Either the thesis option or the course option may be selected. The special requirements for these options are as follows:
Course Option
The Master of Control Engineering is an academic master's degree designed mainly for both full-time and part-time students interested in proceeding to the departmental full-time doctoral program and/or an industrial career. Under the course option, students may not take ESE 599 Master's Research. With faculty permission, they may take up to 3 units of graduate-level independent study.
Thesis Option
This option is intended for those pursuing full-time study and engaged in research projects. Candidates for this degree must complete a minimum of 24 credit units of course instruction and 6 credit units of thesis research (ESE 599); 3 of these units of thesis research may be applied toward the 15 core electrical engineering units required for the MSEE program. Any of the 6 credit units of thesis research may be applied as electives for the MSEE, MSSSM, MSDAS, MCEng and MEngR programs. The student must write a master's thesis and defend it in an oral examination.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Control Engineering (MCEng) degree is a terminal professional degree designed for students interested in an industrial career.
- Required courses (15 units) for the MCEng degree include the following:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ESE 441 | Control Systems | 3 |
| ESE 543 | Control Systems Design by State Space Methods | 3 |
| ESE 520 | Probability and Stochastic Processes | 3 |
| and at least two of the following six courses: | ||
| Optimization | ||
| Random Processes and Kalman Filtering | ||
| Robust and Adaptive Control | ||
| Linear Dynamic Systems I | ||
| Linear Dynamic Systems II | ||
| Nonlinear Dynamic Systems | ||
- The remaining courses in the program may be selected from senior or graduate-level courses in ESE or elsewhere in the university that are approved by the department. Please consult the ESE departmental website for a list of allowable electives.
- A maximum of 6 units may be transferred from another school as electives, provided that the courses were not needed for the student's bachelor's degree.
- ESE 590 Electrical & Systems Engineering Graduate Seminar must be taken by full-time graduate students each semester. This course can be taken with an unsatisfactory/satisfactory grade option.
- The degree program must be consistent with the residency and other applicable requirements of Washington University and the McKelvey School of Engineering.
- Students must obtain a cumulative grade-point average of at least a 3.0 out of a possible 4.0 overall for courses applied toward the degree. Courses that apply toward the degree must be taken with the credit/letter grade option.