Jul 01, 2024

2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

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2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Electrical Engineering, Ph.D.

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College of Engineering
Department: Electrical Engineering

Major Contacts, Deadlines, and Delivery Information

Concentration:

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Cancer Research

The Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering is a research-intensive program designed to prepare students for advanced careers in academia and research institutions, and for leadership positions in industrial research and development organizations, consulting, etc. Students in the program, under the guidance and in collaboration with their major professors and dissertation committee, pursue original research topics in cutting-edge areas of electrical engineering culminating in a doctoral dissertation.

Major areas of research that can be pursued by Ph.D. candidates currently include: microelectronics (materials and devices of elemental and compound semiconductors, circuit design, modeling, testing, and reliability); communications and signal processing (communication networks, packet switching, satellite communications, communications software, and VLSI for signal processing); systems and controls; solid state material and device processing and characterization; electro-optics, electromagnetic, microwave and millimeter-wave engineering (antennas, devices, systems); and biomedical engineering.

Beginning Fall 2024, the Department of Electrical Engineering in collaboration with the Machine Learning Department of the Moffitt Cancer Institute will begin offering a concentration in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Cancer Research.

Major Research Areas:

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Automation and Control Systems
Biomedical Systems
Communication, Networking, and Signal Processing
Cyberphysical Systems
Cybersecurity
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
Network Science
Nanoelectronics and Semiconductor Devices and Systems
Renewable Energy and Power Systems
Wireless and Microwave

Current and previous Ph.D. dissertations and M.S. thesis explored areas including computer and wireless networking systems, communications, signal processing, cyberphysical systems, edge computing, 5G mobile communications, social networks, stochastic processes, system modeling, network mining, network analytics, big data analytics, multi-agent systems, cybersecurity, cloud computing, network science, data analytics, wireless and mobile communication networking, artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of things, nano-computing, control systems, system integration for industrial applications, industrial Controls & instrumentation, robotics, embedded systems, electromagnetic theory and computational electromagnetics, antenna theory, microwave and millimeter wave device, circuit and system design, wireless systems, radar, RF integrated circuits, biomedical instrumentation and imaging, semiconductor materials for Bio, Nano and MEMS applications, bio/organic materials, VLSI design, renewable energy source grid integration, electric power system modeling and simulation, microgrid technologies, energy and energy storage.

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements as well as requirements for admission to the major, listed below.

GRE (with preferred minimum scores of Q greater than 155 (61%), V greater than146 (28%)
Three (3) Letters of Reference
Statement of Purpose

Curriculum Requirements

Total Minimum Hours: 72 post-bacc; 42 post-masters

Core Requirements - 4 Credit Hours
Additional Required Courses - 21 Credit Hours
Concentration or Electives - 12 credits
Electives/Directed Research - 15 Credit Hours
Dissertation - 20 Credit Hours minimum

Note: Students entering the doctoral major with an earned master’s degree from another institution, other than USF, must take at least nine (9) credit hours of 6000 level EE courses at USF. The student’s supervisory committee is responsible for evaluating his/her overall transcript to ensure that the distributional requirements are met. Please contact Electrical Engineering for additional information.

Core Requirements (4 Credit Hours)

Students must take the following applied mathematics courses (4 Credit Hours):

EEE 6542 Random Processes in Electrical Engineering Credit Hours: 2
EEL 6936 Special Topics Credit Hours: 1-3
Special Topics Taken as
- Linear and Matrix Algebra (2 Credit Hours for this program)

Additional Required Courses (21 Credit Hours)

Minimum 21 hours of formal regularly scheduled graduate course work, including a minimum of eight (8) hours of math post baccalaureate, in the engineering area of study, or other graduate courses associated with electrical engineering as approved by the Graduate Director, (not necessarily electrical engineering courses).

Concentration or Electives (12 Credit Hours Minimum)

Students either complete the following concentration or complete an additional 12 credit hours of electives.

Concentration in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Cancer Research (12 Credit Hours Minimum)

In a unique collaboration with Moffitt Cancer Center, students will study the role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Cancer Research. Select complete 12 credit hours from the list below. Students may take additional courses from the list below toward the general elective requirement.

Select 6 Credit Hours minimum from:
PCB 6230 Cancer Biology I - Basics of Molecular Oncology Credit Hours: 3
PCB 6282 Cancer Biology and the Immune System Credit Hours: 2
PCB 6910 Cancer Biology Lab Rotations Credit Hours: 1-3
PCB 6932 Bioethics for Cancer Researchers Credit Hours: 1
Or other graduate course in cancer biology approved by the Graduate Director
Select 6 Credits Minimum from:
EEE 6777 Data Analytics Credit Hours: 3
EEL 6789 Deep Learning Credit Hours: 3
EEL 6029 Statistical Inference Credit Hours: 3
EEL 6020 Applied Optimization Credit Hours: 2
EEE 6502 Digital Signal Processing I Credit Hours: 3
Or other graduate course in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning approved by the Graduate Director

Electives/Directed Research/Independent Study (15 Credit Hours)

Students complete graduate electives, Directed Research, or Independent Study, or a combination thereof.

Or other graduate course approved by the Graduate Director.

Comprehensive Qualifying Exam

Passing a Doctoral Qualifying Exam is required of all doctoral students by USF. The purpose of the exam is to measure the aptitude and capability of the student for productive independent research in electrical engineering, as well as to demonstrate the student’s in-depth knowledge of their chosen research domain.

The exam consists of a written research paper comprising an annotated literature survey in the student’s chosen research area, a discussion and comparison of the prior art in this field, and identification of a promising research area and problem domain(s) of interest to the student and advisor. The research paper is presented in a meeting to a Qualifying Exam examining committee that is selected by the Graduate Program Coordinator in consultation with the major professor.

Candidacy

After satisfactory completion of the Doctoral Qualifying Examination, the student shall submit an Application to Candidacy form to the Graduate School. Doctoral students are not allowed to register for dissertation hours until the semester AFTER they have been admitted to candidacy. Directed research hours cannot be exchanged for dissertation hours. All course work must be completed by the semester before a student is admitted to candidacy. After students are admitted to candidacy, they do not register for directed research hours again. Doctoral students must be registered the semester they apply for candidacy. No incomplete or missing grades are allowed. See the Office of Graduate Studies web site for deadlines and forms.

Dissertation (20 Credit Hours Minimum)

Each Professor will have his/her own section for dissertation hours.

EEL 7980 Dissertation: Doctoral Credit Hours: 2-19 (20 Credit Hours minimum required for this program)

Dissertation Defense

The final oral defense of the dissertation is the final exam for the Ph.D. degree. The student’s major professor is the best guide to the preparation for the defense and in preparing the student to tackle the final defense of the dissertation. The student should be aware that the defense will be graded according to the doctoral rubric and that the committee decision is to either pass or fail the dissertation defense.

Department Handbook

Full information regarding the content of the doctoral program and policies/procedures can be found in the Electrical Engineering Graduate Program Handbook.

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