Graduate Certificates

The graduate certificate programs are intended primarily to provide enrichment for professional engineers and scientists who may not initially wish to pursue a more extended masters or doctoral degree program. A Graduate Certificate of Specialization is awarded for successful completion of an approved course sequence relating to a specific area of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The courses within a sequence include a substantial body of knowledge at the graduate-level. Courses completed for a Graduate Certificate of Specialization may subsequently be applied towards a master's or doctoral degree  program if and only if a student is admitted and completes a graduate certificate program prior to formal admission to a degree seeking program. All coursework is subject to adviser approval.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements are the same for entry to the Master of Science program. Applicants who have completed a B.S. degree in either electrical or computer engineering at a recognized university (PSU Admissions Office maintains a list of recognized universities) with a grade point average of 3.00 or better in all junior and senior level technical courses may be considered for regular admission to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s Graduate Certificate program.  Applicants who have completed a B.S. degree in a related field (for example: mathematics, physics, computer science, or mechanical engineering, etc.) or B.S. ECE candidates with a grade point average in their upper-division technical coursework below 3.00 but higher than 2.75 may be granted conditional admission status.  An applicant conditionally admitted to a certificate program must achieve a grade of B or better in the first eight graduate of courses applicable to the certificate and may also be required to complete prerequisite courses if appropriate educational background in the field is lacking. If either of the above conditions is not achieved, then the student will be dropped from the certificate program.

Certificate Requirements

The total number of graduate level credits in a student's program must be at least 15, and some ECE certificates may require more than 15 credits or have additional requirements.  A candidate for a Graduate Certificate of Specialization in Electrical and Computer Engineering must complete at least 12 graduate-level credits in ECE excluding all omnibus numbered courses (EE 501/601, 503/603, 504/604, 505/605, 506/606, 507/607) and transfer courses.  Specific course requirements depend on the student's area of specialization, and the student's program must be approved by his/her academic adviser.  No transfer credit (credit from other institutions) is allowable for graduate certificates.

Certificates are offered in:

• Communication Systems (GCCS)
• Computer Architecture and Design (GCCA)
• Design Automation (GCDA)
• Digital Design (GCDD)
• Integrated Circuit Testing, Verification, and Validation (GCCT)
• Analog and Microwave Circuit Design (GCCD)
• Digital Signal Processing (GCDS)
• Image Processing (GCIP)