Electrical Engineering Department

Contact Information

Thomas P Montoya
Interim EE Department Head and Associate Professor
Electrical Engineering/Physics 311/325
Phone: (605) 394-1219 or (605) 394-2459;
Email: Thomas.Montoya@sdsmt.edu

Shankarachary Ragi
Assistant Professor and EE Graduate Program Coordinator
Electrical Engineering/Physics 319
Phone: (605) 394-4184
Email: Shankarachary.Ragi@sdsmt.edu

Faculty

Associate Professor Montoya; Assistant Professors Ragi, Roy, Trampel, and Zhao; Lecturer Thornburg; Research Scientist IV Hong

MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering

The Department of Electrical Engineering offers MS and PhD degrees. The MS in Electrical Engineering program is ranked in TOP 25 Masters Programs in the Nation (Ranked 24th) by College Choice ranking. The graduate program offers numerous opportunities for innovative scholarly research, projects, and state of the art graduate courses.

Research Areas

EE faculty research emphasis areas include autonomous systems/vehicles (e.g., AUV, UGV, UAV), robotics, computer vision, control theory, electronic materials, organic electronic devices (e.g., OLED and solar cells), wireless communications and networking, antennas, applied electromagnetics, power systems, and the smart grid.

Degree Options

The Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) degree is offered with a thesis option and a non-thesis (coursework only or including a project) option. Qualified SD Mines undergraduates may pursue an Accelerated MS in either option. The PhD degree is also offered.

Accelerated MS Program

The Accelerated Masters MSEE program is available only to SD Mines students to complete their BS and MS degree requirements in as little as 5 years. Interested SD Mines students can apply to the Accelerated MSEE program at the beginning of their junior year. Students admitted to the Accelerated MS program may apply up to 12 credits of 400/500/600 level courses taken as an undergraduate to satisfy the required 30 credits of the MSEE degree. The Accelerated MS program is available for both the thesis and the non-thesis option. It is encouraged that the student align their BS senior design project with the eventual graduate thesis or project. Contact the graduate program coordinator and/or the department head and/or for assistance.

Additional policies concerning accelerated MS degrees can be found in the requirements and policies applied to all graduate degrees by the Council of Graduate Education.

Outcomes

Graduates of the MS in Electrical Engineering program are expected to:

Demonstrate technical knowledge of the concepts and terminology of electrical engineering.
Analyze, interpret, and evaluate scientific and/or engineering data and methods associated with this field of study.
Explore and evaluate scientific and technical literature relative to the discipline of electrical engineering.
Communicate effectively in both written and oral form.

Graduates of the PhD in Electrical Engineering program are expected to:

Demonstrate knowledge of advanced electrical engineering topics.
Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of technical concepts and state-of-the art literature within the student’s chosen area of specialization.
Conduct basic or applied research to expand knowledge and/or approaches/methods in one or more specialized areas of electrical engineering.
Communicate effectively in both written and oral form.
Be experts/scholars as well as leaders for academia, government, and industry in their profession.

Financial support

A limited number of fellowships and assistantships are available to qualified students. All applicants are automatically considered for assistantships.

Background requirements

Students applying for the EE graduate program are generally expected to have a baccalaureate degree in electrical engineering or in related fields. Students with other engineering or science backgrounds are encouraged to discuss their interest and background with the graduate program coordinator or department head for assistance in developing an appropriate plan.

Admission requirements

Applicants are required to provide official transcripts, GRE scores, one-page statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and other items noted within the application process. International applicants will need to provide evidence of English proficiency, except for applicants from countries where English is the native language. The GRE is waived for (1) Mines students and alumni, (2) graduates of ABET accredited institutions, and (3) non-thesis Master’s applicants. The third party transcript evaluation is waived for international transcripts. Successful applicants typically have GRE scores above the 50th percentile and BS GPA above 3.0. Consult with the graduate program coordinator for specific questions and requirements.

Transfer credits

Policies for transferring credits from outside institutions can be found in the requirements and policies applied to all graduate degrees by the Council of Graduate Education. All transfers are subject to approval by the student’s advisor or advisory committee.