Getting into graduate study
This page is for a reader who is new to electrical engineering, or in the first two years of a degree. It gives a clear order of what to learn and do before you apply to a master's or PhD. If you are still deciding whether a degree is worth it, read the graduate study page first. The forever learning page has the free courses this path starts from.
The path into graduate study
Five steps in order, then three degree types. One, foundation courses: circuits, signals, computation structures, and graduate-level math. Two, research or a team: a lab seat or a design team in the first two years. Three, a graduate course as a senior: one or two courses that can count toward the master's. Four, fit and funding: an advisor, a funded PhD, or another way to pay. Five, the application: a statement with evidence, and letters from people who saw the work. After the application the path splits into three degree types. MEng is course-based, about a year, and ends in a design project and report. MS is a thesis, professional, course-only, or online degree, depending on the school. PhD is funded research, and you do not pay for one.
Pick the degree before the school
Section titled “Pick the degree before the school”MEng, MS, and PhD programs are different degrees. Choose the one that matches the work you want, then pick schools.
An MEng is a course-based professional degree. Cornell's Electrical and Computer Engineering M.Eng. is 30 credits over two semesters (opens in a new tab). It ends in a faculty-supervised design project and a final report (opens in a new tab), not a thesis.
An MS can be a thesis MSECE, a professional master's, a course-only track, or an online track at the same school. Purdue ECE's master's handbook lists all four, plus a 4+1 BS/MS for its own undergraduates (opens in a new tab).
A PhD does not require a master's first (opens in a new tab).
The section on which fields expect one on the graduate study page can help you match the degree to the work. So can the career paths page.
Build the foundation
Section titled “Build the foundation”Graduate courses build on circuits, signals and systems, computation structures, and graduate-level math. Fill those gaps before you apply, not after.
The three MIT OpenCourseWare courses in the free courses section on the forever learning page cover that core. Use those courses to fill gaps.
Purdue's online MSECE requires 6 credits of graduate math (opens in a new tab), and recommends linear algebra first if your background is thin (opens in a new tab).
Pick one field from the career paths page and take its upper-level electives. Purdue ECE describes a master's as a chance to go deeper into one technical specialty (opens in a new tab).
Get research experience early
Section titled “Get research experience early”PhD applications ask you to show research you have already done. Start with a lab seat or a design team in the first two years.
The teams and undergraduate research section on the hardware page covers how to get a lab seat or a design-team role. It also shows how that work reads on a resume. The first internship page has the paragraph on NSF REU and DOE SULI programs, including the 2026 caveat.
Alex Doe is the example student. They list Undergraduate Research Assistant, [University lab], Summer 2025, on the hardware and first internship pages. One summer like that becomes a resume line and a letter writer. The resume page shows how to write the line, and the projects page covers how a build or a lab seat turns into a line you can defend.
Take graduate courses as an undergraduate
Section titled “Take graduate courses as an undergraduate”One or two graduate courses in senior year test whether you like the work, and they can count toward the master's.
At Georgia Tech, a senior with at least a 2.7 GPA can take a graduate course with department permission (opens in a new tab). Up to 12 of those hours can count toward a master's if they were not already used for the bachelor's (opens in a new tab).
Georgia Tech ECE's joint BS/MS lets students apply from sophomore year, waives the GRE and the application fee, and double-counts up to 6 hours (opens in a new tab). Qualified students may get graduate or teaching assistantships once they enter the master's (opens in a new tab).
Ask your own department for its BS/MS or 4+1 rules. The accelerated route in the how students pay section on the graduate study page is the cheap one.
How senior-year courses can count
Two columns, senior year and master's year. In senior year, graduate courses taken as a senior, with department permission. A connector to the master's year reads: up to 12 hours can count toward the master's. In the master's year, the hours that count toward the master's: up to 12 hours can count if they were not already used for the bachelor's. A dashed aside under the master's year reads: up to 6 hours can also count toward the bachelor's in a formal BS/MS. The numbers are one school's rules, Georgia Tech's. Ask your department for its own limits.
Find research fit and an advisor
Section titled “Find research fit and an advisor”For a PhD, the advisor and their funding often matter as much as the school. Read the lab's recent work before you write to anyone.
Minnesota ECE recommends that PhD applicants contact faculty, and says advisor funding is a significant factor in admissions (opens in a new tab). Applicants do not have to have an advisor lined up first (opens in a new tab).
MIT EECS faculty do not discuss funding or supervision until after admission (opens in a new tab), so check each program's rule before you email.
For a short, specific first message, use the informational interview section on the networking page.
Funded or not, and how assistantships and fellowships work
Section titled “Funded or not, and how assistantships and fellowships work”A PhD must be funded. A master's usually is not, unless an assistantship, a fellowship, or an employer pays.
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program is one national fellowship that pays a stipend and covers tuition for research-based master's or doctoral study (opens in a new tab). It provides three years of support, used over a five-year period (opens in a new tab). Read the program's full eligibility rules (opens in a new tab) before you plan around it. The NSF GRFP FAQ (opens in a new tab) is a second place to check. Ask your department about other fellowships too.
What a funded PhD pays, and the funding figure, stay on the how students pay section of the graduate study page.
The application: statement and letters
Section titled “The application: statement and letters”The statement shows research interest and evidence. The letters come from people who saw that work.
MIT EECS asks for two essays: one on Research Activities and Goals, and one on the Academic and Intellectual Journey (opens in a new tab). It also asks for three letters, and the deadline is December 1 (opens in a new tab). It does not use GRE scores (opens in a new tab).
Georgia Tech ECE's BS/MS statement asks for your interests, how the degree supports them, and a recap of accomplishments (opens in a new tab). A short version of those three parts works as a starting structure at other schools.
For the GRE and for essay-writing guides, see the GRE section on the graduate study page. Start a CV from the resume page, then add research, papers, and talks.
Study while you work
Section titled “Study while you work”Some fields do not expect a graduate degree. If you already work in one of them, a part-time or online master's that an employer pays for is often the cheap route. The section on which fields expect one on the graduate study page covers that case.
Purdue's online MSECE is the same degree as the on-campus program (opens in a new tab). It is 30 credits (opens in a new tab). Most students who work full time take one 3-credit course a semester, with up to six years to finish (opens in a new tab).
Not every program allows this. MIT EECS degree programs are full-time and on campus only (opens in a new tab).
For employer tuition, see the employer tuition help section on the forever learning page, and the how students pay section on the graduate study page. Ask about tuition help before you accept an offer. The first full-time role page covers how to read an offer.
Checklist
Section titled “Checklist”Work through these in order.
- Pick the degree that matches the work you want, MEng, MS, or PhD, then pick schools.
- Fill gaps in circuits, signals and systems, computation structures, and graduate-level math, using the free courses on the forever learning page.
- Get a lab seat or a design-team role in the first two years, and write it as a resume line.
- Take one or two graduate courses as a senior, and ask your department whether they count toward a master's or a BS/MS.
- For a PhD, read a lab's recent work, then follow that program's rules about contacting faculty.
- Confirm funding. A PhD must be funded, and a master's needs an assistantship, a fellowship, or an employer.
- Write a statement with research interest and evidence, and ask for letters from people who saw the work.
- If you will work first, ask about employer tuition help before you accept, and check whether a program is offered part time or online.
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