Best Electrical Engineering Master’s Programs in Colorado
Colorado Mines puts a twelve-credit technical core inside each track of its electrical MS. Students choose antennas and wireless communications, power and energy systems, or information and systems sciences, then complete the approved courses and finishing requirements around that choice. The track decision therefore belongs near the start of planning the degree.
Our 2026 selection of electrical engineering master’s programs in Colorado reviews Mines's campus MS in Electrical Engineering. It has thesis and non-thesis options, each requiring thirty credits and regular graduate seminar registration. Mines also offers a separate professional online master's with a different structure. Keep the campus MS requirements attached to the award reviewed here when comparing courses, supervision and graduate support.
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How we ranked electrical engineering master’s programs in Colorado
The Colorado collection reviews the Colorado School of Mines electrical MS. The graduate catalog documents its three tracks, thesis and non-thesis credit allocations, advisor rules and admission preparation. The funding discussion uses Mines's graduate appointment guidance and distinguishes specific appointment benefits from general student employment.
Mines is selected for a clear track core, formal research supervision and an explicit graduate seminar requirement. The review also considers related-field admission and the limits on transfer and independent-study credits. These features explain the selected program's structure and the planning questions an applicant should resolve.
Mines makes graduate appointments available to fully admitted graduate students, subject to funding, registration and satisfactory academic progress. RA and TA responsibilities differ from hourly employment. The individual graduate contract controls support; graduate hourly appointments do not include tuition, mandatory-fee or health-insurance remission.
Colorado Mines organizes its electrical MS around three tracks: antennas and wireless communications, power and energy systems, and information and systems sciences. Each uses a twelve-credit core inside a thirty-credit degree. Thesis students combine that core with technical electives and six research credits; non-thesis students devote the remaining credits to approved courses. All students register for the graduate electrical seminar during fall and spring. This combination of a track core, seminar participation and an approved advisor gives the program more structure than an unrestricted collection of graduate electives.
Where it stands out
Mines suits a student who can identify a technical track before enrollment and wants either a defended thesis or advanced coursework in that area. The information and systems track is especially relevant to applicants connecting signals, control, optimization and intelligent machines within an electrical degree.
What to weigh
The campus MS is separate from Mines's professional online master's, which uses a different certificate-based structure. Applicants from related technical disciplines may need remedial undergraduate courses. Graduate appointments depend on funding and satisfactory progress, and the individual contract determines which tuition, fees or insurance benefits accompany a position.
The MS requires 30 semester credits. Thesis students complete 24 coursework credits and six thesis credits; non-thesis students complete 30 coursework credits.
Both options include a twelve-credit track core and zero-credit EENG 500 seminar registration each fall and spring semester.
Non-thesis technical electives include at least nine EENG credits. No more than six independent-study credits can satisfy degree requirements.
Areas of focus
Antennas and wireless communications
Power and energy systems
Information and systems sciences
Admission & progression
Applicants need a bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, a physical science or mathematics with a GPA of at least 3.0.
The department may require undergraduate remedial coursework to address technical deficiencies and may recommend regular or provisional admission.
Up to nine approved graduate credits from another university may transfer to the MS when earned with B or better and not already used for a bachelor’s degree.
Research & project requirements
Thesis students make a formal presentation and defense of their research before an approved committee.
Students choose among antennas and wireless communications, power and energy systems, or information and systems sciences.
Information and systems research includes control, optimization, signals, robotics and mechatronics; the other tracks address electromagnetic systems and electrical energy.
What matters in electrical engineering master’s programs in Colorado
A defined technical track
A twelve-credit core establishes the foundation for antennas, power or information-and-systems study.
A documented research finish
Thesis students complete six research credits and formally present and defend the work.
Appointment-specific funding
RA, TA and hourly appointments have different responsibilities and benefit arrangements.
Choosing a track in the Mines electrical MS
The electrical graduate catalog identifies antennas and wireless communications, power and energy systems, and information and systems sciences. Antenna research includes electromagnetic propagation, arrays and microwave or higher-frequency devices. Power and energy work addresses electrical machinery, renewable and distributed generation, power quality, electronics and drives. The information-and-systems area combines subjects such as control, optimization, signal processing and data science.
Each MS option contains a twelve-credit track core. The thesis route adds twelve technical-elective credits and six thesis credits. The non-thesis route adds eighteen technical-elective credits, including at least nine EENG credits. No more than six independent-study credits can count toward the degree. Students also register for the zero-credit EENG 500 seminar each fall and spring semester. That regular participation belongs in the academic schedule even though it does not increase the thirty-credit total.
Faculty supervision and preparation for electrical graduate study
Mines requires an EE faculty advisor to direct the student's academic plan, research and independent studies. A thesis committee has at least three members, including the advisor and another permanent EE faculty member. The thesis culminates in a formal presentation and defense. Investigate suitable supervision early and connect the proposed technical courses to the work you hope to complete, especially when choosing a research-intensive plan.
Applicants need a bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, a physical science or mathematics with at least a 3.0 GPA. The department can require undergraduate remedial coursework and may recommend regular or provisional admission. For an applicant interested in robotics or intelligent machines, the information-and-systems area includes robotics and mechatronics research. The degree choices at Mechatronics Programs can help clarify how an integrated engineering interest relates to this electrical graduate track.
Transfer credit and funding for the Mines electrical MS
Up to nine graduate credits from another university may transfer into the MS with the required approvals. The catalog requires a grade equivalent to B or better and excludes courses already used toward a bachelor's degree. The master's completion limit is five years from admission. Use those rules to build a realistic schedule if you have prior graduate work or expect to study over a longer period, then confirm how the intended courses fit the approved track.
Graduate appointments depend on funding, appropriate registration and satisfactory academic progress. Mines distinguishes research assistantships, teaching assistantships and hourly graduate employment; hourly appointments do not include tuition, mandatory-fee or health-insurance remission. The individual contract records the actual benefits and responsibilities. That distinction matters when estimating the cost of a thesis MS from a proposed job or support offer. The cost guide and national master’s ranking provide other financial and academic structures to compare. Read the methodology or the separate Colorado bachelor’s rankings for selection criteria and undergraduate routes.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Which electrical engineering master’s programs in Colorado are reviewed?+
This collection reviews the Colorado School of Mines campus electrical MS. Its thesis and non-thesis requirements are kept separate from the university’s professional online electrical master’s.
Do Mines electrical MS students choose a technical track?+
Yes. The three tracks are antennas and wireless communications, power and energy systems, and information and systems sciences. Each MS plan includes a twelve-credit track core.
Does the zero-credit seminar still require registration?+
The catalog requires EENG 500 registration each fall and spring semester. It is part of the program’s academic obligations even though it adds no credits toward the thirty-credit degree.
Does any Mines graduate job include a tuition waiver?+
No. Appointment benefits depend on the type and individual contract. The university states that graduate hourly appointments do not include tuition, mandatory-fee or health-insurance remission.
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.
