Electrical Engineering, B.S. + M.S.

Students in the Beach EDGE Electrical Engineering program will complete the requirements for both the Bachelor’s and Master’s in Electrical Engineering.

• Electrical Engineering, B.S.  
• Electrical Engineering, M.S.E.E.  

The Electrical Engineering BS + MS Blended Program provides an accelerated route to the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) degree for CSULB Bachelor of Science (BS) students. Students in the blended program are provided with a process whereby they can progress from undergraduate to graduate status seamlessly.

EE students pursuing their bachelor’s degree can double count 6 units of graduate-level coursework (500 and above) toward both degrees. Upon satisfying all degree requirements, students are awarded the bachelor’s degree, and upon meeting the requirements for the master’s degree, they receive that degree as well. The program requires a minimum of 144 semester units (e.g., BS 120 + MS 30, subtracting the 6 double-counted units) to earn both degrees.

Application requirements

Students can only apply to the EE Blended Program if they:

1. Are a matriculated undergraduate student at CSULB.
2. Completed 60 units.
3. Completed the following 3 upper-division courses (9 units total) in residence (i.e., at CSULB)
   • E E 310, E E 330, and E E 380
4. Enrolled in or completed at least one of the following courses (for additional 3 unit) in residence.
   • E E 301, E E 346, E E 350, E E 370, E E 382, or E E 386
5. Met their major specific requirements.
6. Meet the following two requirements.
   • Minimum CSULB GPA of 3.2, and
   • Average letter grade B or higher for upper-division courses listed in Part (c) above.

Application deadline

Students must apply for the EE Blended Program by the following deadlines:

1. April 15, for the following Fall semester, or
2. October 15, for the following Spring semester.

Application process

1. Students will NOT apply to the Blended Program via Cal State Apply
2. The EE program will design and post an internal application form for its Blended Program.
3. The EE graduate advisor will review applications and inform the applicants within 30 days of the application deadline. 
4. The EE program will notify Enrollment Services via the Advisor Request System of those who are admitted to the EE Blended Program. 
5. Students who apply to the blended program but do not meet the requirements at the end of the semester they applied are eligible to reapply the following semester assuming requirements are met.
6. Students who are denied admission are still eligible to apply to the regular master’s program during its traditional admissions cycle via Cal State Apply. 

Degree requirements:

• A grade of “C” or better must be achieved in all the courses in the blended program.
• GPA: Must maintain at least a 3.0 for courses applied to MS degree. Students whose GPA drops below 3.0 will be subject to academic warning requirements as determined by university policy once they have ‘graduate’ status.
• The program requires a minimum of 144 semester units (e.g., BS 120 + MS 30, subtracting the 6 double-counted units) to earn both degrees.
• Degree required courses (Total 15 units)
• Take the following two courses (6 units, this will be double counted towards BSEE)
  • E E 508 - Probability Theory and Random Processes (3 units) 
  • E E 511 - Linear Systems Analysis (3 units)  
• Take the following three courses (9 units):
  • E E 531 - CMOS Electronics (3 units)  (from Electronics, and Digital Systems AoE)
  • E E 554 - Power Systems Applications (3 units)  (from Power, Control Systems, and Robotics AoE)
  • E E 588 - DSP for MMO Communication Systems (3 units)  (from Communications, DSP, and Machine Learning AoE)
• Degree elective courses (For the total of 15 units)
  • Take three to five courses from the list of MSEE 500 level Courses
  • Take up to two courses from the list of BSEE 400 level courses
• The 400 level courses counting toward this program cannot include EE 400D, EE 405, and EE 490
• The 400 level courses cannot be double counted.

The Culminating Activity

Students’ understanding of Electrical Engineering (EE) course materials and their readiness for graduation from the MSEE blended program will be evaluated through one of the following two pathways:

1. Comprehensive Exam Path: The comprehensive exam will assess students’ knowledge and readiness to graduate in three required MSEE subject as follows:
   1. All students must take E E 508  and E E 511 .
   2. The third subject will be chosen, by the student, from the following list of courses:
      • Electronics and Digital Systems:E E 531 
      • Power, Control, and Robotics: E E 554 
      • Communications, DSP, and Machine Learning: E E 588 
2. Thesis Path: The thesis path involves designing and conducting theoretical, experimental, or industrial research on a specific problem under the guidance of an MSEE faculty member. The thesis may account for up to six credits of E E 698 . Students must obtain special permission from both the thesis advisor and the department to enroll in E E 698. It is recommended that students begin their thesis work as early as the start of their 8th semester in the blended program. This timeline allows sufficient time to complete the thesis by the end of the 10th semester.

Advancing to Candidacy

1. To advance to candidacy, students must meet the following requirements:
   1. Have completed their BS program and be in graduate status.
   2. Have completed 9 units of the graduate “required courses” (as identified in Section 4.d) with a grade “C” or better.
   3. Be in good academic standing (not on Academic Warning) with a minimum GPA 3.0.
   4. Be currently enrolled.
2. The GPA used for candidacy will be calculated from the courses that go to the MS degree whether or not the course is double counted for the BS degree.
3. Students must advance to candidacy at least one semester before the semester they apply for graduation.

Dropping out of Blended program

1. Students whose GPA drops below the minimum required GPA for the traditional program (e.g., BSEE or MSEE) will be subject to academic warning and follow procedures set by that respective program and university policy.
2. Blended program students that are in process of completing their BS degree must maintain a GPA of 3.0 for all 500 level courses.
3. Students who do not meet GPA requirements will be removed from the blended degree program. Students will remain in their BS program and shall follow the course requirements for that program. Previous 500-level courses completed with grades C or above will be substituted for the appropriate 400 level course for the BS degree requirement.
4. A final grade of D/F in any 500 level course while the student has undergraduate status will result in their removal from the blended degree program. Students will need to complete B.S. degree requirements.
5. Students that do not maintain continuous enrollment or have approved academic leave will be dropped from the BS program (if they have undergraduate status) or the MS program (if they have graduate status). In those cases, they student must reapply to the respective program.
6. A student may voluntarily decide to exit the blended program and finish the BS program requirements. A student may choose to discontinue the blended degree and must inform the graduate advisor of their decision in writing prior to the start of the following semester.
7. Any student who is withdrawn from the program for any reason may not re-enroll in the Blended program. Students who wish to obtain a MS degree will have to apply via Cal State Apply after the completion of their BS degree.
8. Any student that withdraws from the program for any reason and is readmitted to the regular MSEE program will not double count 500 level courses previously taken as part of their BS degree unless it has been more than 7 years since that course was taken. If a required MSEE course was taken as part of the student’s BS degree, the student cannot retake that course for MSEE credit. Instead, the student must work with the graduate advisor to substitute another course. 

Eligibility, Application, Deadlines, and Additional Information are detailed on the Beach Edge website.