Electrical and Computer Engineering
BS → PhD
Undergraduate Status
Earn your Bachelor’s with a focus on research to securing fellowships and funding for a PhD
Freshman
- Take intro courses
- Join related associations and clubs (IEEE Recommended!)
- Explore potential areas of research and study
Junior Year
- Take intro courses
- Join related associations and clubs (IEEE Recommended!)
- Explore potential areas of research and study
Senior Year
- Continue research with your senior project
- Apply to our graduate program
Optional:
In addition to your BS degree requirements, take up to 6 graduate-level credits (approx 2 courses). These credits can be transferred to your graduate degree, saving your time and money later. – see Graduate Transfer Credit page
Make the most of your research!
- Apply for SPUR and/or UROP
- Author or coauthor research papers for publication
- Publish in the RANGE journal
- Participate in the Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS)
Senior Year
- Continue research with your senior project
- Apply to our graduate program
Optional:
In addition to your BS degree requirements, take up to 6 graduate-level credits (approx 2 courses). These credits can be transferred to your graduate degree, saving your time and money later. – see Graduate Transfer Credit page
Make the most of your research!
- Apply for SPUR and/or UROP
- Author or coauthor research papers for publication
- Publish in the RANGE journal
- Participate in the Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS)
Graduate Status
Find faculty to conduct research with in their labs
If applying to the MS program first:
- Consider continuing your senior project with a MS project.
Many students earn a Master’s degree (30 credits) on the way to their PhD and assistant in determining research areas of interest and beginning publication. A student’s senior and MS project can potentially lead to the first article that PhD students need or it can help students determine that they don’t like what they are currently researching and pivot to another research area for their PhD.
- Apply for fellowships
Please note: Students who complete the BS/MS program are typically ineligible for most graduate fellowship applications.
- Apply for PhD program
Students who complete their MS at the University of Utah have no additional course requirements for the PhD with generally 2-3 years of research time past the MS.
If applying directly to the PhD program:
- Complete your Milestone MS
- Apply for fellowships
Students who are able to find a professor who will fund them and supervisor them in their research lab find that being admitted directly to the PhD program first is advantageous when applying for fellowships.
Students are encouraged to participate in, and earn credit, through internships with industry and/or national labs during their undergraduate and graduate degrees (see MS Project Credit), whether or not they completely align with PhD research.
What is a fellowship?
The simplest definition is that a fellowship is a funding award given for advanced study of an academic subject. In some ways they are similar to scholarships at the undergraduate level, but whereas most scholarships end once a student enters graduate status, students can apply for fellowships based on their research.
Recommended Fellowship Sources
University Contacts
College of Engineering Fellowship Office
Hari Sundar
MEB 3454
801-585-9913
hari@cs.utah.edu
Graduate School
Matthew Plooster
PARK 145
801-581-6020
fellowships@gradschool.utah.edu
Contact
Liz Rowberry M.Ed
Graduate Student Coordinator | Graduate Admissions Advisor
The University of Utah – Electrical and Computer Engineering
50 S. Central Campus Drive, MEB 2266C
Salt Lake City, UT, 84112
liz.rowberry@utah.edu
801-587-9710