Electrical Engineering PhD at Northwestern University

Programme overview

The PhD prepares students to develop technologies for challenges in energy, health care and transportation through collaborative, interdisciplinary research in areas such as solid-state devices, photonics, image and video processing and wireless communications. Students are fully funded through research assistantships, teaching assistantships and fellowships.

Faculty: McCormick School of Engineering | Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering | Duration: Typically 4-5 years | Study mode: full-time | Location: Evanston, IL, United States

What you will study

A minimum of 15 course units including core and area courses (information theory, communication networks, signal processing, quantum semiconductors, photonics and optics), independent research culminating in a dissertation of original research, and teaching assistant service for an undergraduate course.

Career pathways

Academia or industry; alumni employers include Intel Labs, IBM, Facebook, Google, Qualcomm, AMD, Bloomberg and GlobalFoundries, and Iowa State, Penn State and Maryland.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

The Graduate School baseline English proficiency for PhD applicants: IELTS Academic 7.0; TOEFL iBT minimum 90 for PhD and 80 for master's (exams before 21 Jan 2026; 4.5 on the newer scale after that date); MET 61 for PhD and 54 for master's; scores taken within two years of entry; Duolingo and TOEFL Essentials not accepted; waived for applicants with a degree from an institution where English is the language of instruction. Programmes may set higher minimums.

Requirements published at program group level.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate applications for 2026-27 open September 15, 2026; deadlines vary by programme. The Graduate School application fee is $95 and nonrefundable, paid by credit or debit card.

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