Program: Electronics and Communications Engineering (M. Sc.) - The American University in Cairo

Apr 01, 2025

2016-2017 Academic Catalog

The name of the Electronics Engineering department has been changed to be the Electronics and Communications Engineering department. This change is effective starting Spring 2014. All degrees offered by the department will reflect the new name starting Spring 2014, and all transcripts issued for students graduating Spring 2014 onwards will bear the new name.

A candidate for the master’s program in Electronics and Communications Engineering must have a degree in electrical or computer engineering or related discipline. Students who have some deficiency in their undergraduate training but are well-qualified in other respects may be admitted provisionally. The Electronics and Communications Engineering Department may prescribe a program of noncredit work to make up for the deficiency.

1. Program Objectives

The objectives of the Master of Science Degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering are to provide the graduates of the program with:

A broad knowledge of modern computational and experimental methods in engineering.
Extensive knowledge in one of the following specializations: VLSI and nanosystems, communication systems, microwave and RF systems, digital and network systems.
Deep understanding of the research techniques and data analysis in the area of specialization.
An ability to solve unstructured engineering problems, think critically, function well in a team, and communicate effectively.
A high standard of written and oral communication on technical matters.

2. Admission

A candidate for the master’s program in Electronics and Communications Engineering must have a degree in engineering. Students who have some deficiency in their undergraduate training but are well-qualified in other respects may be admitted provisionally. The Electronics and Communications Engineering Department may prescribe a program of noncredit work to make up for the deficiency.

3. Courses (24 Credit hours)

A minimum of eight courses (24 credit hours) is required.

The courses are selected from the following categories:

Core Courses (3 credit hours)

All students select one out of the following four ENGR core courses:

Concentration Courses** (21 credit hours)

Candidates must select at least five courses out of the following ECNG course list:

**Note:

- Up to two PHD ECNG courses (600-level) to be taken for credit towards the above MS/ME degree are allowed

- Subject to the approval of the advisor and the graduate director the candidate is permitted to take six credit hours from the following two options

one 400-level or graduate-level course (3 credit hours) from outside the department and within the School of Sciences and Engineering;
Graduate Independent Study course (ECNG 5910 ) (1 to 3 credit hours).

However, the student may take a maximum of 3 hours of Graduate Independent Study, and a maximum of one course (3 credit hours) from outside the ECNG department.

4. Thesis (9 credit hours)

Graduate thesis work is an important and required part of the Electronics Engineering Master of Science degree program. Each student must submit a thesis topic that has been approved by a faculty advisor by the end of the first academic year. Various research topics are discussed in ENGR 5940 (2 credits) and ENGR 5941 (1 credit), Graduate Thesis Seminar I and II. Students must register in ENGR 5940 before submitting a thesis topic and in ENGR 5941 during execution of the thesis research to present their thesis plan. To ensure adequate faculty consultation on the thesis, the student must register for ECNG 5980 , Graduate Thesis, by the completion of 18 credit hours. Students must register in ECNG 5980 for at least two semesters. The first two registrations in ECNG 5980 must be for three credit hours, after that ECNG 5980 is taken for one credit hour each semester until completion of the program requirements.