Thesis/Project Procedures

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) offers graduate programs leading to a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) and Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering (MSCompE) with a choice of doing either a Thesis (Plan A) or a Project (Plan B). The following rules and guidelines apply to both programs.

For Graduate Students Admitted in Fall 2020 and Thereafter

The College of Graduate Studies is offering a new electronic resource for students and advisors to track progress toward graduation. This resource is called the Degree Evaluation (or Degree Audit Report). The report can be found in your my.SDSU account under the 'Degree Evaluation' tile. When you click on the Degree Evaluation, your coursework and other degree requirements will be converted into a customized report. The Degree Evaluation is your official guide for tracking progress toward graduation.

Please let the ECE Graduate Advisor, Dr. Santosh Nagaraj at [email protected] know if you have any questions about your Degree Evaluation, or contact the College of Graduate Studies office at [email protected].

Grade Requirements for Graduate Students

There are five sets of grade requirements for graduate students. Please click on Grade Requirements for Graduate Students to view the requirements.

Procedures for Thesis and Project

The procedures for doing each plan are listed below. Students must follow these procedures in the order that are listed. 

Thesis 799A (Plan A)

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ: As the Degree Evaluation defaults to Plan B (Project), students doing Plan A (Thesis) will need to submit a Petition for Adjustment of Academic Requirements (PAAR) form https://grad.sdsu.edu/current-students/forms stating they are doing the Plan A option. If this is not done, the student's Degree Evaluation will not reflect the correct courses.

1. Enrolling in 797 Research

1. In order for the student to do research for their thesis, they must first enroll in 797 Research. To enroll in 797 Research, the student must fill out the 797 Research form, attach the thesis abstract, and have their Thesis Chair sign the form before submitting the form to the Graduate Advisor for signature.
2. At the same time the student submits the 797 Research form to the Graduate Advisor, the student should also submit their Program of Study (POS) form Thesis Plan A POS. If you are wanting to use a course outside of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, you will need to submit an Authorization to Take Non-ECE Courses (ATNEC) form along with your POS. The ATNEC form needs to be approved before you can enroll in the outside course. For a guideline to list of the courses per specialization, click on course guidelines. Please note, all forms must be signed by the Thesis Chair before submitting it to the Graduate Advisor. The Graduate Advisor should be the last person to sign the POS.
3. Once the 797 Research form is approved, the student will get the schedule number to enroll in 797 Research from their Thesis Chair.

2. Enrolling in 799A and Defending the Thesis

Before the student can defend their thesis, the student must be advanced to candidacy and enrolled in 799A.

1. To enroll in 799A, the student must be advanced to candidacy. To be advanced to candidacy the student must complete at least 12 units of Program of Study courses with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Once these requirements are met the student must submit the Advance Form which the student can access in their Degree Evaluation under the Advancement to Candidacy section. Please make sure that you are advanced to candidacy as without this, your degree completion date may be delayed.
2. The student needs to follow the thesis enrollment instructions given by Graduate Studies. Specifically, first provide the required information in step 4 to the Graduate Advisor to form the thesis committee and then follow instructions in step 8 for enrolling in 799A (Thesis) or step 9 for 799B (Thesis Extension). Please carefully read the instructions on the College of Graduate Studies site. If any of the thesis committee members are lecturers, adjuncts, or outside experts, the student will need to submit the Petition for Lecturers, Adjuncts, and Outside Experts Without SDSU Affiliation to Serve on Thesis Committees form along with the Thesis Committee Approval form. The student will complete the Thesis Committee form and attach The Agreement Between Student and Advising Faculty Member form before submitting to the Graduate Advisor. Download a sample of the agreement form. The Graduate Advisor will then email the forms to the College of Graduate Studies office at [email protected] and cc the student on the email.
3. Once the Thesis Committee form has been approved by the College of Graduate Studies office, the student can then obtain the schedule number to enroll in 799A. The schedule number for 799A or 799B (extension of 799A) is given by the College of Graduate Studies office. For questions regarding the Thesis Committee form, please contact the College of Graduate Studies office at [email protected].
4. At the defense, the student must obtain the signatures of all the thesis committee members for the signature page. The signature page will need to be submitted to Montezuma Publishing and a copy needs to be sent to the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
5. The student also needs to submit a copy of the plagiarism report to the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. The Thesis Chair will generate the plagiarism report.
6. When the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering receives a copy of both the signature page and plagiarism report, the Graduate Advisor will submit the Final Report of Thesis Defense/Project form to the College of Graduate Studies office.
7. The student will obtain a "CR" grade for 799A once the thesis has been published. The grade is submitted by the College of Graduate Studies office.

Project 798 (Plan B)

1. Enrolling in 798 Project

1. In order for the student to do a project, they must first enroll in 798 Project. To enroll in 798 Project, the student must fill out the 798 Project form, attach the project abstract, and obtain the signature of the Project Chair and 2nd Member before submitting the form to the Graduate Advisor for signature. Please make sure that you are advanced to candidacy when you sign up for 798. To be advanced to candidacy the student must complete at least 12 units of Program of Study courses with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Once these requirements are met the student must submit the Advance Form which the student can access in their Degree Evaluation under the Advancement to Candidacy section. Please make sure that you are advanced to candidacy as without this, your degree completion date may be delayed.
2. At the same time the student submits the 798 Project form to the Graduate Advisor, the student should also submit their Program of Study (POS) form Project Plan B POS. If you are wanting to use a course outside of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, you will need to submit an Authorization to Take Non-ECE Courses (ATNEC) form along with your POS. The ATNEC form needs to be approved before you can enroll in the outside course. For a guideline to list of the courses per specialization, click on course guidelines. Please note, all forms must be signed by the Project Chair, and if needed, by the 2nd member, before submitting it to the Graduate Advisor. The Graduate Advisor should be the last person to sign the POS.
3. Once the 798 Project form is approved, the student will get the schedule number to enroll in 798 from their Project Chair.

2. Defending and Completing the Project

Before the student can submit their project, the student must be advanced to candidacy and enrolled in 798.

1. The student must work with their Project Chair and 2nd Member to set up a time to defend their project.
2. Once the project has been defended, the student must fill out the 798 Project Completion Form form and get it signed by the Project Chair and 2nd Member. The 798 Project Completion Form needs to be submitted to the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
3. The student needs to submit a copy of the plagiarism report to the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. The Project Chair will generate the plagiarism report.
4. When the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering receives a copy of both the 798 Project Completion Form and plagiarism report, the Graduate Advisor will submit the Final Report of Thesis Defense/Project form to the College of Graduate Studies office.
5. The "CR" grade will be submitted by the Project Chair.

Procedures for Submitting an Application for Reduced Course Load (ARCL)

The International Student Center (ISC) has revised their Reduced Course Load policy for international graduate students in response to a recent review by the SEVP Field Officer. The Application for Reduced Course Load (ARCL) form is in effect immediately. The specific changes are listed below. For Master’s students, full time enrollment is defined by ISC as 9 units per fall or spring semester, numbered 500 or above. Students enrolled in 799A (Thesis) are considered to be full-time per academic policy, and do not need to submit an ARCL waiver. International graduate students may request approval to enroll in fewer units than full time using the Application for Reduced Course Load (ARCL) form if one of the following is true:

Option 6 of the form: They are in their final semester. Confirmation and a signature are required from the graduate advisor.

Option 7 of the form: They are employed as a Teaching Associate or Graduate Assistant as a required part of their program. Confirmation from the graduate advisor and a written statement are required.

Option 8 of the form: They are enrolled only in 799B Thesis Extension. Confirmation and a signature are required from the graduate advisor.

(As stated above, students enrolled in 799A are considered full-time per academic policy, and do not need to submit an ARCL waiver.)