Electrical and Computer Engineering

Image
Two hands working on a circuit.
Degree Type
B.S.
H.B.S.
M.S.
MEng
Minor
Ph.D.
Location
Corvallis Campus
Table of contents

Description

Transform the world in virtually any industry as an electrical and computer engineer. As an electrical and computer engineering student at Oregon State, you'll learn to design, build, and support new technologies while refining existing systems, processes, and products. You'll benefit from one of the most innovative and hands-on undergraduate degree programs in the Pacific Northwest, with expert faculty and a cutting-edge curriculum. Paid internships will provide you with the skills to contribute to industries as diverse as agriculture, environmental monitoring, forestry, robotics, and beyond.
 

Undergraduate Information

  • Electronics  
  • Signals and Systems  
  • Introduction to Probability and Random Signals  
  • Introduction to Computer Networks  
  • Computer Organization and Assembly Language  

Sample class plan Full list of requirements

A minor in computer science can be easily added to an ECE major. If planned correctly, ECE students can obtain their CS minor with one extra CS course that does not go toward their ECE major.

Requirements

  • American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, OSU  
  • Eta Kappa Nu  
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers  
  • Marine Renewable Energy Club  
  • Robotics Club, OSU  
  • Society of Automotive Engineers  

Search all clubs 

Have a question about a club? Ask the Engineering Student Council.  

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Portrait of Quentin Onyemordi

“From the moment I came to school, I was definitely interested in engineering, but I didn’t have the technical knowledge. Every year, I’ve added new milestones in that regard and taken some big steps toward becoming an engineer. The entire learning experience has been amazing.” – Quentin Onyemordi, electrical and computer engineering. Read about Quentin’s experience at Oregon State. 


As an undergraduate in electrical and computer engineering, Thomas Snyder had opportunities for solving real-world problems through research, internships, and clubs. He pursued his interest in robotics in the Human-Machine Teaming Laboratory, where he worked on software and hardware for robots that use biologically inspired models to perform behaviors in the real world. The Human Machine Teaming Lab is headed by Julie A. Adams, the College of Engineering Dean’s Professor of computer science. 

Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People of 2021: Jensen Huang 
The software that enables computers to do things that once required human perception and judgment depends largely on hardware made possible by Jensen Huang (B.S. electrical engineering ’84). He has helped enable a revolution that allows phones to answer questions out loud, farms to spray weeds but not crops, doctors to predict the properties of new drugs—with more wonders to come.

Connecting with communities for clean water

How can students at Oregon State improve access to clean water for rural communities around the world? We hear from three students who worked in Nicaragua and Cambodia on projects that changed people’s lives -- including their own.

Graduate Information

The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers graduate programs leading to MEng, M.S., and Ph.D. degrees.

For more information, contact the EECS Graduate Program Coordinator, eecs.gradinfo@oregonstate.edu.

A final oral exam is required for all degrees. The M.S. degree is normally completed in 2-3 years of full-time study or in four years for part-time study. M.S. students intending to continue for a Ph.D. are encouraged to pursue the thesis option.

EECS Ph.D. degrees are typically completed within four years subsequent to the completion of the M.S. degree. Students admitted into the Ph.D. program must pass a qualifying exam and must demonstrate a capability to undertake independent research in order to advance to candidacy as a full Ph.D. student.

See the Graduate Program Handbook for more information.

Requirements

EECS encourages students to develop programs of study in close cooperation with the faculty members in their areas of interest.

Research areas include:

Application Deadlines for Fall 2025 start

  • Start: Fall 2025
  • Ph.D.: December 1, 2024
  • M.S.: January 1, 2025

Applications are not reviewed until after the application deadlines.

All applicants are considered for School of EECS and university scholarships, fellowships, or assistantships.

Applicants will be notified of admission decisions by mid-March.

If accepted by the School of EECS, the Graduate School will notify the applicant of additional documentation needed for full admission, such as official transcripts, test scores, or financial documentation.

Need additional information? Contact eecs.gradinfo@oregonstate.edu.

Apply now

Note: The following requirements are in addition to those listed in the Graduate School's application pages.

In order for your application to be complete, the following information must be submitted in the online application:

  1. Fee: as determined by the Graduate School. The School of EECS does not provide application fee waivers.
  2. Recommendation Letters: You must provide the names and email addresses of three professional references as part of the online application. The references will be emailed instructions on how to submit their letters.
    1. Three letters of professional reference are required from former professors or employers familiar with the applicant's technical ability. Particularly valuable are letters that assess the applicant's preparation and ability to complete a research project. Applicants with a master's degree should include the major professor as one reference. Letters must be submitted electronically as part of the online application.
  3. Statement of Objectives: Please upload as a PDF to your online application.
    1. Applicants must include a description of their objectives in pursuing an advanced degree. This should be a brief (one page) summary of the applicant's career goals, research interests, and pertinent experience. This information is submitted as part of the OSU online application.
  4. Resume/CV: Please upload a current copy as a PDF to your online application.
  5. Academic History: You must enter the information of your current university/degree/major (if attending) and any past university/degree/major.
    1. Prior Degree: Applicants must have or complete a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university before the start of the term. International students must have completed the equivalent of a four-year US baccalaureate degree.
    2. Unofficial Transcripts: Applicants must upload unofficial copies of transcripts. Web printouts and kiosk copies are not accepted. Current and former Oregon State University students are not required to provide OSU transcripts.
  6. Grade Point Average (GPA): You must self-report your overall GPA. The School of EECS requires a minimum “B” average (3.00 GPA on a 4.00 scale) on the last two years of undergraduate work and any work completed thereafter.
    1. Effective July 1, 2008 for Fall 2009 admission or later, if the student has completed his or her baccalaureate degree in a country that is a signatory of the Bologna Declaration, then
      1. A baccalaureate degree of at least three years duration with a B average (equivalent 3.00 on a U.S. 4.00 grading scale) in the last two years, plus all subsequent graded course work;
        OR
      2. A baccalaureate degree of at least three years duration with a two-year (equivalent to 45-quarter credits) graduate degree.
  7. GRE: The general GRE is required for admission to the M.S. or Ph.D. program in ECE unless a baccalaureate or advanced degree has been received from a U.S. university.
  8. TOEFL/IELTS: Please refer to the language requirements required by the Graduate School.

All documents must be in PDF format and under 10 MB in size.

Official documentation information can be found on the Graduate School’s website.

MEng applications are accepted throughout the year with the following deadlines:

  • Start: Spring 2024
    Application deadline: March 3, 2024
  • Start: Fall 2024
    Application deadline: August 15, 2024
  • Start: Winter 2025
    Application deadline: December 9, 2024

U.S. MEng students

Apply now

International MEng students

Apply now

The following requirements are in addition to those listed in the Graduate School's application pages.

In order for your application to be complete, the following information must be submitted in the online application:

  1. Fee: As determined by the Graduate School. The School of EECS does not provide application fee waivers.
  2. Academic History: You must enter the information of your current university/degree/major (if attending) and any past university/degree/major.
    1. Prior Degree: Applicants must have or complete a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university before the start of the term. International students must have completed the equivalent of a four-year American baccalaureate degree.
    2. Unofficial Transcripts: Applicants must upload unofficial copies of transcripts. Web printouts and kiosk copies are not accepted. Current and former Oregon State University students are not required to provide OSU transcripts.
  3. Grade Point Average (GPA): You must self-report your overall GPA. The School of EECS requires a minimum “B” average (3.00 GPA on a 4.00 scale) on the last two years of undergraduate work and any work completed thereafter.
    1. Effective July 1, 2008 for Fall 2009 admission or later, if the student has completed his or her baccalaureate degree in a country that is a signatory of the Bologna Declaration, then
      1. A baccalaureate degree of at least three years duration with a B average (equivalent 3.00 on a U.S. 4.00 grading scale) in the last two years, plus all subsequent graded course work;
        OR
      2. A baccalaureate degree of at least three years duration with a two-year (equivalent to 45-quarter credits) graduate degree.
  4. Grade Requirements for Electrical and Computer Engineering Applicants:
    1. 2.0 GPA in one year of calculus
    2. 2.0 GPA in one year of physics (with calculus)
    3. Complete three out of six courses below with a grade equivalent to a 3.0 or better in each individual course:
      1. AC/DC Circuits/Circuits Analysis
      2. Signals and Systems
      3. Electricity and Magnetism
      4. Power (topic course taken in 3rd or 4th year of UG study)
      5. Computer Engineering (topic course taken in 3rd or 4th year of UG study)
      6. Materials and Devices (topic course taken in 3rd or 4th year of UG study)

Optional Materials: (a) recommendation letters, (b) statement of objectives, (c) resume/cv (d) GRE scores. These materials will be reviewed but are not required for application or admission

All documents must be in PDF format and under 10 MB in size. Official documentation information can be found on the Graduate School’s website.

The Accelerated Master’s Platform (AMP) allows students to apply to the graduate program at the end of their junior year and, if accepted, matriculate into the master’s program immediately after graduation. With careful planning, including taking graduate classes in their senior year, students can then complete a master’s degree within one year after finishing their bachelor’s. Students admitted to the co-degree program must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better throughout their undergraduate and master’s degree programs, or they will be subject to dismissal from the AMP.

More information

The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science offers four-year financial packages to highly qualified Ph.D. applicants in all specialty areas through our Outstanding Scholars Program, allowing students to focus on research starting in their first year. EECS is committed to ensuring all full-time Ph.D. students are funded through internal or external sources.

Learn more

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A picture of Sanjida Yeasmin working in a laboratory.

“I’m trying to bring electronics to the medical field to save lives or make lives better. This always drives me.” – Sanjida Yeasmin, doctoral student, electrical and computer engineering. Read about Sanjida’s experience at Oregon State.  

A circuitous path leads student to create light-sensing technology  
Debbie Chou, a Ph.D. student in electrical and computer engineering at Oregon State University, is a researcher at heart. This is how she knew that Oregon State’s College of Engineering, where she also earned her master’s degree, was her ideal graduate milieu.  

More from less  
At Intel Labs in Hillsboro, research scientist Soumya Bose, Ph.D. electrical and computer engineering ’19, develops circuits to speed up optical data communications while reducing the amount of power they need.

Women in Engineering - Pallavi Dhagat 
Pallavi Dhagat, professor of electrical and computer engineering and president of the IEEE Magnetics Society, hopes her students see her as a role model for how they can succeed in their careers. “I think I have had impact in many ways,” she said. “I have created a whole new research area. I have created collaborations across the world and my students have gotten the skills that they need to be successful.” 

Oregon State University part of $8M federal effort to improve electric grid operation 
Oregon State University is part of an $8 million Department of Energy effort to update and improve the operation of the nation’s hydroelectric generation systems, many of which are roughly a century old.  

Xiao Fu earns NSF CAREER Award  
Xiao Fu, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and artificial intelligence, has received a Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, award from the National Science Foundation. Fu will use his five-year, $500,000 award to develop a suite of nonlinear factor analysis tools and contribute to a deeper understanding of unsupervised machine learning and sensing systems.  

Yue Cao earns NSF CAREER Award 
Yue Cao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Energy Systems research group, has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation. The award includes a grant of nearly $500,000 over five years. Traditional energy storage systems encompass what Cao calls “real” storage, such as batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. Cao’s research aims to also incorporate currently overlooked “virtual” resources, such as HVAC systems or water heaters. 

The softer side of electronics  
Soft robots are made of pliant, supple materials, such as silicone. Some can squeeze through tiny spaces or travel over broken ground — tasks that stymie rigid robots. The field of soft robotics is still in the early stages of development, but it offers remarkable potential. One day soon, soft robots may be used in applications as diverse as searching collapsed buildings or as exosuits that facilitate recovery from injuries or strokes.  

The day the lights go out in Oregon  
The long-feared 9.0 magnitude Cascadia subduction zone earthquake, which seismologists say is inevitable, will damage or destroy large swaths of Oregon’s electrical grid. How long will it take to get the juice flowing again? Weeks? Months? Professor Ted Brekken and his team are applying high-powered simulations to find out and to identify which parts of the system should be hardened against the quake at any cost.

Job Market Outlook

Make an informed decision to help meet your career goals by using this real-time job market information.

 

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science and Honors Bachelor of Science degree programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

The ECE program mission, program educational objectives, and student outcomes are available on the Electrical and Computer Engineering accreditation page.

More information