Electrical Engineering (Ph.D.)

Program Coordinator/Contact

Siddharth Suryanarayanan, Department Head
Reinaldo Tonkoski, Associate Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Daktronics Eng Hall 214, Box 2222
605-688-4526

Program Information

The program offers a variety of courses that encompass a broad range of Electrical Engineering areas including: alternative energy and power systems; computer engineering, communications; electronic materials, devices and sensors; nano technology, photovoltaic devices and systems; and signal and image processing. The department’s graduate faculty conduct active research in these areas using modern research facilities and equipment. 

Program Objectives

The EE graduate program objectives are to equip individuals to

1. Discover and disseminate knowledge relevant to the discipline of electrical engineering.
2. Provide leadership for increasingly complex roles in electrical engineering and industry.
3. Contribute to the advancement of the science of electrical engineering serving regional and national needs.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Original contribution to field: Knowledge and skills to make an original contribution to the field.
• Understand and evaluate literature: Ability to understand and evaluate critically the literature in the field.
• Independent learning: Ability to undertake independent/self-directed study/learning.
• Apply principles and procedures: Ability to apply appropriate principles and procedures to the recognition, interpretation, and understanding of issues and problems at the frontiers of Electrical Engineering knowledge.
• Communication skills: Ability to communicate relevant science and engineering ideas, principles and theories by written, oral, and visual means. (Communication Skills)
• Ethical awareness: Awareness of and commitment to the ethical practices appropriate to engineering and the sciences. (Transferable Skill: Ethics - Moral Decision Making/Moral Reasoning)

Course Delivery Format

A majority of the courses are taught on campus in smart classrooms. The smart classrooms allow for a variety of methods for student engagement and faculty are able to record and post their lectures on-line. Additionally, some courses are offered remotely in collaboration with other Ph.D. granting institutions in the state.

Facilities and Services

With more than $12 million invested in classrooms and laboratories, graduate students benefit from modern lecture rooms and gain valuable experience using state-of-the-art equipment. The recently dedicated modern Daktronics Engineering Hall is home to the Electrical Engineering program with over 15,000 square feet of dedicated research space. The department boasts a 5-bay multi-million dollar clean room, several class one gloveboxes, and nano-characterization labs for developing both organic and inorganic electronics, as well as numerous other labs for research in fiber optics, power and alternative energy systems, and sensors.