MSCPE Degree Requirements

The M.S. in Computer Engineering degree requires the successful completion of 30 approved graduate credits. At least 24 credit hours applied to the MSCPE degree must be from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Both thesis and non-thesis options are available, as described below:

Thesis option: The thesis option provides the students the opportunity to work on a research project that culminates in the publication of a thesis. Students under the thesis option earn 9 credits from thesis and 21 credits from graduate courses.

Non-thesis option: The non-thesis option enables students to focus more on course work than research. There are two ways by which a non-thesis MSCPE and MSEE degrees may be earned:

  • Non-thesis project option: This requires the completion of a 3 credit individual research project and taking 27 credits of graduate level courses.
  • Non-thesis exam option: This requires the completion of 30 credits of graduate level courses along with satisfactory performance in a comprehensive final examination.

All option require students to complete the following core courses:

  • ECGR 5101 – Advanced Embedded Systems
  • ECGR 5181 – Computer Architecture
  • ECGR 5187 – Data Communications and Networking II

Students have the flexibility of selecting their own courses with the approval of their advisor. The faculty contact assigned at the time of admission serves as the advisor for the first two semesters or until a permanent advisor is formally selected by the student at the time of submitting the Plan of Study.

Further details on the degree requirements are available in the University Catalog at:

Image shows graduate student Kendall Britton

Kendall Britton
M.S. in Computer Engineering

“I chose Charlotte because it proved to be the best university in North Carolina for the field of computer engineering. When it came time to submit applications, I was so set on Charlotte that it was the only school I applied to. I can apply my knowledge from computer engineering to an occupation dealing with audio waveforms and signals, robotics or even some applications in the medical field, and that is just scratching the surface.”