Electrical and Computer Engineering MS Program
Program Mission
The mission of the MS in ECE at KAUST is to advance excellence in education, research, and community engagement by developing graduates who think critically, innovate responsibly, and contribute to knowledge and practice. The program fosters an interdisciplinary learning and research environment that supports professional development, ethical practice, and a distinctive emphasis on translation of research into impact.
Program Goals
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Provide high-quality graduate education that builds deep technical foundations and effective problem-solving skills.
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Develop research capability and inquiry skills that enable rigorous scholarship and innovation.
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Enable practical competence through hands-on training with contemporary tools, methods, and experimental practice.
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Promote professional leadership, ethical responsibility, and community engagement that deliver societal and economic value.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Knowledge and Understanding
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K1: Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of fundamental and advanced principles in ECE.
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K2: Apply mathematical, computational, and optimization methods relevant to system analysis and design.
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K3: Analyze the role of emerging technologies and interdisciplinary trends relevant to ECE.
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K4: Integrate foundational knowledge with systems-level concepts to frame engineering problems.
Skills
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S1: Design engineering systems or components to meet specified requirements under realistic constraints.
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S2: Implement experiments, simulations, and prototype systems using contemporary hardware and software platforms.
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S3: Conduct independent or collaborative research using systematic inquiry and evidence-based reasoning.
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S4: Communicate technical ideas clearly in written, oral, and visual formats appropriate to professional contexts.
Values, Autonomy, and Responsibility
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V1: Adhere to standards of research ethics, integrity, and sustainable practice.
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V2: Engage in reflective learning and continuous professional development.
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V3: Exercise initiative and accountability in academic, research, and professional settings.
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V4: Contribute to the profession and community through leadership, mentorship, and service.
MS Course Requirements
MS students must complete the following requirements:
- Core Courses (12 credits)
- Elective Courses (12 credits)
- Research/Capstone (12 credits)
- Graduate Seminar (non-credit)
- Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)
Core and Elective Courses must be technical courses and cannot be substituted with Research or Internship to fulfill degree requirements.
Core Courses (12 credits)
Core Courses provide students with the background needed to establish a solid foundation in the program area. Students must complete 12 credits (4 Core Courses) and be aware that Core Courses may be offered only once per academic year.
Elective Courses (12 credits)
Elective Courses allow students to tailor their educational experience to meet individual research and educational objectives with the permission of the Academic Advisor. ECE students are required to take the following:
- One 200/300-level ECE course (3 credits). ECE courses taken as Core do not count toward this requirement.
- Two 200/300-level course from any program at KAUST (6 credits)
- One AMCS or STAT course (3 credits). If a Core course is from AMCS or STAT, then this course can fulfill the applied mathematics/statistics requirement. In this case, the Elective would need to be fulfilled using another 200-level/300-level course from any degree program at KAUST.
Graduate Seminar (non-credit)
Students must register for ECE 398 and receive a Satisfactory grade for two Semesters during their MS.
Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)
All students must complete the Winter Enrichment Program (
WE 100) for credit at least once during their studies at KAUST. Students who have previously completed WEP will be exempt from this requirement in their future studies.
MS Thesis
Students planning to pursue the Thesis option must complete a minimum of 12 credits of Thesis Research (ECE 297).
For more details on the Thesis Application, Thesis Committee Formation, Thesis Defense Results, Thesis Document and Thesis Archiving please check the policy page.
MS Non-Thesis
Students wishing to pursue the non-thesis option must complete a total of 12 capstone credits, with 6 credits of directed research (ECE 299). Students must complete the 6 remaining credits through one of the options listed below:
- Internship: Summer internship (ECE295) – students can only take one internship
- Any 200/300-level courses from any degree program at KAUST.