The PhD program in Electrical Engineering aims to teach students to develop efficient systems that contribute to business, safety, health, and entertainment.
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Northeastern’s PhD program in Electrical Engineering offers the opportunity to pursue cutting-edge research in the following areas: Signal and image processing; biomedical signal processing and brain-computer interface; pattern recognition; adaptive signal processing; wireless and underwater communications; information theory and coding; robust and distributed control; optics, photonics, acoustics, and magnetics sensors; radio frequency chip design; digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits; low-power very-large-scale integration; modeling and analysis of large scale power grids during normal operation and under faults; dc-dc converters, inverters, rectifiers, and ac-ac converters; as well as modulation techniques used in power electronics.
The PhD in Electrical Engineering (PhDEE) is completely research based with minimal and flexible course requirements which can be pursued as full-time or part-time. The exact nature of the program of study will vary among candidates depending on the dissertation subject area and the candidate’s preparation. The program will include one minor area of study in an area other than that in which the candidate is concentrating. The minor area may be in another discipline within electrical and computer engineering or the minor area may be in another relevant technical or scientific discipline. Applicants can enter the PhD program with either a BS or an MS degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field.
The PhDEE applicants also select their concentration from the following four areas.
- Communications, Control, and Signal Processing
- Electromagnetics, Plasma, and Optics
- Microsystems, Materials, and Devices
- Power Systems
The ECE department offers a variety of graduate courses giving students flexibility of planning their course requirements according to their research requirements and personal interests. Many of graduate courses are offered in two sections; in-class and streaming video. Part-time students and full-time students who have schedule conflicts can register in the streaming video sections.
- Can be combined with a Gordon Engineering Leadership certificate
- Northeastern ECE is the host or major partner in nine state-of-the-art research centers
- Financial support available
- Internationally-recognized Internships & Co-op opportunities
- Professional Development Workshop Series to complement the research and classroom experiences
- Northeastern ECE is a research powerhouse in the Boston area and beyond
- The ability to use basic engineering concepts flexibly in a variety of contexts
- Ability to formulate a research plan
- Ability to communicate orally a research plan
- Ability to conduct independent research
With the large number of high-tech firms in and around Boston, both start-ups and large multinational corporations, many PhD students do an internship during their program while remaining right here in Boston. Often their advisor is instrumental in identifying the internship position, with a funding sponsor or research collaborator, be they in Boston or elsewhere in the United States. Internships can be informally arranged for several months at any time during the calendar year, and PhD students can also take advantage of the more formally arranged co-op program which entails 6 months of work experience preceded by several professional development courses to prepare students.
Our graduates pursue careers within academia and beyond.
- Middle East Technical University
- University of Vermont
- Nexant Corporation
- Harvard Medical School – Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
- Qatar University
- Honeywell
- Universidad Tecnologica de Bolivar
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Metamagnetics Incorporated
- LoopPay Incorporated
- Merson Shanghai Co. Ltd.
- AMD
- Qualcomm Technologies Incorporated
- Geophysical Survey Systems Incorporated
- Mathworks
- Baylor College of Medicine
- Setem Technologies, LLC
- MIT Lincoln Laboratory
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Argonne National Laboratory
- University of California, Berkeley
- Boston Children’s Hosptial
- Japanese Ministry of Defense, Tokyo
- Siemens Healthineers
- Intel
- Sanofi
Application Materials
- Completed online application form
- $100 application fee
- Two letters of recommendation
- Transcripts from all institutions attended
- Statement of Purpose
- Resume
- TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo for international applicants
Application
PhD Priority: December 15
International outside US: June 1
International inside US: July 1
Domestic: August 1
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