Electrical and Computer Engineering

Return to: School of Graduate Engineering and Applied Science  

The Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers the Master of Engineering, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in both electrical engineering and computer engineering. The selection of a degree program depends upon the interest and background of each individual. Students may apply to both programs or choose one program.  Both Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering’s  Graduate Handbooks which describe requirements of the graduate program are available from the department or on-line at www.ece.virginia.edu and www.cpe.virginia.edu . Financial aid is available to qualified graduate students in the form of graduate research or teaching assistantships and fellowships. The Computer Engineering degrees are offered in conjunction with the Computer Science Department.

The department also offers a part-time degree program in which an employed engineer is able to work toward a masters degree in electrical engineering with a minimum of absence from work. At least  two-thirds (and possibly all) of the master’s degree requirements can be completed through courses offered by the University of Virginia Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program (CGEP). These courses are also available to those who wish to increase their knowledge of electrical engineering but do not wish to enroll in a formal degree program.

Research and programs of study within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are conducted primarily in the areas of   computer engineering, communications and signal processing, controls systems and applied electro-physics.

Research in computer engineering typically includes computer architecture, parallel and grid computing, computer networks, digital system design methodologies, computer security, cyber-physical and embedded systems, distributed, mobile, and cloud computing, dependable computing, lower-power and high performance VLSI, wireless health devices, networks, and systems, computer vision, graphics, and image analysis.  Faculty includes: Professors Aylor, Calhoun, Dugan, Johnson, Lach, Stan, Veeraraghavan, and Williams.

Communications and signal processing continues to provide exciting research opportunities. New developments in communications and signal processing science and engineering, as well as advances in device technologies continue to take place especially in the areas of wireless and optical communications and medical imaging. The faculty brings expertise spanning the full range of communication and signal processing theory and engineering to the next generation of communications challenges. Areas of expertise include digital modulation and error control coding; wireless communication, including smart antenna technology; statistical signal processing; optical communications, including fiber and wireless infrared systems; multi-user spread spectrum system analysis; detection and estimation; resource-efficient multiuser communication; and medical imaging. Faculty includes Professors Acton, Brandt-Pearce, Berger, Weller, and Wilson.

Research in control systems includes several areas in systems and control theory and their applications. The theoretical work spans the areas of adaptive control, nonlinear control, and robust control. Specific topics of interest include control design for systems with nonlinearities, such as backlash, deadzone, failures, hysteresis and saturation, stabilization of nonlinear systems, feedback linearization, sliding mode control, and multivariable adaptive control. Some of the applications of this theoretical work are artificial heart pumps, flight control systems, robotics, high speed rotors suspended on magnetic bearings, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV). Faculty includes Professors Lin and Tao.

The focus of research in the area of applied electrophysics is in novel solid-state electronic materials, devices, and circuits for microelectronic, optoelectronic, and millimeter-wave applications. Much of the research in this area includes the development of novel devices and systems and is conducted in the Semiconductor Device Laboratories. These laboratories share major fabrication, test, and computing resources, including a 3,500 square foot clean room facility for microelectronic fabrication equipped with molecular beam epitaxy systems for epitaxial growth, lithography with nanometer capability, reactive ion etching, evaporation and sputter deposition of metals, insulators, and superconducting films. Equipment available for material and device evaluation includes a field emission scanning electron microscope with one nanometer resolution, a photoluminescence system, a semiconductor parameter analyzer, a surface profiler, and a variety of optical microscopes, curve tracers, and other equipment. Microwave equipment includes network analyzers, sweep oscillators, and a variety of waveguide components, sources, and detectors for millimeter- and submillimeter-wave applications. Faculty includes: Professors Barker, Bean, Beling, Bowers, Campbell, Gelmont, Ghosh, Globus, Gupta, Harriott, Hesler, Holmes, Lichtenberger, Reed, Swami, and Weikle.

The department and the University provide a wide range of computing facilities that support both research and education.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering participates in the Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program (CGEP) by presenting graduate-level courses in a distributed learning environment.  CGEP students achieve a Master of Materials Science and Engineering degree. CGEP students participate in live class sessions alongside their student peers sitting in the classroom, accessing the interactive sessions via their computer and internet connection.  Class sessions are also recorded for later viewing/reviewing.