UAlbany Launches Engineering Dual Degree Program

UAlbany is launching a dual degree program in electrical and computer engineering which will provide top undergraduates the opportunity to earn a master's degree in five years. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 26, 2020) – The University at Albany is expanding its electrical and computer engineering program, and employers, students, as well as the community stand to benefit without delay.

UAlbany’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences has been notified that its new B.S./M.S. in electrical and computer engineering has been approved by the New York State Department of Education, and students can begin enrolling immediately.

The program combines the bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering (ECE) with the master’s degree program which were launched in 2018. The first group of students from the programs graduated in 2019.

Students accepted to the accelerated B.S./M.S. program may count up to 6 credit hours of graduate-level courses towards the ECE Electives within the registered B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering Program. These 6 credit hours will also be used to satisfy part of the depth, breadth, and/or technical elective requirements of the registered M.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering Program.

Students may be admitted to the program after completing the fall of their junior year or after the successful completion of 75 credit hours of the B.S. ECE program. A GPA of 3.2 or higher and three supportive letters of recommendation from faculty are required. The admissions decision will strongly weigh student performance in their mathematics and ECE courses which are strong predictors of future success in graduate courses.

“We are very pleased to offer this program to prospective students,” said CEAS Dean Kim L. Boyer. “It provides real value in engineering education, presenting greater career options to our graduates with just one additional year of study. With a similar program in computer science already running, we will provide this same opportunity across all CEAS disciplines as we continue to build and expand the college.”

“This new combination degree program will give our best undergraduates an opportunity to get a Master’s degree in five years, opening new and better job opportunities and paths for additional study,” said Gary Saulnier, chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Created in 2015 to provide an affordable first-class engineering education, expand the university’s research portfolio, and drive regional economic development, CEAS began by offering the Capital Region’s first public option in computer engineering.

Since that time the college has expanded to offer programs in electrical and computer engineering, as well as a unique in the nation program in environmental and sustainable engineering. Programs in other engineering disciplines are currently in development.

Once renovations on the Schuyler Building are complete, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will be located on UAlbany's Downtown Campus.

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