Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)

[ undergraduate program | courses | faculty ]

Earl Warren College
Jacobs Hall
Undergraduate Affairs, Room 2906
Graduate Affairs, Room 2718
http://ece.ucsd.edu/

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

The Graduate Programs

Master of Science

The ECE department offers MS programs in electrical and computer engineering. The MS programs are research oriented and are intended to provide the intensive technical preparation necessary for advanced technical work in the engineering profession or subsequent pursuit of a PhD. The MS may be earned either with a thesis (Plan 1) or with a comprehensive examination (Plan 2). However, continuation in the PhD program requires a comprehensive examination so most students opt for Plan 2.

Course Requirements: The total course requirements for the master of science degrees in electrical engineering and computer engineering are forty-eight units (twelve quarter courses), respectively, of which at least thirty-six units must be in graduate courses. Note that this is greater than the minimum requirements of the university. The department maintains a list of core courses for each disciplinary area from which the thirty-six graduate course units must be selected. The current list may be obtained from the department graduate office or the official website of the department. Students in interdisciplinary programs may select other core courses with the approval of their academic adviser. The course requirements must be completed within two years of full-time study. Students will be assigned a faculty adviser who will help select courses and approve their overall academic curriculum.

Degree Requirements: Only upper-division (100-level) and graduate (200-level) courses in which a student is assigned grades A, B, or C (including plus [+] or minus [–]) can be used to satisfy degree requirements. The forty-eight units of required course work must be taken for a letter grade, except in cases where students take ECE 299, the ECE graduate research course. Graduate research courses in the Irwin and Joan Jacobs School of Engineering may be counted toward the degree. Graduate research courses from other departments may be counted toward the degree with curriculum adviser approval. Graduate research courses (i.e., ECE 299) are the only courses where the S/U grading option is allowed. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 overall.

Thesis and Comprehensive Requirements: The department offers both MS Plan 1 (thesis) and MS Plan 2 (written comprehensive exam). Students in the MS program must select either Plan 1 or Plan 2 by their fourth quarter of study. Students in the MS Plan 1 (thesis) must take twelve units of ECE 299 (Research) and must submit a thesis as described in the general requirements of the university. Students in the MS Plan 2 (written comprehensive exam) may count four units of ECE 299 (Research) toward the thirty-six graduate units required and must attempt to pass the departmental written comprehensive examination not later than the fall quarter of their second year of study. Students who pass the written examination at the MS level will receive a terminal master’s degree if they do not already have one.

Transfer to the PhD Program: Students in the MS program wishing to be considered for admission to the PhD program should consult their academic adviser as soon as possible. Students must notify department of their intent to transfer by their fourth quarter of study. Transfer from the MS to the PhD program is possible provided that the student

Satisfy all requirements for initial admission to the PhD program, including submission of GRE general test scores, and be approved for consideration for transfer to the PhD program by the ECE Graduate Admissions Committee.
Identify a faculty member who agrees, in writing, to serve as that student’s academic and PhD research adviser.
In consultation with the academic adviser, design and complete a program of course work that satisfies all course requirements and constraints for a PhD discipline appropriate to the student’s research. All students in the PhD program are required to satisfy all PhD requirements as described below. Should the student not be admitted to the PhD program, this program of course work will serve, with the approval of the academic adviser and the ECE Graduate Affairs Committee, to satisfy the course work requirements for the MS.
Pass the preliminary (comprehensive) examination at the level required for continuation in the PhD program. A student failing to pass the comprehensive exam at this required level will not be admitted to the PhD program, and will instead continue in the MS program.
Maintain a GPA of at least 3.4 in the appropriate core graduate courses.

A student who has fulfilled all of the above requirements should, after passing the departmental PhD preliminary (comprehensive) exam, submit a petition to change his or her degree objective from MS to PhD.

Student with Disabilities

In order for the program to respond, a student requiring accommodation for disability must make a request for accommodation upon submission of the student’s intent to apply to the MAS DSE Program. Declaration of any disability information is not part of the admissions review and will not factor into admission decisions.

Information concerning accommodation requests is available at: https://osd.ucsd.edu/students/registering.html.

Master of Advanced Studies

Wireless Embedded Systems

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), in partnership with the office of engineering executive education, offers the master of advanced studies (MAS) degree in wireless embedded systems (WES). The program employs a cross-disciplinary education paradigm, designed to provide high-level training for engineering and technical professionals who plan to become technical leaders in this burgeoning field. Students entering the wireless embedded systems professional degree program will undertake courses in systems, software, hardware, and communication theory.

For more information on the MAS-WES program, please visit https://catalog.ucsd.edu/curric/MAS-gr.html.

The Doctoral Programs

The ECE department offers graduate programs leading to the PhD in twelve disciplines within electrical and computer engineering, as described in detail below. The PhD is a research degree requiring completion of the PhD program course requirements, satisfactory performance on the comprehensive (PhD preliminary) examination and university qualifying examination, and submission and defense of a doctoral thesis (as described under the “Graduate Admission” section of this catalog). Students in the PhD program must pass the comprehensive exam (PhD preliminary) before the beginning of the winter quarter of the second year of graduate study. To ensure timely progress in their research, students are strongly encouraged to identify a faculty member willing to supervise their doctoral research by the end of their first year of study.

Students should begin defining and preparing for their thesis research as soon as they have passed the comprehensive exam (PhD preliminary). They should plan on taking the university qualifying examination about one year later. The university does not permit students to continue in graduate study for more than four years without passing this examination. At the qualifying examination the student will give an oral presentation on research accomplishments to date and the thesis proposal to a campuswide committee. The committee will decide if the work and proposal has adequate content and reasonable chance for success. They may require that the student modify the proposal and may require a further review.

The final PhD requirements are the submission of a dissertation and the dissertation defense (as described under the “Graduate Admission” section of this catalog).

Course Requirements: The total course requirements for the PhD in electrical engineering are essentially the same as the MS and consist of forty-eight units (twelve quarter courses), of which at least thirty-six units must be in graduate courses. Note that this is greater than the minimum requirements of the university. The department maintains a list of core courses for each disciplinary area from which the thirty-six graduate course units must be selected. The current list may be obtained from the ECE department graduate office or the official website of the department. Students in the interdisciplinary programs may select other core courses with the approval of their academic adviser. The course requirements must be completed within two years of full-time study.

Students in the PhD programs may count no more than eight units of ECE 299 toward their course requirements.

Students who already hold an MS in electrical engineering must nevertheless satisfy the requirements for the core courses. However, graduate courses taken elsewhere can be substituted for specific courses with the approval of the academic adviser.

Degree Requirements: Only upper-division (100-level) and graduate (200-level) courses in which a student is assigned grades A, B, or C (including plus [+] or minus [–]) can be used to satisfy degree requirements. The forty-eight units of required course work must be taken for a letter grade, except in cases where students take ECE 299, the ECE graduate research course. Graduate research courses in the Jacobs School may be counted toward the degree. Graduate research courses from other departments may be counted toward the degree with curriculum adviser approval. Graduate research courses (i.e., ECE 299) are the only courses where the S/U grading option is allowed. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 overall. In addition, a GPA of 3.4 in the core graduate courses is generally expected.

Comprehensive Exam (PhD Preliminary): PhD students must find a faculty member who will agree to supervise their thesis research. This should be done before the start of the second year of study. They should then devote at least half their time to research and must pass the PhD preliminary examination before the beginning of the winter quarter of the second year of study. This is an oral exam in which the student presents his or her research to a committee of three ECE faculty members and is examined orally for proficiency in his or her area of specialization. The outcome of the exam is based on the student’s research presentation, proficiency demonstrated in the student’s area of specialization and overall academic record and performance in the graduate program. Successful completion of the PhD preliminary examination will also satisfy the MS Plan 2 comprehensive exam requirement.

University Qualifying Exam: Students who have passed the comprehensive exam (PhD preliminary) should plan to take the university qualifying examination approximately a year after passing the comprehensive exam (PhD preliminary). The university does not permit students to continue in graduate study for more than four years without passing this examination. The university qualifying examination is an oral exam in which the student presents his or her thesis proposal to a campuswide committee. After passing this exam the student is “advanced to candidacy.”

Dissertation Defense: The final PhD requirements are the submission of a dissertation, and the dissertation defense (as described under the “Graduate Admission” section of this catalog). Students who are advanced to candidacy may register for any ECE course on an S/U basis.

Departmental Time Limits: Students who enter the PhD program with an MS from another institution are expected to complete their PhD requirements a year earlier than BS entrants. They must discuss their program with an academic adviser in their first quarter of residence. If their PhD program overlaps significantly with their earlier MS work, the time limits for the comprehensive and qualifying exams will also be reduced by one year. Specific time limits for the PhD program, assuming entry with a BS, are as follows:

The Comprehensive Exam (PhD Preliminary) must be completed before the start of the winter quarter of the second year of full-time study.
The University Qualifying Exam must be completed before the start of the fifth year of full-time study.
Support Limit: Students may not receive financial support through the university for more than seven years of full-time study (six years with an MS).
Registered Time Limit: Students may not register as graduate students for more than eight years of full-time study (seven years with an MS).

Half-Time Study: Time limits are extended by one quarter for every two quarters of approved half-time status. Students on half-time status may not take more than six units each quarter.

PhD Research Programs

Photonics: These programs encompass a broad range of interdisciplinary activities involving optical science and engineering, optical and optoelectronic materials and device technology, communications, computer engineering, and photonic systems engineering. Specific topics of interest include ultrafast optical processes, nonlinear optics, quantum cryptography and communications, optical image science, multidimensional optoelectronic I/O devices, spatial light modulators and photodetectors, artificial dielectrics, multifunctional diffractive and micro-optics, volume and computer-generated holography, optoelectronic and micromechanical devices and packaging, modeling and design of photonic devices and systems, photonic integrated circuits and systems, optical sensors, fiber optics, wave modulators and detectors, semiconductor-based optoelectronics, injection lasers, and photodetectors. Current research projects are focused on applications such as optical interconnects in high-speed digital systems, optical multidimensional signal and image processing, ultrahigh-speed optical networks, 3-D optical memories and memory interfaces, 3-D imaging and displays, and biophotonic systems. Facilities available for research in these areas include electron-beam and optical lithography, material growth, microfabrication, assembly, and packaging facilities, continuous wave and femtosecond pulse laser systems, detection systems, optical and electro-optic components and devices, and electronic and optical characterization and testing equipment.
Communication Theory and Systems: This program in electrical and computer engineering involves the detection of signals, the prediction and filtering of random processes, the design and analysis of communication systems, the analysis of protocols for communication networks, and statistical processing of images. Specific topics include the use of signal processing and error correction coding, and modulation techniques for both data transmission and digital magnetic recording, the use of spread spectrum techniques for wireless communications, and the design and analysis of multiuser communication networks. Additional areas of research include time series analysis, adaptive filtering, sampling design, and wavelet theory. Applications are made to such fields as communications, radar, sonar, oceanography, holography, and image processing. Both theoretical and practical aspects of information processing are studied.
Computer Engineering: This program consists of balanced programs of studies in both hardware and software, the premise being that knowledge and skill in both areas are essential both for the modern-day computer engineer to make the proper unbiased tradeoffs in design, and for researchers to consider all paths toward the solution of research questions and problems. Toward these ends, the programs emphasize studies (course work) and competency (comprehensive examinations, and dissertations or projects) in the areas of VLSI and logic design, and reliable computer and communication systems. Specific research areas include computer systems, signal processing systems, multiprocessing and parallel and distributed computing, computer communications and networks, computer architecture, computer-aided design, fault-tolerance and reliability, and neurocomputing.
Electronic Circuits and Systems: The electronic circuits and systems program involves the study of the processes of analysis and design of electronic circuits and systems. Emphasis is on analog and digital integrated circuits, very large-scale integration (VLSI), analog and digital signal processing, and system algorithms and architectures. Particular areas of study are analog, digital, radio frequency, and microwave electronic circuits and systems, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, wireless communications transceivers, phase-locked loops, low-power integrated circuits, parallel and multiprocessor computing, electronic neural networks and associative memories, VLSI and algorithmic/application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design, microwave and millimeter wave integrated circuits (MIMIC), gallium arsenide ultra-high-speed integrated circuits and devices (UHSIC), algorithms and architectures for analog and digital signal processing (DSP), high-speed digital communications, computer arithmetic and numerical analysis of finite word length processors, fault-tolerant VLSI systems, design for testability, the design of reliable digital electronic systems, computer-aided design (CAD), and computer-aided engineering (CAE) of DSP/communications systems.
Applied Physics—Electronic Devices and Materials: The field of electronic devices and materials includes the synthesis, characterization, and application of metals, semiconductors and dielectric materials in solid-state electronic and opto-electronic devices. It encompasses the fabrication, characterization, and modeling of prototype electronic materials, devices, and integrated circuits based on silicon and III-V compound semiconductors as well as processing methods employed in present-day and projected integrated circuits. Current research includes growth by molecular beam epitaxy and chemical vapor phase epitaxy, metallurgical aspects of interfaces, the electronic, optical, and electro-optic properties of heterostructures, and the study of superconductors and magnetic materials.
Research thrusts cover the study of ultrasmall structures (nanotechnology) as well as ultrahigh speed transistors and optoelectronic devices. The department has available a complete facility for fabricating prototype silicon and III-V compound transistors and other devices, electron-beam lithography, a Rutherford backscattering facility, molecular beam and organo-metallic vapor-phase epitaxy, cryogenic temperature facilities, scanning tunneling microscopes, microwave and mm-wave measurement facilities, as well as auxiliary apparatus for X-ray, optical, and galvanomagnetic characterization of materials, devices, and components.
Intelligent Systems, Robotics, and Control: This information sciences-based field is concerned with the design of human-interactive intelligent systems that can sense the world (defined as some specified domain of interest); represent or model the world; detect and identify states and events in the world; reason about and make decisions about the world; and/or act on the world, perhaps all in real-time. A sense of the type of systems and applications encountered in this discipline can be obtained by viewing the projects shown at the ECE department website.

The development of such sophisticated systems is necessarily an interdisciplinary activity. To sense and succinctly represent events in the world requires knowledge of signal processing, computer vision, information theory, coding theory, and databasing; to detect and reason about states of the world utilizes concepts from statistical detection theory, hypothesis testing, pattern recognition, time series analysis, and artificial intelligence; to make good decisions about highly complex systems requires knowledge of traditional mathematical optimization theory and contemporary near-optimal approaches such as evolutionary computation; and to act upon the world requires familiarity with concepts of control theory and robotics. Very often learning and adaptation are required—as either critical aspects of the world are poorly known at the outset, and must be refined online, or the world is nonstationary and our system must constantly adapt to it as it evolves. In addition to the theoretical information and computer science aspects, many important hardware and software issues must be addressed in order to obtain an effective fusion of a complicated suite of sensors, computers, and problem dynamics into one integrated system.
Faculty affiliated with the ISRC subarea are involved in virtually all aspects of the field, including applications to intelligent communications systems; advanced human-computer interfacing; statistical signal- and image-processing; intelligent tracking and guidance systems; biomedical system identification and control; and control of teleoperated and autonomous multiagent robotic systems.
Signal and Image Processing: This program explores engineering issues related to the modeling of signals starting from the physics of the problem, developing and evaluating algorithms for extracting the necessary information from the signal, and the implementation of these algorithms on electronic and opto-electronic systems. Examples of research areas include filter design; fast transforms; adaptive filters; spectrum estimation and modeling; sensor array processing; image processing; motion estimation from images; and the implementation of signal processing algorithms using appropriate technologies with applications in sonar, radar, speech, geophysics, computer-aided tomography, image restoration, robotic vision, and pattern recognition.
Nanoscale Devices and Systems: This program area addresses the science and engineering of materials and device structures with characteristic sizes of ~100nm and below, at which phenomena such as quantum confinement and single-electron effects in electronics, near-field behavior in optics and electromagnetics, single-domain effects in magnetics, and a host of other effects in mechanical, fluidic, and biological systems emerge and become dominant. Both fundamental materials, processing, and device technologies, as well as the integration of such technologies into complex systems with consideration of system drivers and constraints as guides for the development of new materials and devices, are encompassed within this program. Specific topics of current interest include the following: nanoscale CMOS technologies; nonsilicon nanoelectronic devices and systems; semiconductor nanowires and other solid-state nanostructures; plasmonic phenomena in nanostructures; nanophotonic materials, devices, and systems; high-density magnetic storage media and systems; nanomagnetic and spintronic devices; micro- and nanofluidics; new technologies for energy generation, conversion, and storage; and advanced sensor devices.
Facilities for research in this area include the following: a state-of-the-art shared facility for micro- and nanofabrication (the Qualcomm Institute); electron microscopy and scanned probe microscopy; metal organic chemical vapor deposition and vapor phase epitaxy reactors for thin-film and nanostructure synthesis; molecular-beam epitaxy; high-speed laser systems; comprehensive direct current and radio frequency/microwave electrical device characterization systems; optoelectronic and photonic device characterization; and extensive facilities for simulation and computational analysis, including access to facilities at the San Diego Supercomputer Center.
Medical Devices and Systems: The program is established for students interested in applying their knowledge in electrical and computer engineering to medicine. The goal of the program is to educate graduate students to improve, develop, and invent electrical engineering hardware/software tools and techniques for the medical field to benefit patients, caregivers, and society. Medicine is one area that has been immensely impacted by electrical and computer engineering. As examples, electrical and computer engineers have played important roles in developing medical imaging scanners, pacemakers, and cochlear implants. One can hardly think of any advanced medical tool for diagnosis, analysis, or treatment that does not involve multiple disciplinary areas of ECE. As point-of-care, genetic, preventive, personalized, and remote medicine become the global trends for twenty-first century, medicine, electrical, and computer engineers will play an increasingly important role in developing safe, effective, and inexpensive health-care solutions. Students choosing to focus their graduate study in this area will be prepared for an industrial or academic career in medical devices and systems. They may find positions in the biotechnology and medical instrument industry, pharmaceutical industry, health-care industry, or electronics and communications industry since many electronic and communication companies are pursuing businesses in medical electronics, telemedicine, cloud computing for medicine, wireless health care, and bioinformatics. Students with advanced degrees may also find academic and research positions in universities, research institutes, government laboratories, and international institutions.
Applied Electromagnetics: The program involves the study of electromagnetic fields and their effects and applications in engineering problems. Emphasis includes electromagnetic theory, analysis and design of antennas and other electromagnetic structures, and computational methods for electromagnetics. Particular areas of study include electromagnetic materials design including metamaterials and other artificial media, periodic structures, microwave components and circuits, phased arrays, magnetic materials, microelectromechanical systems, high power radio frequency and plasma devices, terahertz science, plasmonics and other novel optical structures, as well as radio wave or optical propagation through various environments ranging from the atmosphere to the human body. Applications include novel electronic devices and communication systems, electromagnetic protection, information storage, scattering effects, new kinds of sensors, and biological or medical applications of electromagnetics.
Machine Learning and Data Science: This program prepares students for research, technical, and leadership roles in the rapidly growing field of data science. Spanning the spectrum from fundamental theory to practical applications, students first gain a strong mathematical foundation in probability, statistics, linear algebra, and convex optimization. Building on this groundwork they develop a solid understanding of algorithmic aspects of statistical-, machine-, and deep-learning and learn how to implement them in Python, using scalable and resource-efficient network and processing architectures. These skills are then utilized for hands-on experience in several engineering and scientific application areas including computer visions, robotics, computational biology, neurosciences, image and video processing, social networks, embedded systems, and oceanography.
Applied Ocean Sciences (AOS): This program focuses on the application of advanced technology to ocean research, exploration, and observation. The emphasis is on the resolution of key scientific issues through novel technical development, particularly involving the application of signal processing, machine learning, and data science methods. Subject areas for study include marine acoustics, optics, electromagnetics, geophysics, marine ecology, sediment transport, coastal processes, physical oceanography, and air-sea interaction. AOS is an interdisciplinary program between the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). It is administered by SIO.
Medical Imaging: This is a joint program with the Department of Radiology within the School of Medicine. It is designed to prepare graduate students for the intradisciplinary field of medical imaging. Students will receive a thorough grounding in the mathematics and physical principles of electrical and computer systems that enable medical imaging for the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. Examples are computed tomography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, positron-emission tomography, and single photon emission computed tomography. Emerging technologies are optical imaging and photoacoustic imaging. The program, which is composed of Engineering and Department of Radiology faculty, will emphasize the transdisciplinary nature of medical imaging. Students will develop the communication skills necessary for successful collaboration between physicists and physicians. Students with advanced degrees will find opportunities at academic institutions, as well as commercial and government laboratories. The commercial positions range from advanced product development to product marketing and technical applications.

Research Facilities

Most of the research laboratories of the department are associated with individual faculty members or small informal groups of faculty. Larger instruments and facilities, such as those for electron microscopy and e-beam lithography are operated jointly. In addition, the department operates several research centers and participates in various campuswide organized research units.

The department-operated research centers are the Center for Wireless Communications which is a university-industry partnership; the Institute for Neural Computation, and the Center for Information Theory and Application in conjunction with the Qualcomm Institute.

Department research is also associated with the Center for Astronomy and Space Science, the Center for Magnetic Recording Research, the California Space Institute, the Institute for Nonlinear Science, and the Qualcomm Institute (http://calit2.net). Departmental researchers also use various national and international laboratories, such as the National Nanofabrication Facility, the National Radio Astronomy Laboratory, and the Center for Networked Systems (CSE).

The department emphasizes computational capability and maintains numerous computer laboratories for instruction and research. One of the NSF national supercomputer centers is located on the campus. This is particularly useful for those whose work requires high data bandwidths.