Overview
McMaster’s Electrical and Computer Engineering department is ranked as one of the best departments of electrical and computer engineering both nationally and internationally. Faculty members are regular award winners including the prestigious Premier Research Excellence Award (PREA), OCUFA teaching award, McMaster Students Union Teaching Award, Booker Gold Medal, and the Signal Processing Society Education Award.
McMaster’s Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering is home to The Centre for Research in Micro- and Nano-systems, a unique facility in North America offering fabrication, characterization and integration of different materials, components and devices at multiple length scales. For example, Nano-Bonding and –Interconnect System (NBIS) and Nanoimprinting Lithography System (NIL) provide fabrication and integration of nanometer scale structures and devices. Research using MNSL infrastructure spans from fundamental areas such as molecular interactions during bonding to applied relating to miniaturization of emerging systems for health and environmental applications.
In our Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program, in addition to seeking to enable students to enhance their knowledge and skills, we also seek to provide an environment that fosters creativity and research excellence on an international scale in a particular field of electrical and computer engineering, and inspires students to a career of contributions to our communities through leadership of advances in the state-of-the-art in their fields of interest. The minimum number of graduate courses required is four half courses (or equivalent) beyond the Master’s degree, or eight half courses (or equivalent) beyond the Bachelor’s degree. The candidate is also required to prepare a thesis embodying the results of the research taken on by the candidate beyond the Master’s level.
Have questions about the program?
Ph.D. – Areas of Research
- Power Engineering
- Power Electronics and Electric Machines
- Electrified and Autonomous Vehicles
- Biomedical information technology
- Computer aided design
- Optimization and Simulation
- Communications
- Computer Engineering
- Image Processing & Multimedia
- Microelectronics
- Microwaves and Photonics-Optoelectronics
- Networks
- Signal Processing
- National Microelectronics & Photonics Testing Collaboratory
Ph.D. – Program Structure
The minimum number of graduate courses required is three 700-level half courses (or equivalent) beyond the Master’s degree. One of these three courses may be taken outside of the ECE program with prior approval by the department. For students transferring to the Ph.D program from the M.A.Sc. program without defending a Master’s thesis or entering the Ph.D. program directly from the Bachelor’s degree without beginning an M.A.Sc, the minimum number of graduate courses required is six half courses (or equivalent). A maximum of two of these six courses can be 700-level courses taken outside the ECE program with prior approval by the department, and a maximum of one of these six courses can be a 600-level ECE course with prior approval by the department.
Candidates for the degrees of Ph.D. must enrol in the course ECE 790: Graduate Seminars in Electrical & Computer Engineering at least once during their program and present a seminar on a topic approved by the Department. Grading will be restricted to Pass/Fail.
A candidate is also required to take the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination, which is designed to test the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue research at the PhD level in Electrical Engineering. The examination will normally be attempted no later than 24 months from the student’s start date in the PhD program, but after the first supervisory committee meeting. The outcome of the most recent supervisory committee must be at least “satisfactory” in order to proceed with the comprehensive examination.
Within approximately one year of commencement, a Ph.D. candidate must submit a report to the Supervisory Committee outlining the proposed line of research in sufficient detail so that the Committee can decide on its suitability.
The doctoral thesis submitted by the candidate must be defended orally at the conclusion of the program.
Ph.D. – Admission Requirements
If English is not your native language, to be eligible to apply to Graduate School you must complete an English proficiency test. See the minimum scores required for admission.
The minimum number of graduate courses required is four half courses (or equivalent) beyond the Master’s degree, or eight half courses (or equivalent) beyond the Bachelor’s degree. A candidate is also required to take the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination which is designed to test the general knowledge of both undergraduate and graduate levels of Electrical Engineering. The Comprehensive Examination will normally be attempted no later than 24 months after a student has completed a Master’s degree.
Graduate Studies – How to Apply
The application process, necessary documents and language requirements are discussed on the Graduate Admissions page.
Deadlines for Applications are listed on the Deadlines page.
Graduate Studies – Request More Information
Thank you for your interest in McMaster University Faculty of Engineering. Please fill out the form below, and we will connect with you to answer all of your questions.