Best Electrical Engineering Master’s Programs in Wisconsin
Wisconsin–Madison’s ECE Research master’s offers a project path as well as a thesis path. The project is a faculty-advised research problem followed by an approved written report, generally narrower in scope than a thesis. It does not require the same library or electronic thesis deposit. That distinction gives an applicant a specific way to discuss the intended research product before choosing a graduate option.
Our 2026 selection of electrical engineering master’s programs in Wisconsin reviews UW–Madison’s thirty-credit Research option, focusing on the project path. At least three credits are research, while course-level and departmental requirements preserve a substantial advanced electrical component. The transcript identifies the Research named option, and the diploma remains an MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Funding eligibility and the degree’s actual report requirements deserve separate attention.
Electrical Engineering master’s rankings by state+
Jump to a program +
Inside this ranking
How we ranked electrical engineering master’s programs in Wisconsin
This Wisconsin selection covers the ECE MS Research named option at UW–Madison. The current graduate guide supplies the project, thesis, course and admission requirements, including the master’s funding policy. The university assistantship page establishes which appointments provide tuition remission and health-insurance eligibility.
UW–Madison is selected for supervised research with a documented project-report finish and explicit advanced-course standards. The review also considers the entering-fall seminar, degree-warrant process and limits on credits from research, independent study and internships. These details help distinguish the Research option from the university’s other ECE master’s offerings.
MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Research option
Madison, WI
Semester credits
30
Study format
On campus
Funding & assistantships
Research-option students are eligible for assistantships, but funding is limited and separately awarded. A qualifying single assistantship appointment of at least 33% provides a stipend and resident/nonresident tuition remission; segregated fees remain payable. Health-insurance eligibility has appointment-duration conditions and requires a premium. Hourly student employment does not carry the graduate benefits package.
Wisconsin–Madison’s ECE Research option includes a project path that ends with an advisor-approved research report. The thirty-credit degree retains demanding course categories: at least fifteen credits at the 700 level or above and at least fifteen ECE credits at 400 or above, with qualifying courses able to satisfy both. At least three research credits and an entering-fall seminar complete the required structure. The project report is generally narrower than a thesis and has its own approval and filing expectations.
Where it stands out
This option suits an applicant seeking faculty-supervised research without assuming that a formal thesis defense is the required finish. The application asks for a research interest and proposed advisor, helping connect admission planning to the work the student hopes to undertake.
What to weigh
Research-option eligibility does not guarantee funding; the program tells admitted master’s students to anticipate supporting themselves. An assistantship must meet the university’s appointment conditions to carry tuition remission, and hourly grading does not provide that benefits package. Students should also confirm how their courses satisfy overlapping requirements and the minimum residence-credit rule.
The Research option requires thirty credits, with at least fifteen credits in courses numbered 700 or above and at least fifteen ECE credits numbered 400 or above. The requirements may overlap where a course qualifies.
At least three ECE 790 Master’s Research credits are required. Research and specified independent-study courses together may contribute no more than nine credits.
One ECE 610 seminar credit is required in the first fall, unless an approved course conflict permits a later offering. The project route finishes with an advisor-approved written research report.
Admission & progression
The program requires at least a 3.0 GPA for application review and welcomes scientific, engineering and mathematical backgrounds beyond ECE.
Applicants supply transcripts, a statement of purpose, résumé or CV, three recommendations and the supplemental application identifying a research area and proposed faculty advisor. GRE scores are not required.
New admission is for fall, with a December 1 deadline. Applicable English-proficiency evidence is required, and admitted non-native English speakers complete the university’s placement assessment and any recommended courses.
Research & project requirements
The project is a faculty-advised research problem generally narrower in scope than a thesis. Its typewritten report requires advisor approval and does not require a library or Minds@UW deposit.
The separate thesis path has its own document and committee arrangements. A formal thesis defense is not universally required under the listed Research-option policy.
Students begin the degree-warrant process with the graduate coordinator by the announced deadline in their final semester. Co-op/internship credits through ECE 702 do not count toward the MS.
What matters in electrical engineering master’s programs in Wisconsin
An advisor-approved research report
The project path has its own written product and approval process within the Research named option.
Advanced course categories
The plan requires fifteen credits at 700 or above and fifteen ECE credits at 400 or above, with qualifying overlap.
Conditional assistantship benefits
Funding availability, appointment percentage and employment type determine whether tuition remission applies.
The Research option’s course and seminar requirements
The current graduate guide requires thirty total credits and at least twenty-three residence credits. At least fifteen credits must be in courses numbered 700 or above, and at least fifteen must be ECE courses numbered 400 or above. A qualifying course can serve both categories. The degree also has the Graduate School’s graduate-coursework minimum, so an advisor should check the complete plan rather than simply count the number of electrical courses.
At least three ECE 790 Master’s Research credits are required. Research and the specified independent-study categories together cannot exceed nine credits. One credit of ECE 610 Seminar is taken during the entering fall unless an approved course conflict permits deferral. Audited and pass-fail courses do not count, and ECE 702 co-op or internship credits are also excluded from the degree requirements. These limits protect a substantial formal course component alongside the individual research project.
Research reports in electrical engineering master’s programs in Wisconsin
On the project path, the student undertakes a research problem in consultation with a faculty advisor and prepares a typewritten report. The advisor approves the completed document. The guide describes the work as generally more limited in scope than a thesis, usually with fewer associated credits. No library or Minds@UW copy is required for this project report, although the faculty member may request a copy. Agree on the scope, evidence and intended document early in the advising relationship.
The thesis path has separate document and approval procedures. The guide does not impose a formal thesis defense in every case; when one is held, specified committee rules apply. For the project selection reviewed here, the relevant finish is the advisor-approved research report. In the final semester, students contact the graduate coordinator by the announced deadline to begin the degree-warrant process. Completing the written work and arranging that administrative step both belong in the graduation timetable.
Fall applications and the difference between eligibility and an award
New applicants apply for fall by December 1 and need at least a 3.0 GPA for review. The application includes transcripts, a statement of purpose, résumé or CV, three recommendations and supplemental information identifying a research interest and proposed faculty advisor. GRE scores are not required. Scientific, engineering and mathematical backgrounds outside ECE are welcome. Applicable English-proficiency requirements and the post-arrival placement assessment should be considered alongside the preparation needed for the proposed research direction.
The program says funding is limited and admitted master’s students should anticipate supporting themselves. Eligible assistantships can change that budget, but the university benefits policy requires a qualifying single appointment of at least 33% for stipend and tuition-remission benefits. Segregated fees remain payable. Health-insurance eligibility also depends on appointment duration and requires a premium. Hourly grading or other hourly student work does not provide the same graduate benefits package, so compare the exact employment offer with the applicable policy.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Which electrical engineering master’s programs in Wisconsin are reviewed here?+
This page reviews UW–Madison’s ECE MS Research named option, focusing on the project path. The degree requires supervised research and a written report or thesis, and the selection follows the project’s specific course and approval requirements.
Is the Research option a separate degree title?+
The diploma states Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The transcript identifies the Research named option. That distinction describes the academic plan within the ECE master’s degree rather than a different degree level.
Does the project report require a library deposit?+
No. The guide requires a typewritten report approved by the faculty advisor and does not require a library or Minds@UW copy for the project path. The separate thesis path follows its own document and filing arrangements.
Does any campus job provide graduate tuition remission?+
No. The graduate benefits package depends on a qualifying assistantship appointment. Hourly student employment does not carry those benefits. Research-option applicants should check the appointment percentage, duration and covered charges before treating a job as tuition support.
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.
