FAQ

Your Academic Advisor is listed in GradWatch, as well as in your MyPack Portal Student Services Center.

MS Non-Thesis Students:

Electrical Engineering Students (including Distance Education) :
- Dr. Donna Ginger Yu (dgyu@ncsu.edu).
Computer Engineering Students (including Distance Education) :
- Dr. Donna Ginger Yu (dgyu@ncscu.edu).
Computer Networking Students (including Distance Education) :
- Dr. Mihail Sichitiu (mlsichit@ncsu.edu).
Electrical and Power Systems Engineering Students:
- Dr. Mesut Baran (baran@ncsu.edu).

If you are a MS Non-Thesis student, your academic advisor will serve as your Plan of Work Committee Chair.

MS Thesis Students:

MS Thesis students will be assigned an interim advisor. Your interim advisor serves as your academic advisor until you select a permanent advisor/committee chair to oversee your plan of work and research project.

You are responsible for selecting an ECE graduate faculty member who will agree to serve as your academic advisor, committee chair and to direct your thesis research.

We suggest that you take courses your first semester, become familiar with the faculty, then approach a professor in your area of interest as to their willingness to supervise your research. Your advisory committee will consist of three graduate faculty members, and should be formed by the end of the semester in which 12 credits are completed toward the degree. Your academic advisor will serve as your Plan of Work Committee Chair. If your advisor/chair becomes unable or unwilling to direct the work to completion and no suitable replacement is found, the student must pursue the Non-Thesis MS program option.

PhD Students:

PhD students will be assigned an interim advisor upon acceptance into the doctoral program.

You can retain your interim advisor as your permanent academic advisor/committee chair or you may select an ECE graduate faculty member who will agree to serve as academic advisor, committee chair and to direct your dissertation research. You will need at least four committee members on your PhD Committee. All four must be graduate faculty members and one must serve as Chair of the committee. One must be an outside member, from a non-ECE Department. Your outside member may also serve as the Graduate School Representative (GSR). If you have declared a Minor, one of your members must be from the Minor field.

Please see the Graduate School Handbook section on Advisory Committees for more detailed information.

In order to apply for a change to your major or level you must

Complete one semester (or more) of graduate study
Remain in good academic standing (3.0 GPA or higher)

To initiate this process you must complete the following forms and submit them to the ECE Graduate office.

Graduate School Change of Degree Status or Curriculum Form (for students) . Scroll down to “Curricular and Programmatic Actions for Degree Seeking Students.”
The form will have three options:
Change an academic plan – this is selected for a change in major or level. It will remove the student from their current plan.
Add an academic plan – this is selected if the student’s current plan is to remain in their current plan, in addition to another plan.
Delete an academic plan

International graduate students will also need to complete the OIS Change in Curriculum/Change in Level Request form.

The ECE Graduate office will then process the form(s) and obtain the DGP signature.

The ECE Grad Office will forward the Graduate School Change of Degree Status or Curriculum Form directly to the Graduate School for the Dean of the Graduate Schools approval. After the Graduate School approves the change, you will see the change reflected in your MyPack Portal. You can view your program and degree information in your Advising Dashboard in the Personal Information section of your Student Services Center.

The OIS Change in Curriculum/Change in Level Request form will be returned to you, and you will need to take it to OIS. You will receive an email from the ECE Graduate Office when this form is ready to be picked up. OIS will then process the form and update your I-20 accordingly.

To apply for the PhD program from our Masters program you must

Complete the above mentioned change of degree forms
Complete the Application for Admission to the PhD Program from NCSU MS form.
this must be signed by
- a potential PhD faculty research advisor

and

by one additional ECE graduate faculty member who supports the application to apply to our PhD program.

Enrollment Policies

First semester graduate students:
- Are required to take ECE 600 ECE Graduate Orientation
- First semester Master’s degree student cannot enroll in research or independent study credits
- First semester PhD student may enroll in research credits but not independent study credits
- Cannot enroll in distance education (online) courses

Students generally must enroll in 9 credit hours to be considered full-time, and 4.5 credit hours to be considered half-time.
International students must be enrolled full-time
Students receiving departmental financial support (TA, RA) must be enrolled full-time
Continuous Enrollment is required.
Advising is not required prior to enrolling in courses. Refer to the ECE Graduate Degrees Information webpage, the ECE Course Details & Specialty Areas and Plan of Work worksheets, as well as the ECE Graduate Student Handbook and the sample Graduate Plans of Work for information regarding which courses to take.
You will not be able to enroll in any classes if you have a hold on your account. Clear all holds before you try to enroll. The Graduate Office can only clear Advising holds- we cannot clear holds from the Cashier’s Office.
The Schedule of Courses and Course Catalog are available via the Registration & Records Courses webpage. Graduate-level ECE courses are 500-level and above.

How To Enroll:

Log into the MyPack Portal to enroll in courses. Log into your MyPack Portal using your Unity ID and password (this is different than the 9-digit Student ID number you have been assigned). Please see this website for more information on your Unity ID.
If you need assistance enrolling in classes, refer to the Registration & Records Enrollment Guide.
The ECE Graduate Office staff can only enroll you in ECE classes. If you want to enroll in a non-ECE class, you must contact that department’s graduate office.
Online students enroll in courses through the Engineering Online (EOL) website. Please refer to the Engineering Online Course Registration webpage, and read the EOL enrollment information below.

Late Enrollment (Registration) Deadline:Students who register, or are registered by a department during the late registration period will be charged a $100 non-refundable Late Registration Fee. In Summer Sessions the Late Registration Fee is $35.
Students who register, or are registered by a department after the last day to register or add a course (Census Day: 10th day of Fall or Spring semesters, 3rd day of Summer sessions) must pay prior to enrollment and will be charged a $250 non- refundable fee. In Summer Sessions, this fee is $100.
UGS, PBS, Inter-Institutional, and all new undergraduate and graduate students are exempt from the $100 Late Registration Fee ($35 in Summer), however they are subject to the $250 Fee ($100 in Summer).For more information, please read the Cashier’s Office Late Registration webpage.

Hold on Account

The ECE Graduate Office can only release Advising Holds. If you have a financial hold on your account, you must contact the Cashier’s Office to clear your hold before you will be able to enroll.

Full-Time Enrollment Requirement

Information on Full-Time/Part-Time Registration

If you plan to apply for a TA position, or expect to be appointed as a RA, you must be enrolled full-time before a TA or RA appointment can be offered to you and entered into the HR system. Be sure to enroll full-time as soon as possible, to avoid any delays with a TA or RA appointment.

Individual Topics, Individual Studies, & Research Credits

Enrollment in Individual Topics (ECE 633 or 833), Individual Studies (ECE 634) or Graduate Research (ECE 695, 699, 895 or 899) is by instructor permission only.

You must be enrolled in the course by the graduate office staff. To enroll in one of these courses, complete an Enrollment Request Form, which is found on the Documents & Forms webpage in this Current Graduate Student Portal. Discuss your course request with your research advisor and have your advisor approve and sign your registration form. Submit enrollment request forms to the ECE Graduate Office Drop-Box, which is located in the hallway outside EB2 3014. The ECE Graduate Office staff will enroll you in the course.

ECE 834 (Qualifying Review)

If you are a PhD student and plan to take your qualifying review exam, you must enroll in ECE 834 (Qualifying Review). The ECE department and faculty recently voted to make ECE 834 a mandatory course for all Doctoral students to enroll in during the semester in which they will take their Qualifying Review Exam.

Please plan ahead with your PhD advisor! If you forget to enroll in ECE 834 in the semester in which you take your Qualifying Review Exam, you will be required to register for ECE 834 in the following semester.

ECE 834 is a course that the ECE Graduate Office must enroll you in, and all enrollments must be completed by the Census Day deadline for every semester. (Census Day is also the last day to add a course and the last day for tuition refunds due to dropping a course or changing from credit to audit.) The Registration & Records Academic Calendar gives more details andis a great tool to be familiar with during the semester.To enroll in ECE 834, complete an Enrollment Request Form, which is found on the Documents & Forms webpage in the Current Graduate Student Portal. Have your research advisor approve and sign your registration form. Submit enrollment request forms to the ECE Graduate Office. Leave these forms in the ECE Graduate Office Drop-Box, which is located in the hallway outside EB2 3014, next to the elevator, and around the corner from our main office door. The ECE Graduate Office staff will enroll you in the course.

Closed Class

If you want to enroll in a course that is listed as closed, contact the course instructor. Courses may have available seats, but are listed as closed if the instructor is enrolling students by instructor permission only. You will need to contact the course instructor to request permission to enroll. If the course is an ECE Department course, the instructor needs to email ecegradoffice@ncsu.edu to ask the ECE Graduate Office to enroll you in the course. The email must include your Full Name, 9-digit Student ID number, and Course number and section number so that you can be enrolled.

Missing Pre-Requisite for ClassContact the instructor of the course to request permission to enroll and to waive any class pre-requisites. If the instructor grants you permission to take the class, the instructor needs to email ecegradoffice@ncsu.edu to ask the ECE Graduate Office to enroll you in the course. Your email must include your Full Name, 9-digit Student ID number, and Course number and section number so that you can be enrolled.
WaitlistThe Graduate Office will not alter a student’s place on a waitlist, in most cases. Engineering Online (Distance Education) ClassesThe ECE Department will allow on-campus students to enroll in a maximum of two Distance Education classes throughout their graduate career.The Office of International Services (OIS) will allow International students to enroll in only one (3 credit) online or Distance Education course in a given semester. Their Maintaining your Status webpage has further details on enrollment requirements.On-Campus Student Requesting Enrollment in a Distance (Engineering Online) ClassOn-Campus students may only be enrolled in an online class for the following reasons:

Class conflict with another on-campus course, both of which are requirements of the degree and must be taken that semester
Class capacity of the on-campus class has been reached
The student is participating in an internship or co-op and must be at work during the on-campus class time
The student has disability issues and cannot attend the on-campus class

To request to enroll in a distance class, email ecegradoffice@ncsu.edu for instructions on how to enroll.

Degree seeking graduate students supported by a graduate research assistantship, teaching assistantship, extension assistantship or primary fellowship with a minimum annual stipend of $8,000 ($3,000 for fall or spring semester, $1,000 for each summer session) who are registered full-time at all times during fall and spring semesters receive (at no cost to the student) health insurance and (for a limited number of semesters) tuition through the Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP).
For more information on GSSP, refer to the GSSP Guide for Students. Students must satisfy all requirements (including minimum enrollment and tuition time limits) as specified by the rules of the Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP). (For a full description of the requirements and benefits of the GSSP, refer to the Graduate School’s GSSP webpage.) If these requirements (including level of stipend) are not met, students will be disqualified from participation in the GSSP.
Students will be provided with health insurance through the GSSP as long as they are on an assistantship appointment meeting the eligibility rules of the Plan.
Students must meet the registration requirement by 5:00pm on Census Date, continue to be a full-time student throughout the semester, and must have a qualifying appointment with an effective date of Census Date or earlier to be eligible for tuition coverage through GSSP.
To be eligible for the GSSP, a graduate student must:

an annual stipend of at least $8,000 ($3,000/semester or $1,000/summer session)
the appointment must begin on or before Census Day
the appointment must extend at least 30 days beyond the first day of classes

Master’s student – 4 semesters from initial enrollment in a graduate program at NC State
PhD student with a previous related Master’s Degree – 8 semesters from initial enrollment in a graduate program at NC State
PhD student without a previous related Master’s Degree – 10 semesters from initial enrollment in a graduate program at NC State
students enrolled in distance education sub-plans are not eligible for GSSP benefits

If you have a TA or RA Appointment or a Fellowship, and terminate your appointment mid-semester, your GSSP support will be affected.
The Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP) Handbook explains your plan benefits and how your tuition and health insurance coverage will be affected if you terminate an appointment mid-semester.

ECE Department Graduation Ceremony and University CommencementRefer to the Graduation Ceremony and ECE Graduation webpages for updates and more information about the ECE Department graduation ceremony. Refer to the Registration & Records Graduation webpage for information and updates about the University Commencement Ceremony.
Refer to the Registration & Records Graduation webpage for General Graduation information, including the process to Apply to Graduate, Diploma Distribution and Degree Posting.

Inviting family and friends to your Graduation Ceremony

Students receive information about the Fall ECE Department graduation ceremony in early November, and about the Spring ECE Department graduation ceremony in early April. This email includes information on obtaining tickets for family and friends.
If your family or friends are not located within the US and you would like to invite them to attend your graduation ceremony, please refer to the Family section of the Office of International Services (OIS) website, look under Visas for Dependents (J-2 and F-2). Here you will find information related to travel and inviting relatives and friends to your graduation, as well as an example of “a letter of invitation.” This invitation letter template will guide you to write your own letter of invitation that you can send to family and friends.

Diploma Distribution
The Office of Registration & Records is responsible for degree certificates and diplomas for the university. Diplomas will be mailed to the address listed as your Diploma or Home/Mailing address in your MyPack Portal. Graduates can expect degrees to be posted on their transcript approximately two weeks after the graduation date. Refer to the Graduation webpage for more details.
Students earning a Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy degree will receive a diploma designating the degree, but not the major or program of study. For more information, refer to the Graduate School handbook Diplomas section.

Letter of Degree Completion
Students should obtain a letter of completion from the Graduate School, rather than from the ECE Department. Once you complete your degree requirements, the Graduate School will be able to issue you a Letter of Completion that you can take to your employer. This will certify that you have completed all requirements for your degree. Contact Jennifer Beaman (jmcrumb@ncsu.edu), in the Graduate School, with this request.If you are a Master’s-thesis or PhD student, you will need to complete your oral exam, submit your final error free thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School, and your Plan of Work committee will need to approve your final dissertation before the Graduate School will be able to issue a Letter of Completion.
Request an Official Transcript
Transcripts can be ordered online by current students, alumni, and former students of the university after a semester or degree has been completed. Please refer to the Registration & Records Request a Transcript webpage for more information.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT):

Refer to the Office of International Services (OIS) FAQ page on CPT. More information about Curricular Practical Training (CPT) can be found here. Please read the entire CPT Information Packet and complete the F-1 Student Application for F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT). Once you have filled out the CPT Application, complete the ECE Grad Office CPT Checklist found on Documents & Forms webpage in this Current Graduate Student Portal, and then submit it to the ECE Graduate Office. You may leave it in the ECE Graduate Office Drop-Box, which is located in the hallway outside EB2 3014. The Director of Graduate Programs will review and approve your CPT Application. The ECE Graduate Office will notify you by email when your application is ready to be picked-up.

After your CPT has been approved by OIS and the Co-op Office, your Co-op Coordinator will advise you on which COP course to take during your CPT semester (Graduate students will register for COP 500 if they are working full time (more than 20 hours/week) or COP 501 if they are working part time (20 hours/week or less). Your Coordinator will then either schedule you for the correct COP course or clear you to enroll yourself.

International students must maintain full-time enrollment in addition to enrolling in COP 500/501.

Optional Practical Training (OPT):

Please read the Office of International Services (OIS) FAQ page on OPT. More information about Optional Practical Training (OPT) can be found here. Read this information and complete the Advisor’s Recommendation Form. Once you have filled out the Advisor’s Recommendation Form, submit it to the ECE Graduate Office. You may leave it in the ECE Graduate Office Drop-Box, which is located in the hallway outside EB2 3014. The Director of Graduate Programs will review and approve your OPT Application. The ECE Graduate Office will notify you by email when your application is ready to be picked-up.

TAs, and RAs: Refer to the Human Resources For Students webpage for new employee instructions, payroll taxes and direct deposit information, and the bi-weekly payroll schedule. The Assistantship Terms & Conditions includes information on the appointment start and end dates and the stipend amount. Paychecks are issued bi-weekly. Refer to The Graduate School’s Fellowship Stipend Payment Schedule for payment dates. Students must enroll in Direct Deposit through “Employee Self Service” via the MyPack Portal in order to receive their Teaching or Research Assistantship stipend. Failure to do so will result in a delay in the payment of the stipend.

Fellowship and Financial Aid Recipients: Students must enroll in Direct Deposit through “Student Self Service” via the MyPack Portal in order to receive their Fellowship award or Financial Aid payment. Information regarding Direct Deposit enrollment in Student Self Service is available on the Cashier’s Office Direct Deposit webpage.

Foreign national students receiving a TA, RA or Fellowship must meet with the Foreign National Taxation Office to complete a tax assessment and to sign appropriate tax forms. For more information regarding payroll and taxation of foreign nationals, please see the New Foreign National Employment website.

Apply for a Research Assistant (RA) Appointment

Research Assistants are appointed by faculty members. Discuss possible research projects with the faculty.

Apply for a Teaching Assistant (TA) Appointment

Please read ECE TA Positions Summary by the Associate Department Head for complete information.

ECE-TA-Positions-Summary Download

Apply for a Teaching Assistant appointment via the TA Information Tab in the GradWatch portal. Update the Course Confidence Listing and complete the TA Application each semester you want to request a TA position. You will not be considered for a TA appointment if you have not applied for a TA position through GradWatch.

To be eligible for a TA position:

You must be enrolled full-time for the semester in which you are requesting a TA position. Enroll full-time prior to Census Date and maintain your full-time enrollment status throughout the semester.
Academic Standing: must be Good Standing
Overall GPA: must be 3.333 or higher
Demonstrate English Language Proficiency (see below for more information)
Apply for a TA position in GradWatch

English Language Proficiency for Teaching Assistants

All non-US citizen students (i.e., non-resident aliens and permanent residents) must demonstrate proficiency in English at a level necessary to be successful as a teaching assistant. Refer to the Graduate School’s English Proficiency Requirements for International Applicants for more information. This requirement can be met in one of the following ways:

Be a citizen of a country where English is the official language and the language of instruction in higher education.
Have successfully completed at least one year of full-time study in a degree program at a four-year US college or university.
Provide a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet-based Test (iBT) score. The ECE Department requires a total score of at least 90 points and a Speaking score of at least 26 points for a TA appointment. Please note that the ECE Department requirement differs from the Graduate School requirement. The Graduate School requires a total score of at least 80 points and a Speaking score of 23 points for a TA appointment where the TA has direct verbal interactions with students or 26 points for a TA appointment where the TA presents lectures in the class or laboratory.
Provide an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score. The ECE Department and Graduate School both require an Overall Band score of at least 6.5 points and a Speaking score of at least 7.0 points for a TA appointment.
If a student receives a TOEFL iBT Speaking Section score below 26, or an IELTS Speaking Section score below 7.0, then the SPEAK Test (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) is required. A student may only take the SPEAK test twice and those dates must be at least 5 months apart. Scores are valid for one year. A student must receive scores of at least 48 on both the General and Pronunciation sections to be cleared for full teaching responsibilities. A student who receives a score below 48 on either section may have limited teaching responsibilities, with a senior TA or a professor who has primary responsibility. The student should be limited to TA responsibilities that do not involve explaining things to undergraduates, such as grading or setting up labs. The ECE Department requires students to receive SPEAK Test scores of 48 or to maintain a TA position after the first two academic semesters at NC State. Students with scores below 48 will only be eligible for limited teaching responsibilities. Students with scores of 48 or higher will be cleared for full teaching responsibilities.
Students who receive a SPEAK Test score below 48 should sign up for FLE 400 and/or FLE 401 to improve their spoken English. This course will be taken for Credit Only (Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) grade) and will not count towards MS or PhD degree requirements. Students who receive a SPEAK Test score of 35 or 40, should expect to take at least 2 semesters of English instruction to reach a score of 48 or higher. It is recommended that students enroll in FLE 400 in the first semester, and enroll in FLE 401 the following semester. Students will be re-evaluated when they complete FLE 401. Students who receive a SPEAK Test score of 45 should enroll in FLE 401. Students will be re-evaluated at the end of the semester. The ECE Department requires students to successfully complete FLE 401 and earn a 48 or greater on the pronunciation portion of the final exam to be eligible for a TA appointment. Students who receive a 48 or greater will be cleared for full teaching responsibilities.

SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) Test

If you are an international graduate student for whom English is a second language, you wish to be appointed as a Teaching Assistant, and you scored below 26 on the Speaking Section of the TOEFL iBT, or below 7.0 on the Speaking Section of the IELTS, you will need to take the SPEAK Test. Information on the SPEAK test can be found here. Contact the ECE Graduate Office at ecegradoffice@ncsu.edu to request to make an appointment to take the SPEAK Test. Students must wait five months between tests.

English as a Second Language Courses

International students can attend English as a Second Language courses for credit, 5-week Summer intensive Englishcourses, and free Conversation and Pronunciation classes. More information can be found on the English as a Second Language website.

TA Advising Room

The Teaching Assistant (TA) Advising Area is in Engineering Building 2 (EB2) on the third floor at the west end of the hallway. There is an area set aside for TA use with tables and a white board. TAs do not need to make a reservation to use the area.

TA Copier Use

Please use the copier in room 3018 in EB2, on the third floor, across from the ECE Graduate Office. TAs have SID card access.

Non-Thesis MS-EE and CPE Students, including the Distance Education Option

Non-Thesis MS-CNE Students, including the Distance Education Option

MS-EPSE Students

Thesis MS Students and PhD Students

Appointments with the Director of Graduate Programs

Phone

Advising Hours

Mail

Office of Graduate Programs
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Box 7911
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7911