Degree Program FAQs Accordians

Degree Programs Related Questions

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department of the Naval Postgraduate School offers MSEE, MSES(EE), EE, and Ph.D. degrees.  General NPS admission requirements are available here.

  • In order to enter the MSEE program and to be eligible to receive the ABET accredited MSEE degree, the student must have received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree from an institution accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or possess the equivalence to this degree by the time they graduate from NPS.
  • Students without an accredited BSEE degree may obtain the equivalent of this degree by using a combination of courses taken at the university level at their undergraduate institution, at NPS, and/or at other local colleges. These courses must qualify for credit at an accredited institution.
  • Accredited BSEE degrees generally require 24 quarter hours of calculus and advanced mathematics, 24 quarter hours of basic sciences which must include both physics and chemistry, 72 quarter hours of engineering science and design of which at least 54 quarter hours must be in electrical engineering,  and 24 quarter hours of studies in the humanities.
  • Specific details regarding the MSEE degree requirements are available here.
  • Non BSEE holders interested in pursuing the MSEE Degree Program may get additional details by contacting the ECE Department Academic Associates.
  • Students without a BSEE Degree need to complement their graduate level program of study to satisfy undergraduate education requirements in order to be eligible for a MSEE degree. That program will be set-up by their Academic Associate upon arrival. Satisfying a BSEE equivalence will result in a program of study with specific undergraduate courses needed to satisfy the the undergraduate education requirements taken in place of some of the graduate electives.
  • The ECE Department offers the non-ABET accredited Master of Sciences in Engineering Sciences with concentration in Electrical Engineering. This degree program does not require the student to have an ABET accredited BSEE Degree or the equivalence to a BSEE Degree, and as a result may be completed in a shorter completion time.
  • Minimum requirements for the MSES(EE) degree are 52 quarter credit hours of graduate level work. Of these 52 quarter credit hours, a minimum of 36 quarter credit hours of graduate level course work must be taken; at least 20 quarter credit hours must be in graded EC graduate courses, and, at a minimum, an additional 12 quarter credit hours in engineering, mathematics, physical science, and/or computer science must be taken; at least 12 quarter credit hours must be in the sequence of advanced courses (4000-4999); at least 16 quarter credit hours of thesis must be taken.
  • Complete details regarding the MSES(EE) Degree are available here.  Prospective students interested in pursuing the MSES(EE) Degree Program may get additional details by contacting the ECE Department Academic Associates
  • The ECE Department offers a Distance Learning (DL) program leading to the degree MEng(EE), Master of Engineering with a major in Electrical Engineering. The MEng (EE) degree is a coursework based degree and is restricted to students enrolled in a DL program. Its goal is to provide the academic background and education needed to prepare students who are practicing engineers to analyze and to specify characteristics of electronic systems and to design component parts of such systems.
  • Complete details regarding the Electrical Engineer Degree Program are available here
Complete details regarding the Electrical Engineer Degree Program are available here

Complete details regarding the Doctoral Degree Program are available here.

Certificat FAQs Accordion

Graduate Academic Certificates Related Questions

The ECE Department offers graduate certificate programs for individuals interested in advanced study at the graduate level in a specific focused ECE technical area. Specific information regarding ECE certificates is available here.

Multiple certificate programs may be pursued concurrently. However, courses can only be counted towards one certificate only.

  • Entrance Requirements for NPS resident students
    • Acceptance by the ECE Department for students not currently enrolled in any of the degree programs currently offered by the ECE Department.
  • Entrance Requirements for upcoming students not already enrolled at NPS
  • 323 APC
  • Acceptance by the ECE Department: Entrance to the Electrical and Computer Engineering curriculum at the Naval Postgraduate School is through a three-part requirement consisting of a minimum grade point average (GPA) at the undergraduate level, a sufficient mathematics background, and a sufficient background in technical undergraduate studies. Applicants with a BSEE Degree, will usually satisfy the last two requirements automatically.
  • Command/Company Endorsement.
  • For specific Distance Learning information, see here.
  • ECE Academic certificates meet a subset of the requirements for the degree programs offered by the ECE Department.  Academic certificate programs are compatible with degree program requirements and may be pursued concurrently with degree programs, enabling certificate recipients to apply graduate credits received during the certificate(s) towards their NPS degrees.
  • A student may complete multiple certificates, provided he/she has been approved for each and satisfies the requirements of each.
General FAQs Accordion

General Questions

NPS has a one-year Bowman Scholar Program designed for recent graduates of the USNA in EE or closely related fields. Each year’s program typically begins in July and ends the following June. Graduates earn a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.

  • Course pre-requisites are designed to insure that students will possess the skills necessary for success in that course.
  • Primary responsibility for ensuring that a student meets the pre-requisites for courses in which they wish to enroll rests with that student, the Program Officer and Academic Associate who must approve the student's program and any changes thereto.
  • Individuals interested in considering course validation upon or before arrival should be aware that 
    • Most course validations are likely to require a validation exam, and review time needs to be factored in prior to taking such an exam. Thus, requests for validation should be made as early as possible prior to ensure exams(s) can be taken and graded prior to the beginning of the first quarter at NPS. 
    • Upcoming students who arrive early in the local area are strongly encouraged to contact the Department Education Technician as soon as they arrive in the local area if they wish to explore their course validation options. 

Mathematic Courses Validations

  • Student entering any of the ECE Degree programs are expected to have a solid mathematical foundation. As a result, at minimum, students are expected to demonstrate that they have the knowledge of mathematical concepts covered in the following NPS courses: MA1113 (Single Variable Calculus I), MA1114 (Single Variable Calculus with Linear Algebra II), MA1115 (Multivariable Calculus), and MA1116 (Vector Calculus). At the discretion of their assigned Academic Associate, incoming students will have the option to validate these courses before or upon arrival, or to take the courses.
  • The decision to approve a requested course validation rests primarily on the professional judgment of the Course Coordinator. Coordinators are likely to approve validation requests when the student has taken essentially the equivalent course, at an accredited institution, within the past five years with a grade of B or better. Coordinators may also approve validation requests in other circumstances when the student has taken essentially the equivalent course, provided that the student's background is sufficiently strong and recent, in the Coordinator's judgment. At the discretion of the Coordinator, a validation exam may be scheduled to occur no later than the final week of classes prior to the quarter for which the student has pre-registered. The validation exam should focus on verifying basic and essential skills in the relevant course.
  • Specific information regarding the validation process of MA1113, MA1114, MA1115, MA1116 is available here.
  • MATH course syllabus information is available here.
FAQS

Academic Associates 

Resident students only: for specific ECE degree/certificate program questions:

DL students only: for specific ECE degree/certificate program questions:

                   Prof. Monique P. Fargues 

                   (831) 656-2859 (DSN 878-2859)

For general ECE student related administrative questions:

For general ECE administrative questions:

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Naval Postgraduate School
833 Dyer Rd, Rm 437
Monterey, CA 93943

For general admission questions, please contact the Admission Office at http://www.nps.edu/Academics/Admissions/ContactUs.html