Entering freshmen students not adequately prepared to enter the degree program may be required to take additional preparatory course work. Such preparatory work will not be counted toward the major degree program.

Students must have the prerequisites for the courses in which they enroll; students who enroll without prerequisites are subject to administrative withdrawal by the dean. Prerequisites are satisfied by courses taken either at South Alabama or by acceptable transfer credit. Students not exempted from EH 101 will be required to take it as a prerequisite to EH 102.

Today’s society is permeated by an extensive technology that affects the lives of everyone. The engineering function in this modern society-while basically unchanged from the goal of using natural resources for the betterment of mankind—has more far-reaching and immediate consequences than ever before through the social, economic, environmental, and political reactions that follow technological developments.

The engineering profession has recognized that to fulfill the social as well as technical responsibilities incumbent upon today’s engineer, engineering graduates must not only be technically competent, but must also be as broadly educated as possible within the allotted educational time period. To this end, the College of Engineering strives to prepare its students ultimately to assume their responsibilities by providing technically sound programs of instruction that incorporate a strong component in the humanities and social sciences. Graduates are prepared to take industrial positions, to assume positions with government, or to pursue graduate studies.

Engineering students may also qualify as pre-medical students should they desire to apply for admission to medical school. Students interested in medical careers should consult with the Dean of the College of Medicine.

Students who fail to maintain PCS criteria will lose PCS and may be required to take or repeat appropriate courses as specified by he department chair to correct their deficiencies and may not be permitted to continue in the 300- and 400-level engineering courses. See departmental policy statements for additional details.

A transfer student must complete at least 32 hours of approved courses with at least 16 hours in the upper level of the student’s major department at the University of South Alabama.

The humanities and social sciences in the Engineering curricula are an integral part of the engineering educational program. These courses must be selected by the student from an approved College listing. Concentrations of at least nine semester hours in one or the other of the humanities and social sciences are required.

Subjects such as accounting; industrial management; art and musical skills, finance, and personnel administration do not fulfill the objectives desired of the humanities and social-sciences curriculum content.

Engineering students are required to take the discipline - specific Fundamentals of Engineering examination (FE examination) on the last examination date prior to their anticipated date of graduation. Students should be aware of the 60-day advance deadline established by the State Board of Registration for submission of examination application materials. Failure to meet the deadline could result in delayed graduation.

This program offers many advantages for the student. Interested students should consult with either Career Services Center or the College of Engineering.

The programs of study are designed to provide knowledge of modern engineering concepts and practices; to prepare the graduate for the practice of engineering at a higher level of proficiency than attainable with the bachelor’s degree; and to prepare the graduate for further study toward the doctoral degree should the graduate so desire.

The programs comprise course work and directed theoretical and experimental inquiry in thesis or project research. A program option requiring only course work is also available. The course work only option, while available to all graduate students, is particularly attractive to full time employed engineers that are interested in augmenting and enhancing their engineering skills as part time students. Courses are available in the evening to accommodate employed students.

The following criteria supplement the Graduate School criteria (see Categories of Admission):

1. Regular Admission
a) An ABET accredited B.S. degree in engineering in a relevant field.
b) For those students not holding an ABET accredited B.S. degree in engineering: a B.S. degree in engineering in a relevant field and a minimum combined score of 1100 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Exam.
c) For international students, a minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL test is required. If an international student has earned a bachelor’s or graduate degree at an accredited United State institution or higher education, the TOEFL test is not required.

2. Provisional Admissions
a) An ABET accredited B.S. degree in engineering or a minimum combined score of 900 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination is required. Applicants for Chemical Engineering may substitute an American Chemical Society accredited B.S. degree in chemistry in place of the ABET degree.
b) A B.S. in engineering or in a field acceptable to the departmental Graduate Admissions Committee is required. Depending on the student’s background additional undergraduate preparatory courses may be required. These courses will not count toward the Master’s degree.
c) A minimum grade-point average of 2.5 on all undergraduate work (A=4.0) including a minimum grade-point average of 2.5 over the last 64 course hours of undergraduate work or, a minimum grade-point average of 2.75 over the last 64 course hours of undergraduate work is required.

Each applicant will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee of the appropriate department which may reserve the right to evaluate additional credentials, such as, but not limited to, course work taken, letter of recommendation, etc.

The above are minimum requirements for admission.

b) The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering requires students with Provisional Admission status to either pass a departmental qualifying examination or take the GRE and obtain a minimum score of 1100 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination for advancement from the Provisional to the Regular Admission status. The qualifying examination covers five areas of the electrical engineering undergraduate curriculum: digital system design, linear system theory, electronics, electromagnetics and energy conversion. The examination must be taken prior to the semester in which the student registers for the 13th hour of course work toward the student’s graduate degree program. The student should contact the departmental Graduate Coordinator for further details.

Three plans of study are offered. All plans require a minimum of 33 semester hours of credit. The thesis option includes 6 hours of credit for the thesis. The project option includes 3 hours of credit for the project. The thesis differs from the project in that the thesis is usually oriented toward original engineering research whereas the project is usually oriented toward engineering applications. The following minimum distribution requirements must be met for each of the three options:

Thesis Option: 33 semester hours credit required for degree (27 hours course work required)

• 15 to 21 semester hours course work in engineering
  
• Six to 12 semester hours course work in supporting areas
  
• Six semester hours of thesis credit

Project Option: 33 semester hours credit required for degree (30 hours course work required). Electrical Engineering requires 36 semester hours credit for this option.

• 18 to 21 semester hours course work in engineering

• Nine to 12 semester hours course work in supporting areas

• Three semester hours of project credit

Course Work Option: 33 semester hours credit required for degree (33 hours course work required). Electrical Engineering requires 36 semester hours credit for this option.

• 21 to 24 semester hours course work in engineering
  
• Nine to 12 semester hours course work in supporting areas

The distribution for the three options relating to the MSEE degree is somewhat higher than the minimum. For details, see the section on "Master of Science in Electrical Engineering."

Supporting areas include mathematics, natural sciences, basic medical sciences, computer sciences, statistics, business, as well as engineering.

A maximum of six hours of directed study may be counted toward the degree. A maximum of six hours of thesis may be counted toward the degree.

Students must complete satisfactorily a comprehensive examination. Students failing this examination may try a second time not sooner than 12 weeks after the first attempt. Students failing the second time will be academically dismissed from the program.

The thesis or project candidate must present a satisfactory oral defense of the written report. Should the student present an unsatisfactory defense, a second attempt will be allowed not sooner than 12 weeks after the first attempt. A second unsatisfactory defense will result in dismissal from the program.