Graduate Program
Frequently asked questions
Current Students
Is there a time limit for the completion of degree requirements?
What happens if I do not complete the program requirements within the specified time frame?
What is the course load requirement for full time students with assistantships?
Is there a limit to how many graduate credits I can register for in each semester?
What happens if I fail to register within a semester of my program matriculation dates?
Do I have to take a seminar and a technical course every semester?
Can research and pre-candidacy credits be considered as a “technical course” requirement?
What is sustaining status and when is it appropriate to go on sustaining status?
Do I register for sustaining status or does the Graduate Office automatically register me?
Do I have to register for sustaining status in the winter and summer sessions?
If I am a funded student do I have to register for summer session?
How do I gain admission to Doctoral Candidacy?
Who are the members of the Departmental Graduate Committee?
Applicants
Where do I send my application materials?
What are the minimum standardized test scores required for admission?
What are the application deadlines and when should I expect to receive notice?
Current Students
Is there a time limit for the completion of degree requirements? top
Time limits for the completion of degree requirements begin with the
date of matriculation into the program and are specifically expressed
in the student’s letter of admission from the Office of Graduate
Studies.
Master’s degree program = 10 consecutive semesters. If student complete
these requirements and opt to continue in the program (with permission)
toward a Ph.D, you are granted an additional ten consecutive semesters.
Ph.D program (with a MS program already completed) = 10 consecutive
semesters to complete the requirements.
Ph.D program (without a MS) = fourteen consecutive semesters to complete
the requirements.
What happens if I do not complete the program requirements within the specified time frame? top
If extenuating circumstances exist that are beyond a student’s control, a request for an extension of time limit would have to be made by the student, in writing, to the departmental graduate committee. The request would be have to be approved by the departmental graduate committee and the student’s advisor. The department will forward this request to the Office of Graduate Studies. The Graduate Office will in turn determine the student’s eligibility for a time extension and will notify the student in writing of its decision to grant an extension of time.
What is the course load requirement for full time students with assistantships? top
A student must be classified as full-time to be eligible to hold a teaching,
research, graduate or tuition assistantship/tuition scholarship and must
register for a minimum of 6 hours of graduate level courses each fall
and spring semester to meet full-time status.
Students holding a fellowship or those who are attending without any form
of funding must register for at least 9 credit hours of graduate-level
courses each fall and spring semester to meet full-time status.
In both cases, these graduate level courses must be taken for credit and
must be maintained throughout the semester.
Students on contract in fall or spring who are completing a thesis or
dissertation and who have not submitted it to the Office of Graduate Studies
may register in sustaining credit to meet full-time status.
Is there a limit to how many graduate credits I can register for in each semester? top
Generally, a maximum load is 12 graduate credit hours per semester; however, additional credit hours may be taken with the approval of the student’s adviser and the Office of Graduate Studies. You will not be able to register for credit hours over the maximum as permission must be obtained from the Office of Graduates Studies to carry an overload in any session. This permission must be granted prior to attempting to register for the additional credits and well in advance of the end of the free drop add period for the semester.
What happens if I fail to register within a semester of my program matriculation dates? top
Graduate students are required to maintain continuous registration each fall and spring semester to be eligible to continue in a degree program. Failure to comply with the requirement will be taken as evidence that the student has terminated his/her graduate program and the admitted status to the graduate program will be terminated and recorded on the student’s transcript.
Do I have to take a seminar and a technical course every semester? top
Yes. This information is outlined within the departmental graduate program
policy statement.
All full time students in residence who have not been granted sustaining
status must register for a seminar in their area of concentration as well
a technical course every semester. Seminars are listed in the University
registration booklets as ELEG 661, 662 & 663.
Can research and pre-candidacy credits be considered as a “technical course” requirement? top
No. Examples of technical courses include related departmental ELEG /
CPEG credit courses, foundation courses, associated Math / Physics & Science
credit coursework at a graduate program level (600 or above) that are
taken for credit (no auditing).
In some cases, special problem coursework can be considered. This type
of coursework credit requires discussion with and approval from the student’s
research advisor. A titling form would need to be submitted to illustrate
the specific details of the coursework on the transcript.
What is sustaining status and when is it appropriate to go on sustaining status? top
Sustaining status is only appropriate at the end of the course of study.
Sustaining status indicates that a student in the graduate program has
completed all courses and required credits.
Typically, a student may go on sustaining status their last semester of
study and while wrapping up research, dissertation writing, etc.
When a student is in sustaining status they do not have to meet the departmental
Graduate Policy requirement for being enrolled in at least one technical
course and a seminar within the students’ concentration area.
Do I register for sustaining status or does the Graduate Office automatically register me? top
The student is responsible for verifying their eligibility and registering for the initial sustaining status and all other subsequent semesters of sustaining status. The initial registration to sustaining is granted only after the student reviews the policy statement and their transcript to ensure that they have met all of the credit courses, thesis credits, dissertation credits and examination requirements pertinent to their specific degree. If the student fails to register during a required semester within their program, the graduate office sometimes rolls the students sustaining registration over - due to failure on the part of the student - in order to avoid termination out of the program. This is not how the registration process is intended to work and is initiated due to neglect on the student’s part. This can result in incorrect billing situations that will ultimately become the student’s responsibility. If you experience a problem when registering please contact the departmental graduate secretary for assistance.
Do I have to register for sustaining status in the winter and summer sessions? top
Sustaining registration is required for the summer and winter session only If the degree is awarded at the conclusion of the summer or winter session. The appropriate application for advanced degree would need to be submitted to the graduate office by the designated deadline date issued by the graduate office for those sessions. This form is located online at the Graduate office website: http://www.udel.edu/gradoffice/current/advanceddegree.pdf
If I am a funded student do I have to register for summer session? top
Yes. Students who are supported by the University of Delaware as TA’s, RA’s or fellows during the summer months are required to be registered in at least 3 credits during the 7 1/2 week summer session in an area related to the student’s degree program. ie: research, pre-candidacy, thesis, dissertation, sustaining or a regular graduate course needed for the degree offered in this session.
If I was admitted into the program seeking a MS degree and I want to change my classification into a Ph.D student (and vice-versa ) what do I need to do? top
The student must submit
the required “Change of Classification Form
for Graduate Students” to the University of Delaware Office of Graduate
Studies.
The form requires approval from your advisor, the Department Chair and
the Associate Director for Graduate Academic Affairs (Mary Martin). This
form is located online at the Graduate office website: http://www.udel.edu/gradoffice/current/classificationform.pdf
How do I gain admission to Doctoral Candidacy? top
This information is defined in the departmental Graduate Program Policy
Statement. Please review the policy to determine that you have met the
requirements. When a student has met all of the requirements stated within
the policy for admission to candidacy the student should submit a Recommendation
to Candidacy for Doctoral Degree form to the Office of Graduate Studies.
The student’s classification will change to G2 ( postcandidacy)
upon approval and admission to candidacy status. The graduate office has
deadlines for admission to candidacy forms to be submitted for each semester.
Responsibility for seeing that admission to candidacy is secured at the
proper time rests with the student. Please be sure to provide a copy of
the candidacy form to the graduate secretary prior to forwarding to the
Graduate office so that we can update the departmental database and student
file with this information.
This form is located online at the Graduate office website: http://www.udel.edu/gradoffice/current/candidacyform.pdf
Who are the members of the Departmental Graduate Committee? top
The Graduate Committee consists of members representing each research concentration within the ECE Department. Committee members are responsible for coordinating the reviews of applicants within the committee member’s concentration. The committee is also charged with interpreting and enforcing the Graduate Policies. Current Graduate Committee members are: Kenneth Barner,Chair, Signal Processing; David Mills, Computer Engineering; Dennis Prather, Electromagnetics and Photonics; Robert Hunsperger, Nanoelectronics; Robert Rogers, Biomedical Engineering.
Applicants
I need the appropriate codes to send my unofficial test scores. What is the “Department Code" for ECE and the "Institution Code" of the University of Delaware? top
GRE & TOEFL: Institution
code is 005811 / no dept code is needed
Where do I send my application materials? top
All applications are submitted electronically through the Office of Graduate Studies application submission system. Materials for which electronic copies are not available, such as sample publications, can be sent as hard copy to:
Office of Graduate & Professional Education
University of Delaware
234 Hullihen Hall
Newark, DE 19716 USA
Please note that the application deadlines are February 1 for fall admission and November 1 for spring admission. Also, all applications are reviewed for admission as well as financial aid. Please see the Academic Requirements and FAQ regarding questions on the application process. Questions not answered in the online resources can be directed to Kathy Forwood (Forwood@ECE.Udel.edu).
What are the minimum standardized test scores required for admission? top
The minimum GRE score required is 150 for the quantitative section with a combined total of 300 for the verbal and quantitative sections (for the new test). Since the GRE test scores are good for 5 years, for those using the old testing scores, the minimum requirement is 600 for the quantitative section with a combined total of 1050 for the verbal and quantitative sections. (International applicants
with low verbal scores will be considered if the applicant's TOEFL score
is acceptable and quantitative GRE score is high.)
International applicants that have not graduated from a US institution
must have minimum TOEFL scores of 550/79 (PBT/IBT)
for admission and 600/100 for consideration as a Teaching Assistant (TA).
An alternative to the TOEFL test is IELTS (International English Language Testing System). The minimum requirement is 6.5 for admissions and 7.5 for a teaching assistantship.
I am an international student with a TA offer that says I must attend the English Language Institute (ElI). Where can I get information regarding ELI training? top
Information on the English Language Institute can be found online here: http://www.udel.edu/eli/ita/ita-summer.html
Please note that typical TA contracts include minimum performance requirements for the ELI program.
What are the application deadlines and when should I expect to receive notice? top
The application deadlines are February 1 for Fall Admission and November 1 for Spring Admission. Applications are reviewed after the deadline date, with the majority of review is taking place in March for fall admission and December for Spring admission. Later admissions are not uncommon due to changes in funding for an increase in the number of open positions.
