Best Electrical Engineering Master’s Programs in Montana
Montana State's Plan B electrical MS requires a professional paper and a comprehensive oral examination. The paper reports a focused engineering project under an advisor, while the examination covers the paper and broader knowledge from the student's coursework. This professional finish provides a different commitment from the ten-credit thesis in the separate Plan A degree.
Our 2026 selection of electrical engineering master’s programs in Montana reviews Montana State's Plan B MS in Bozeman. The current catalog sets a thirty-credit structure with twenty-seven coursework credits and three professional-paper credits. Students establish their project, advisor, supervisory committee and approved Program of Study early, making the availability of suitable supervision central to the graduate decision.
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How we ranked electrical engineering master’s programs in Montana
The Montana collection reviews Montana State's electrical MS with the professional-paper option. The 2026–27 catalog provides the standard Plan B credit distribution, and the ECE handbook explains project supervision, the final examination and funding. Graduate admission requirements identify the technical preparation and research-interest statement expected of applicants.
Montana State is selected for a faculty-supervised professional investigation supported by advanced electrical coursework. The assessment considers the early committee timeline, paper approval and comprehensive examination. It also distinguishes MS research and teaching support from the department's separate MEng, which has different academic and funding arrangements.
MS in Electrical Engineering, Plan B Professional Paper
Bozeman, MT
Semester credits
30
Study format
On campus
Funding & assistantships
MS applicants are considered for support without a separate application. Faculty choose research assistants for specific funded projects, generally providing a stipend, tuition and fees according to the award. Teaching assistantships typically provide a monthly stipend and academic-year tuition waiver for half-time duties, while fees may remain payable. The separate MEng is not eligible for departmental financial support.
Montana State's Plan B electrical MS uses a professional paper to connect advanced courses with a focused engineering project. The current catalog describes twenty-seven coursework credits and three paper credits, with at least seventeen coursework credits at the 500–600 level. Students establish a project advisor, supervisory committee and approved Program of Study by the end of their second semester. The final oral examination addresses the paper and a broader range of knowledge from the student's coursework.
Where it stands out
Plan B suits an applicant seeking a supervised professional investigation in areas such as sensing, photonics, energy, communications or embedded computation. The paper can report research, design or educational work at an early-career professional level, without requiring the breadth or originality expected of the separate thesis option.
What to weigh
The MS still requires a viable project and faculty supervision. Students who have not identified a research project by the end of their second semester are transferred to the separate MEng under departmental policy, which changes funding eligibility. Assistantships depend on teaching needs or funded research, and a TA tuition waiver can leave fees payable.
The 2026–27 catalog’s Plan B requires thirty credits: three EELE 575 professional-paper credits and twenty-seven coursework credits, including at least seventeen at the 500–600 level.
The catalog limits 400-level work to ten credits, independent study to six, and independent study plus seminars to ten. The advisor and supervisory committee approve the Program of Study by the end of the second semester.
The professional paper reports a faculty-approved research, design, educational or practice-oriented project. Students complete a comprehensive oral examination on the paper and related coursework.
Admission & progression
Applicants need an ECE or closely related bachelor’s degree and at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA for MS consideration.
The current handbook requires three reference letters and a one-page statement identifying research interests and specific Montana State programs. GRE scores are not required.
Priority deadlines for full admission and support consideration are January 15 for fall and September 15 for spring. Related-field entrants may need additional electrical preparation and must meet applicable language requirements.
Research & project requirements
Students choose a project advisor and a supervisory committee by the end of the second semester. The committee includes a chair and at least two additional members.
The advisor-approved professional paper reaches the committee at least two weeks before the final examination. Its format can follow conventions appropriate to the electrical subject.
Research areas include sensors, photonics, communications, energy and materials, MEMS and computation. The paper can address professional practice without requiring the scope of an original research thesis.
What matters in electrical engineering master’s programs in Montana
A professional investigation
The paper develops an advisor-approved engineering problem without requiring the scope of the separate thesis option.
Advanced coursework supporting the project
The standard catalog plan includes seventeen or more 500–600-level coursework credits.
Early supervision and academic approval
The project advisor, committee and Program of Study are established by the end of the second semester.
What Montana State’s electrical MS professional paper involves
The ECE handbook describes Plan B work at the level of an early-career practicing engineer. A project can address a focused research, design or educational subject approved by the advisor. It must involve substantial student effort, but it need not produce the original research or breadth expected of a thesis. The paper's scope should be agreed upon early so that the courses and project work support the same technical objective.
The 2026–27 Plan B catalog allocates three credits to EELE 575 and twenty-seven to courses, including at least seventeen at the 500–600 level. It limits 400-level courses to ten credits, independent study to six, and independent study plus seminars to ten. The approved plan should identify how each proposed class meets these categories, especially when including a course from an allied department.
The committee and final examination in Montana’s reviewed electrical MS
Students choose an appropriate project advisor and form a supervisory committee by the end of the second semester. The committee includes a chair and at least two additional members, with specified ECE faculty representation. It approves the Program of Study and examines the student before graduation. The advisor reads and approves the professional paper, while the committee evaluates the student's performance in the comprehensive oral examination.
The approved paper must reach the committee at least two weeks before the examination. The final examination is a closed meeting addressing the paper, coursework and knowledge expected of a beginning professional in the field. Paper format can follow conventions appropriate to the subject, with additional requirements if it is submitted through the university's thesis repository process. Plan writing, advisor revisions and committee review alongside the project's technical work. Other supervised finishes appear in the national electrical master’s ranking.
Preparation and funding for electrical engineering master’s programs in Montana
MS applicants need an ECE or closely related bachelor's degree and at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. The handbook requires three reference letters and a one-page statement describing research interests and specific Montana State programs. GRE scores are not required. Related-field entrants may need additional electrical preparation, and applicable language requirements must be met. Priority deadlines for full admission and support consideration are January 15 for fall and September 15 for spring.
MS applicants are considered for financial support without a separate application. Research assistants work on faculty-funded projects, generally with stipend, tuition and fee support according to the award. Teaching assistants typically receive a monthly stipend and academic-year tuition waiver for half-time duties, with fees potentially remaining payable. The separate MEng is ineligible for departmental support. Evaluate the actual offer with the cost guide, read the methodology and compare undergraduate preparation through the Montana bachelor’s rankings.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Which electrical engineering master’s programs in Montana are reviewed?+
This collection reviews Montana State’s electrical MS Plan B in Bozeman. The degree combines advanced coursework with a professional paper and comprehensive oral examination.
Must the Montana State professional paper be an original research thesis?+
The paper can address a faculty-approved research, design or educational project at a professional level. It does not require the scope or originality expected of the separate thesis option.
When does a Plan B student form the supervisory committee?+
The advisor, committee and approved Program of Study must be established by the end of the second semester. The committee guides completion and conducts the final oral examination.
What does Montana State’s Plan B oral examination cover?+
The examination covers the professional paper and broader knowledge from the student’s coursework. The advisor-approved paper must reach the committee at least two weeks before the examination.
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