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ECE Alumni Advisory Board
The ECE Alumni Advisory Board consists of a set of diverse ECE alumni who work collaboratively with the ECE Department, alumni, and current students to directly impact the ECE community.
News
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June 30, 2025Meet Phuong Truong: alumna, lecturer, adjunct faculty, education specialist, and mom
Phuong Truong has done it all at UC San Diego: from an undergraduate student in structural engineering, to master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering and now an adjunct lecturer and education specialist, Truong has been a strong presence at the Jacobs School of Engineering for more than a decade. Full Story
June 25, 2025
Sensitive Yet Tough Photonic Devices Are Now a Reality
Engineers have achieved a long-sought milestone in photonics: creating tiny optical devices that are both highly sensitive and durable. This work could lead to a new generation of photonic devices that are not only precise and powerful but also much easier and cheaper to produce at scale. Full Story
June 12, 20252025 Jacobs School Award of Excellence Recipients
The Jacobs School of Engineering will celebrate the undergraduate students in the class of 2025 at its annual Ring Ceremony on Friday, June 13. Six students were selected from the nearly 1,500 students receiving bachelor’s degrees from the Jacobs School of Engineering to receive an Award of Excellence from their academic department. Full Story
June 10, 2025
Reimagining RFID: UC San Diego Researchers Develop Award-Winning Real-Time, Battery-Free Sensors
UC San Diego engineers' award-winning SenSync system turns conventional RFID technology into a reliable sensing platform without using wires or batteries or requiring calibration. Full Story
Final Defense/Filing a Dissertation
FINAL EXAMINATION AND FILING OF THE DISSERTATION
The final Ph.D. requirements are submission of a dissertation and the dissertation defense. A minimum interval of three quarters of academic residency must elapse between advancement to candidacy and final defense and submission of the dissertation. Therefore, you should plan on taking the Final Examination about one year after passing the qualifying exam. The Final Exam is an oral examination, which shall be public and so announced, in which you present and defend your dissertation to your doctoral committee.
University Qualifying Exam
UNIVERSITY QUALIFYING EXAMINATION
You should begin defining and preparing for your thesis research as soon as you have passed the Ph.D. Preliminary exam. You should plan on taking the University Qualifying Examination about one year after passing the preliminary exam. UCSD does not permit students to continue in the graduate study for more than four years without passing this examination. The University Qualifying Examination is an oral exam in which you present your thesis proposal to a university-wide committee. After passing this exam, you are “advanced to candidacy”.
ECE M.S. to ECE Ph.D. Transfer Guidelines
ECE M.S. to ECE Ph.D. Information
ECE M.S. students who are interested in transferring to the ECE Ph.D. program must read and follow the instructions outlined in the transfer guidelines. If you have any specific questions, please contact Begum Asena.
Preliminary Exam (for students that hold both a B.S. and M.S. Degree)
Ph.D. PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
(For students who enter the Ph.D. Program with an M.S. degree from another institution)
Preliminary Exam (for students that only hold a B.S. Degree)
Ph.D. PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
(For students who enter the Ph.D. program with a B.S. degree)
Current Students FAQs
- What if I am on the waitlist and it is Week 0-2?
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- Please monitor your courses on WebReg regularly and ensure you have planned some back-up courses in case you are unable to make it off the waitlist into the class. In the meantime, continue attending the waitlisted course(s) if you wish to enroll in them for this quarter. It is up to you to decide how long you are willing to be on the waitlist and/or enroll in another course if needed.
Incoming Students FAQs
- What are the M.S. program requirements?
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To earn your ECE M.S. Degree, you must successfully complete the following:
I-20 Program Extension
- What is an I-20 Program extension?
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If your I-20 (F-1 students) or DS-2019 (J-1 students) will expire soon and you need additional time to complete your academic program, you must apply for a program extension at least 10 days before the program end date listed on your documents. Failure to extend your I-20 or DS-2019 in a timely manner may cause immigration issues, so please act accordingly.