Best Electrical Engineering Master’s Programs in Arizona
Arizona State separates its professional electrical MSE from its thesis-based electrical MS. The MSE finishes with a portfolio based on seminar attendance and review, alongside thirty credits of graduate study. That distinction gives applicants a practical starting point: choose the professional award when its coursework and portfolio match your purpose, then evaluate its actual electrical specialization requirements.
Our 2026 selection of electrical engineering master’s programs in Arizona reviews ASU's MSE at Tempe and online. The degree supports several electrical specialties, but the available format depends on the specialty. In particular, the control-systems specialization is campus based. An applicant interested in automation should check that limitation before assuming that every advertised area can be completed remotely.
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How we ranked electrical engineering master’s programs in Arizona
This Arizona selection examines the professional Master of Science in Engineering in Electrical Engineering at Arizona State. The degree page supplies its course distribution, culminating portfolio, application requirements and format restrictions. The research MS has a different purpose and should be evaluated through its own requirements.
ASU is selected for a clearly defined professional electrical curriculum, an explicit culminating portfolio and documented campus and online options. The assessment also considers the outside-specialization requirement and restrictions on lower-level or independent work. Those details help explain what the award requires beyond its thirty-credit headline.
ASU directs applicants to its tuition estimator for a full-time or part-time program-specific estimate before financial aid. Select Electrical Engineering MSE and the intended Tempe or online format, then use the applicable residency and enrollment assumptions. Living expenses and individual aid should be budgeted separately.
Arizona State's electrical MSE is a professional degree built from ten or more courses and a portfolio based on electrical-engineering seminars. It is distinct from the research-thesis MS. The MSE requires both specialty work and courses outside the specialty, with minimums for EEE and graduate-level courses. Tempe and online study are available, but the subject menu differs: control systems is a campus specialization and is not an online option. For a working engineer, that distinction should be checked before choosing the format or assuming a general electrical title includes every desired advanced topic.
Where it stands out
ASU suits a student who wants a course-based professional master’s in power, circuits, communications, electromagnetics or another listed electrical area. Its portfolio requirement provides a defined finish without a research thesis, and the outside-specialty course requirement keeps the plan from narrowing to one technical subject alone.
What to weigh
The MSE is not the thesis-based electrical MS, and its portfolio draws on seminar attendance and review. Online students cannot choose the control-systems specialization. Admission remains competitive even when an applicant meets the stated GPA threshold, and course selection must satisfy the program's category and level limits.
Attendance:The control-systems specialization is offered on campus and is not an online option.
The professional MSE requires 30 semester credits of coursework and a portfolio based on attendance and review of School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering seminars.
The plan includes at least five EEE courses, at least three EEE 500-level courses and at least two courses outside the specialization.
No more than two 400-level courses and one approved EEE 590 or FSE course may be used under the published requirements.
Areas of focus
Control systems (on campus)
Electric power and energy systems
Electromagnetics, antennas and microwave circuits
Electronic and mixed-signal circuit design
Physical electronics and photonics
Signal processing and communications
Admission & progression
Applicants must meet both Graduate College and engineering-school requirements. Electrical engineering bachelor’s preparation is preferred.
The program sets a 3.0 GPA minimum over the final two undergraduate years and considers several factors in admission.
Application materials include official transcripts, a statement of purpose and required English-proficiency evidence.
Research & project requirements
The culminating portfolio is based on attendance and review of department-hosted seminars.
Course choices can develop work in analog and mixed-signal circuits, digital systems, power, communications or other approved electrical subjects.
The professional MSE is distinct from the separate thesis-based MS degree.
What matters in electrical engineering master’s programs in Arizona
Professional degree structure
The MSE culminates in a seminar-based portfolio rather than the thesis used in the separate research MS.
Electrical course distribution
EEE course and graduate-level minimums support the chosen specialization while requiring technical breadth.
Specialization and format
The online option applies to eligible specializations; control systems requires campus study.
How ASU structures its professional electrical MSE
The ASU degree requirements call for thirty credits, at least ten classes and a portfolio based on seminar attendance and review. At least five courses must carry the EEE prefix, including at least three at the 500 level or above. These are useful checks when a student wants to combine electrical work with approved courses elsewhere in engineering.
The degree also requires at least two courses outside the specialization. No more than one EEE 590 or FSE course and no more than two 400-level courses can count under the published rules. A prospective student should map those limits before choosing electives, then confirm the plan through the program's advising process. The portfolio is the formal culminating requirement; it should not be described as a substitute name for an experimental thesis or a promised faculty research appointment.
Choosing an Arizona electrical specialization and attendance format
ASU lists control systems; electric power and energy systems; electromagnetics, antennas and microwave circuits; electronic and mixed-signal circuit design; physical electronics and photonics; and signal processing and communications. Those subjects involve different technical preparation. For example, a circuits applicant may need a different sequence of prerequisites and advanced electives from a student planning work in electromagnetic systems.
Control systems is not available through the online MSE format. For other specialties, an applicant should still check the current course schedule and the approved online plan before committing to a particular pace. If your interests connect control theory with machines and automation, the integrated degree choices at Mechatronics Programs and the mechanical engineering rankings can help clarify the discipline you want to study. The electrical MSE should be chosen for its own curriculum and finishing requirements.
Preparing an application and budget for ASU’s MSE
The program identifies a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering as preferred preparation and allows applicants from related fields. Its published academic standard is a 3.0 GPA in the final two years of the bachelor's degree. Applicants submit transcripts and a statement of purpose, with English-proficiency evidence where required. Use that statement to connect prior technical study with an intended specialization rather than assuming that general interest in technology establishes readiness for graduate electrical courses.
ASU directs applicants to its tuition estimator. Select the actual MSE, campus or online format, residency and intended enrollment when building a budget. A figure for undergraduate engineering or a different graduate award would not describe this program's charges. Consider how the minimum ten-class plan fits the terms you expect to attend, then add personal study expenses and any travel associated with your chosen format. The engineering cost guide provides a planning framework; the national electrical master’s ranking shows other professional and thesis structures. Read the methodology and the separate Arizona bachelor’s rankings for undergraduate options.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Which electrical engineering master’s programs in Arizona are reviewed?+
This collection reviews Arizona State’s professional electrical MSE, including Tempe and eligible online specializations. The separate thesis MS is a different award with its own requirements.
Does ASU’s electrical MSE require a thesis?+
The professional MSE requires a portfolio based on seminar attendance and review. It should be distinguished from ASU’s separate research MS rather than described as a thesis program.
Can the control-systems specialization be completed online?+
ASU identifies control systems as unavailable online in this MSE. An applicant pursuing that specialization should plan around the campus option and confirm the intended course sequence.
How much electrical coursework must be included in the MSE?+
At least five courses must be EEE courses, including at least three at the 500 level or above. The degree also requires at least two courses outside the chosen specialization and limits certain independent and 400-level coursework.
Continue your graduate research
Read the degree requirements behind each ranking
Use the school reviews to check how each program structures coursework, projects and research. Our methodology explains how we select programs and assess their fit.
