Electrical and Computer Engineering

Program Description

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers graduate programs in selected specialty areas leading to the M.Engr., M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Current departmental research expertise falls into one of the following areas: Biomedical Engineering, Communications/Signal Processing, Computer Architecture, Cyber Physical and Embedded Systems, Electromagnetics/Optics, Power/Power Electronics, and VLSI. The ECE Department is also a key contributor to NDSU's Research and Technology Park.

Research Facilities and Equipment

The department is housed in a modern, well-equipped building. Graduate students have access to laboratories, instrument rooms, and computer services ranging from the university computer system to departmental computers. Research facilities include cardiovascular engineering lab, computer architecture lab, digital systems lab, EMI shield room, power and power electronics lab, signal processing and systems lab, and printed circuit lab.

Admission Requirements

The preferred avenue is to contact and work with an NDSU ECE Professor before coming to NDSU, such that the professor recommends you for admittance into the program. Each professor will have different expectations for the amount and type of work he/she will require you to do in order for him/her to recommend you for admittance into the NDSU ECE graduate program. Please look at each faculty's website and contact a faculty member working in a research area in which you are interested in pursuing your graduate studies. A secondary avenue is to have a GRE score of at least 145 Verbal and 155 Quantitative and a minimum GPA of 3.0 on your latest Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering degree, either B.S. or M.S. The GRE subject area test is not required. To be admitted as an ECE M.E. student, you must have a GRE score of at least 145 Verbal and 155 Quantitative and a minimum GPA of 3.0 on your Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering B.S. degree.

The 3.0 minimum GPA admission requirement may be waived for M.E. students with substantial ECE industry experience. The GRE subject area test is not required.

Financial Assistance

The department has a limited number of both teaching and research assistantships available. These assistantships provide a monthly salary during the academic year, a waiver of graduate tuition during the academic year and summer, but do not cover the minimal activity fee. In addition, there are opportunities, both in the department and on the campus, to perform part-time work as graders, teachers, tutors, and consultants. These assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis -- typically at the time of admission for fall semester.

Master of Engineering and Master of Science

The Master of Engineering and the Master of Science degrees require a minimum of 30 semester credits beyond the B.S. degree. The Master of Engineering is a course-work only program requiring a capstone consisting of a portfolio or written exam. For the Master of Science, 6 hours of the 30 must be assigned to the thesis. All students must pass a final oral examination covering both course work, and the thesis.

Ph.D. Program

The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires a minimum of 90 credits beyond the baccalaureate with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. Of these 90 credits, a minimum of 36 credits of graduate-level coursework and a minimum of 30 credits of dissertation are required, including ECE 702: Advanced Research Topics, 1 credit.

Academic Good Standing

All graduate students must maintain a 3.00 GPA or better and make significant progress towards their degree to remain in good standing. Failing to do either may hinder the student's financial assistance and/or ability to register for courses in the ECE graduate program.

Benjamin Braaten, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2009
Research Interests:  Applied Electromagnetics, Electromagnetic Compatibility and Signal Integrity

Dong Cao, Ph.D.      
Michigan State University, 2012
Research Interests:  Power Electronics and High Power Electrical Motor Drives, Renewable Energy Systems Grid-Integration and Standalone Operation, Power Management For Smart Grid, Transportation Electrification/Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Microgrid/Distributed Generation Source, Wide-Band Gap Device      

Nilanjan Ray Chaudhuri, Ph.D.
Imperial College, 2011
Research Interests:  Power System Dynamics and Control, Wide-Area Monitoring Systems, Application Of Power Electronics In Power Systems, Online System Identification, FACTS, HVDC, Renewable Energy Systems,  Distributed Energy, Demand Side Response

Debasis Dawn, Ph.D.
Tohoku University, 1993
Research Interests:  Microelectronics/Microsystems, Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) Silicob (CMOS/SiGe), Ics for radar, sensors

Daniel L. Ewert, Ph.D.
University of North Dakota, 1989
Research Interests: Biomedical Engineering

Jacob Glower, Ph.D.
The Ohio State University, 1988
Research Interests: Control Systems, Digital Systems

Na Gong, Ph.D. 
University of Buffalo, SUNY, 2013
Research Interests:  VLSI, Computer Architecture, and EDA

Roger Green, Ph.D.
University of Wyoming, 1998
Research Interests: Signal Processing, Array Processing, Time-frequency Analysis

Sanjay Karmakar, Ph.D.
University of Colorado, Boulder 2012
Research Interests: Wireless Communications, Information Theory, Coding for MIMO Systems

Rajesh G. Kavasseri, Ph.D.
Washington State University, 2002
Research Interests: Power Systems, Nonlinear Dynamics, Renewable Energy resources

Samee U. Khan, Ph.D.
University of Texas-Arlington, 2007
Research Interests:  Optimization, Robustness, and Security Of:  Cloud, Grid, Cluster and Big Data Computing, Social Networks, Wired and Wireless Networks, Power Systems, Smart Grids, and Optical Networks.

Ivan T. Lima Jr., Ph.D.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2003
Research Interests: Photonics

Dharmakeerthi Nawarathna, Ph.D.
University of Houston, 2005
Research Interests:  Lab-on-a-chip Technologies, Single-cell Genomics, Nanobio-engineering, Tissue Engineering, Novel Imaging Techniques for Biology and Computational Simulations.

David A. Rogers, Ph.D.
University of Washington, 1971
Research Interests: Microwave Engineering, Electromagnetics, Fiber Optics

Mark Schroeder, Ph.D.
University of Texas, Austin, 1999
Research Interests: Biomedical Engineering

Scott C. Smith, Ph.D.
University of Central Florida, 2001
Research Interests:  Asynchronous Logic, VLSI, Computer Architecture, Embedded Systems

Sudarshan Srinivasan, Ph.D.
Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007
Research Interests: Computer Engineering

Danling Wang, Ph.D.
University of Washington, 2013
Research Interest: Development of Sensor Devices Based on Novel Nanostructured Materials and Advanced Techniques. Focusing on Sensor Design, Fabrication, and Application of Early-Stage Human Disease Monitoring and Diagnosis, Such as Breath Analyzer for Diabetes; Industrial, and Military Safety, Such as Environmental Explosive or Toxic Gas Detection

Jinhui Wang, Ph.D.
University of Rochester and Bejing University of Technology, 2006
Research Interests:  VLSI, Power Management for SoC and Microprossor, Novel Memory Design, CAD Methodologies in VLSI

Qifeng Zhang, Ph.D.
Peking University, 2001
Research Interests Electric Materials and Devices for Energy Conversion and Storage, involving Solar Cells, Lithium Batteries, and Solid State Electrolytes; Nanomaterials for Sensor and Biomedical Applications; and Nanotechnology