Computer Engineering, PhD

Major and minor area requirements

1. Major area requirement is satisfied by taking minimum of three (3) courses from a selected major area with minimum GPA of 3.5. See Graduate Student Guide for preapproved lists of courses for each area.
2. Minor area requirement is satisfied by taking courses from other areas (different from the selected major area) with minimum GPA of 3.0. Students with BS degree are required to take two (2) courses from other areas while students with MS degree are required to take one (1) course.

Course Requirements

1. A minimum of 14 regular courses (42 regular graduate course credits) beyond the BS degree (including courses taken to satisfy major and minor requirements). The choice must have the prior approval of the designated faculty academic advisor. Any non-ESE course will need prior approval given by the Graduate Program Director before a student can register.
2. The ESE 697 - Ph.D. Practicum in Teaching  (3 credits) is required to satisfy the teaching requirement. Students must be advance to candidacy in order to take this course.
3. The courses ESE 597 , ESE 598, ESE 599 , ESE 698 , and ESE 699  are not counted as regular courses.
4. Courses presented under the title ESE 670 - Topics in Electrical Sciences  that have different subject matters, and are offered as formal lecture courses, are considered different regular courses but may not be counted more than twice.
5. Prior MS degree in ECE or related area can reduce the course requirements down to six (6) regular courses.

Advancement to Candidacy

After successfully completing all major/minor/course requirements (except ESE 697 ) the student is eligible to be recommended for advancement to candidacy. This status is conferred by the dean of the Graduate School upon recommendation from the chairperson of the department.

It is strongly recommended that doctoral students Advance to Candidacy within 1.5 years after earning 24 regular course credits after BS degree or admission with MS degree.

Preliminary Examination

A student is expected to pass the preliminary examination within 1.5 years after advancement to candidacy. Both a thesis topic and the thesis background area are emphasized. Students must pass the Preliminary Examination at least ONE year prior to their Defense. See Graduate Student Guide for details.

Dissertation

The most important requirement for the Ph.D. degree is the completion of a dissertation, which must be an original scholarly investigation. The dissertation must represent a significant contribution to the scientific and engineering literature, and its quality must be compatible with the publication standards of appropriate and reputable scholarly journals.

Approval and Defense of Dissertation

The dissertation must be orally defended before a dissertation examination committee, and the candidate must obtain approval of the dissertation from this committee. The committee must have a minimum of four members (at least three of whom are faculty members from the department), including the research advisor, at least one person from outside the department, and a committee chair. (Neither the research advisor nor the outside member may serve as the chair). On the basis of the recommendation of this committee, the dean of engineering and applied sciences will recommend acceptance or rejection of the dissertation to the dean of the Graduate School. All requirements for the degree will have been satisfied upon the successful defense of the dissertation.

Residency Requirement

The student must complete two consecutive semesters of full-time graduate study. Full-time study is 9 credits minimum per semester.

Time Limit

All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be completed within seven (7) years after completing 24 credits of graduate courses in the department.

Networking & Wireless Communications Certificate

Matriculated students only.

Networking and wireless communications are key technologies in today’s technological world. Networks such as the Internet as well as telephone, cable and wireless networks serve to interconnect people and computers in a ubiquitous and cost effective way. The area of wireless communications in particular has grown rapidly in recent years and has utilized networking technology to be successful. There is a large industrial base involving networking and wireless communications in terms of equipment and software providers, service providers and end users. Moreover this technology has made the average consumer’s life more productive, flexible and enjoyable.

The Stony Brook Certificate Program in Networking and Wireless Communications is designed to give matriculated students validated graduate level instruction in this area of much recent interest. The program can be completed in a reasonable amount of time as it involves only four courses. These are regular Stony Brook graduate level courses taught by Stony Brook faculty. The SUNY approved certificate program can be tailored to the needs of the individual student. Courses used for the certificate program can also be used toward the MS or PhD degree by matriculated students.

To receive the Stony Brook Certificate in Networking and Wireless Communications, a student must complete FOUR required courses as specified below, with at least a B grade in each course.

Engineering Machine Learning Systems Certificate

Matriculated students only.

The Engineering Machine Learning Systems certificate program educates about the mathematical theory, fundamental algorithms, and optimized engineering of computational learning systems used in real-world, big data applications. Students will also study modern technologies used in devising such data systems, including software tools, architectures, and related hardware structures. Comprehensive, hands-on student projects on designing, implementing, and testing real-world learning systems are part of the certificate program. The certificate program includes a total of four courses: three required courses and one elective course.

To receive the Stony Brook certificate in the Engineering Machine Learning Systems, a student must be currently enrolled in an MS or PhD program in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and must complete four courses as specified below, with at least a B grade in each course.

Engineering the Internet of Things Certificate

Matriculated students only.

The Engineering the Internet-of-Things certificate program provides the fundamental principles, popular technologies and optimized engineering of Internet-of-Things applications and systems. Students gain a broad set of skills and knowledge for IoT development and innovation, including sensors and interfaces, RF communication, microcontroller and embedded systems, wireless radios, network protocols, cloud services and security techniques. Students learn how to design, implement and evaluate IoT systems and applications through hands-on projects on popular embedded system hardware. The certificate program includes a total of four courses: three required courses and one elective course.

To receive the Stony Brook certificate in the Engineering the Internet-of-Things, a student must be enrolled in an MS or PhD program in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and must complete four courses as specified below, with at least a B grade in each course.