MS Electrical Engineering at University of California, Riverside

Programme overview

The MS in Electrical Engineering lets students gain mastery of a specific area of electrical engineering through advanced courses, a thesis, or both, with specialised themes.

Faculty: Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering | Department: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering | Duration: 1-2 years | Intake: Fall (Winter and Spring also listed) | Study mode: full-time | Location: Riverside, CA, United States

What you will study

At least 36 units. Plan I (thesis): 6 graduate courses (24 units) plus 12 research units. Plan II (exam): 6 graduate courses plus 3 upper-division EE courses and a comprehensive exam. Themes include advanced materials and devices, communications and signal processing, embedded real-time systems, IoT, nanoscience, robotics and computer vision, power systems and smart grids, machine learning, quantum science and VLSI and circuit design.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Decisions consider degrees and record, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, test scores and relevant experience; GRE may be reported but is not required. Graduate Division (university-wide): bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or recognized international equivalent; minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA (some programs set a higher standard); transcripts, statement of purpose and letters of recommendation; English proficiency (TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic 7 with no component below 6) unless the prior degree was taught in English; GRE/GMAT only where the program requires it (many no longer do). Source: graduate.ucr.edu/admission-requirements.

UC Riverside operates a quarter system. Summer begins mid-June, Fall late September, Winter early January and Spring late March/early April. Most graduate programmes admit and begin in the Fall quarter only.

New domestic applicants: Fall January 5 (fellowship consideration) / June 1 (admission only), Winter November 1, Spring February 1, Summer May 1. New international applicants: Fall January 5 (fellowship consideration) / June 1 (admission only), Winter September 1, Spring December 1, Summer March 1. A few programmes have deadlines after June 1 and some have earlier programme deadlines. The Winter 2027 and Spring 2027 applications are open for select programmes only; the Summer/Fall 2027 application opened September 1, 2026, with rolling review for most programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.ucr.edu/apply/

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