degree.

Professional Track

Gannon runs a two-year work-study program with the local industry in Erie. The objective of the track is to present an academic program combined with application training on actual industrial problems to give students a targeted education, complemented by hands-on, real-world development exposure. Students are selected for this track based on academic background, leadership skills, and communication skills. The student is assigned a Gannon professor as a mentor while working at the industrial site. The mentor advises the student on his academic work and guides the student on industrial engineering projects. The projects are carefully chosen to reinforce classroom work and to develop the students into outstanding engineers. In addition to the mentorship in technical areas, the professor also mentors the student in leadership skills, work and personal ethics, and communication skills that are needed in the industrial workplace. This track requires that the student work on these projects half time during the school year and full time during the summer. The students receive full tuition and a yearly stipend for their work. Students need to apply and be accepted separately for this program. The number of students in this track is dependent on the availability of industrial sponsorship.

The students earn either an Electrical Engineering degree or an Embedded Software Engineering degree. There are two tracks for the program:

• Embedded Software track (leads to Embedded Software degree)

• Systems and Modeling track (leads to Electrical Engineering degree).

All students in the professional track must have an equivalent background (academic or professional) in Automatic Control. Furthermore, all students in the Embedded Software track must have an equivalent background in C++ and Data Structures.