Prospective Students & Apply

Master of Science (MS) & Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degrees

The ECE department offers both Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Applicants must specify one of three programs:

• MS Program: for students who are primarily interested in a Master's degree. It does not preclude entering the PhD program at a later date if you become more interested in research.
• MS/PhD Program: for students who have not yet earned a Master's degree and also intend to do research toward the PhD degree
• PhD Program: for students who already have a Master's degree and intend to do research towards the Doctor of Philosophy degree

Research Areas

Refer to the ECE Research and Faculty Directory pages for information about areas of study and potential advisors for the graduate program. Research in the ECE Department is broken into four main areas Communications & Signal Processing (CSP), Computer Engineering (CE), Control Systems, and Electronics & Photonic (EP)

Note: the graduate study area of Control Systems is combined with Communications and Signal Processing (CCSP)

Financial Support

All submitted admission applications are considered for financial support and are merit-based. Types of financial support available include:

• Graduate Student Research (GSR) Positions: pays a monthly stipend plus fees, health insurance, and nonresident tuition. Offers are made by individual faculty members.
• Teaching Assistantships (TAships): Pays a monthly stipend plus fees, health insurance, and nonresident tuition. Offers are made by the department.
• Fellowships: most pay a quarterly stipend plus fees and health insurance and sometimes nonresident tuition. Offers are made by the department or UCSB's Graduate Division.

Financial Aid

Need-based aid is only available for domestic students:

• UCSB Financial Aid Office
• UCSB Financial Support
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – U.S. Department of Education's online form to apply for aid.

Annual Application Deadlines

• Fall quarter (MS, MS/PhD and PhD applicants): December 15th of the prior year for priority consideration for financial support
• Winter quarter (PhD applicants only - a Master's degree is required prior to application): first week of November of the prior year
• Spring quarter (PhD applicants only - a Master's degree is required prior to application): first week of January