ECE Undergraduate Handbook

Graduate School
After Graduation - Time for More Studying? While many engineering students are keen to begin full time work right after graduation (and Electrical Engineers are particularly sought after in today's job market), you may wish to stay in school and pursue a more in-depth study of Electrical and Computer Engineering. After the "Bachelor's Degree", the ECE Department at UNB also offers a complete Graduate Degree program leading to the "Master's Degree" and eventually to the "Doctor of Philosophy" (Ph.D.) degree These degrees generally take another two years and four years, respectively, to complete, so you may wonder why anyone would want to spend over ten years in university to obtain all three. Graduate students soon discover that these degrees are not just more years of sitting in a classroom. While there are a limited number of graduate courses which must be taken, those courses are generally offered to small groups of four or five students, or often as reading courses for individual study. On the other hand, most of the graduate degree requirement consists of working very closely with one professor (your graduate supervisor) in a concentrated effort working on one particular project. Here is an opportunity to really apply yourself to one specific area of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In the end, a substantial written report or thesis is required, as well as a public presentation or defense of your work. The Ph.D. degree is an extension of this concept, involving pure research into a very specific topic, with the intention to become intimately familiar with that subject, and to push back the frontiers of current knowledge in Electrical and Computer Engineering through an original research idea. Having a Master's Degree opens many doors, placing you in an even better position for employment and, often, management opportunities within certain organizations. The Ph.D. degree is a path to many careers in applied research centers, and is a requirement to be a university professor. Getting Paid to Go To School ? You do not need to have a "4.3 g.p.a." to pursue graduate studies. If you do have very high grades, then you will be eligible for Graduate Awards which can pay you thousands of dollars a year while to go to school. Even without scholarships, most graduate students are paid by their graduate supervisors to work on a specific research topic which is being supported by external funding paid to UNB. There is also an opportunity to earn extra cash by marking undergraduate assignments, or demonstrating undergraduate laboratories. Before you take that big job offer, make sure you have checked out all the options, and consider graduate studies. For more information, visit the ECE Graduate Program or contact the ECE Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Bruce Colpitts.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton