Electrical Engineering
Mohammod Ali, Chair
Graduate programs of the Department of Electrical Engineering emphasize research-oriented graduate study through the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Master of Science (M.S.) programs, and professional development through the Master of Engineering (M.E.) program. Financial assistance is available for the EE graduate students pursuing Ph.D. and M.S. degrees, but applicants should be aware that both financial assistance and the availability of faculty to supervise research are decided on a highly competitive basis.
APOGEE (A Program of Graduate Engineering Education) provides a mechanism for qualified engineers to earn a graduate-level degree while maintaining full-time employment. The program delivers graduate courses through a media-based system incorporating television, videotapes, the Internet, digital video, and periodic visits to campus.
The electrical engineering department is currently highly ranked in both program quality and faculty research productivity in the South (as per National Research Council), and strives to prepare the graduate students for highly successful careers in academia, industry, and government laboratories.
Research Focus Areas
The EE Department’s core research expertise is in the following areas:
- Power and Energy Systems
- Communication and Electromagnets
- Electronic Materials and Devices
- Decision and Control
Admission Requirements
Requirements for admission to graduate degree programs in electrical engineering (M.E., M.S., Ph.D.) include the general admission requirements of The Graduate School as well as more stringent departmental requirements, as described below. In general, the admissions process is highly competitive. Admissions decisions are based on the quality of the applicant’s previous university-level academic work (as reflected by grade point average, or GPA), letters of recommendation (at least two letters are required for evaluation), GRE scores, and other evidence of past accomplishments.
For admission to the M.E., M.S., and Ph.D. degree programs in electrical engineering, applicants normally hold the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from an ABET-accredited engineering program. Students holding B.S. degrees may apply for direct admission to the doctoral program; it is not necessary to complete a master’s degree first. Applicants with degrees (B.S. or higher) in other engineering disciplines or physics may be admitted with additional remedial course requirements in electrical engineering at the undergraduate level. Remedial courses will typically include the prerequisites for required graduate courses, and may include additional courses in mathematics. The detailed specification of course requirements and substitutions of courses from other universities will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
M.S. and Ph.D. applicants are strongly encouraged to distinguish their area of specialization when applying to the Graduate Program in order to identify a Research Advisor. The M.S. and Ph.D. applicants must secure an advisor who is willing to supervise him or her before being admitted into the program
GRE scores must be submitted by all applicants to Electrical Engineering graduate programs. Students who have obtained a BS degree from the University of South Carolina and are applying for the ME program are exempt from the GRE requirement. International applicants must also submit TOEFL or IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam scores. All applicants should submit a statement of purpose (or similar essay) that describes the applicant’s background, research interests, and whether or not financial aid is required. For students seeking a research-oriented degree (M.S. or Ph.D.), a preliminary contact with a research advisor is strongly suggested.
Typical successful students have GRE scores of at least 153 (verbal), 155 (quantitative), and 3.0 (analytical). A TOEFL score greater than 80 (internet-based) or 570 (paper-based) is also required by the Graduate School. The typical overall band score on the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam is 6.5.
Courses
Fundamentals of photovoltaic solar cell technologies. Design and operation of solar cells, including efficiency analysis and cost benefit. Applications to green and sustainable energy systems.
Introduction to plane electromagnetic wave propagation, transmission lines, transmission line equations, input impedance, waveguides and cavities, antennas and antenna arrays, microwave modeling.
The embedded electronics and software used in data acquisition, and process and instrument control in an industrial or manufacturing environment.
Analysis and design of discrete-time control systems, implementation of control systems using digital electronic systems. Applications to electrical systems.
Sensing, data acquisition, and data processing for evaluation of performance and system health. Integration and implementation of health management systems.
Operating principles and design of bioelectric sensors and sensor systems for medical applications.
Transmission line design, load flow, and short circuit analysis of power systems.
Analysis and design of electromechanical energy conversion systems, including electrical machines and electronic drives.
Analysis and design of power systems in presence of photovoltaic generation with focus on protection systems, control, power quality.
Special topics in distributed energy resources for modern electrical energy systems. Course content varies and will be announced in the schedule of classes by title. May be repeated as topics vary.
Fourier techniques and stochastic processes review, multiple access & cellular techniques, signal space representations for signals and noise, baseband modulations and optimal receivers in additive white Gaussian noise, bandpass and higher-order modulations, mobile & wireless propagation channel characteristics, effects of bandlimiting & distortion mitigation, diversity techniques.
Basic semiconductor material properties. Principles and characteristics of semiconductor p-n junction and Schottky diodes, field-effect transistors (JFETs, MESFETs, and MOSFETs), and bipolar junction transistors.
RF design fundamentals, lumped elements, transmission line theory, transmission lines and waveguides, S-parameters, impedance matching, microwave resonators.
Basic semiconductor material optical properties. Principles and structures of semiconductor lasers, Light Emitting Diodes, and photodetectors.
Basic analysis and design of solid-state power electronic devices and circuitry.
Semiconductor material and device characterization; resistivity, carrier and doping density, contact resistance, Schottky barriers, series resistance, defects, trapped charges, and carrier lifetime.
Prerequisite: ELCT 363.
Plane wave propagation and effects of various media. Distinct propagation mechanism descriptions. Mathematics for computing field strengths and powers for different propagation mechanisms. Antenna/noise principles. Wireless channel effects on signaling. Channel modeling as linear, time-varying filter. Delay/Doppler spreads. Empirical & statistical wireless channel models. Multi-antenna channel characteristics.
Network analysis methods suitable for computer implementation. System studies, including load-flow analysis, short-circuit analysis, and state estimation.
Dynamics of electrical machine and space phasor theory. Analysis and design of control architecture for electrical motors.
Theorems and principles of EM theory, Maxwell's equations, vector and scalar potentials. Solution to Maxwell's equation in one-, two-, and three-dimensions. Green's functions and theorems with applications to radiation and guided-wave propagation.
The concept of signal integrity for high speed circuits, signal parameters, transmission lines, I/O buffer models, clock schemes, serial data, package/die/connector modeling, I/O power delivery, and measurement.
Computer-aided semiconductor device modeling and simulation; Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) tools for modern semiconductor devices.
Solid-state light sources converting electricity directly into light and their societal impacts. Includes principles, fabrication, and applications of solid-state lamps and lighting systems.
Principles of optical communications, optical signal modulation, optoelectronic devices for optical communications.
Advanced topics in power electronics to include rectifiers, inverters, resonant and soft switching converters, power converter system stability issues.
Advanced semiconductor material characterization; Hall effect and mobility measurements, optical characterization, scanning probe microscopy, electron microscopy, X-Ray diffraction techniques; nanoscale characterization techniques.
The function and theory of operation of power semiconductor devices.
Individual research to be arranged with the instructor.
The analysis and synthesis of linear, nonlinear, and discrete control systems employing the state space approach.
Optimal filtering, prediction, and smoothing in the presence of uncertainty.
Theory and rigorous mathematical foundation for synthesis and analysis of robust adaptive controls for systems with uncertain dynamics. Lyapunov stability theory, robust control analysis, methods for model reference adaptive control with emphasis on L1 adaptive control.
Special topics of current interest in Communications and Electromagnetics. Content varies by semester and will be identified by a specific subtitle.
Radiation mechanism and fundamental parameters. Dipoles, monopoles, and loop antennas. Antenna arrays. Microstrip, helical, biconical, sleeve, spiral, and log-periodic dipole antennas. Horn and reflector antennas. Antenna measurement and modeling.
Electric and magnetic field integral equations, the moment method (MM). Finite element method (FEM), discretization and interpolation, system of equations. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) method, stability, dispersion, incident wave, absorbing boundary conditions (ABCs).
Microwave semiconductor diodes and transistors; active and passive microwave circuits.
Current topics in semiconductor devices.
Principles and technology involved in the growth of both bulk and thin films of advanced semiconductor materials used in the fabrication of next generation electronic devices. Topics include principles of crystal growth, types of defects, and defect generation mechanisms.
Current topics in pulsed power.
Physics of Negative Differential Resistance devices, 2D-electron gas and quantum wells; principles and characteristics of heterostructure field-effect transistors and bipolar transistors, heterostructure light-emitting diodes, lasers, and photodetectors.
Power system transient and dynamic stability analysis. Power system control, including excitation systems, automatic generation control and boiler-turbine-generator models.
Approved plan of study must be filed.