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Faculty of Engineering
UNB Fredericton

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Graduate programs

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers three graduate degree programs:

  • Research-based Master of Science in Engineering (MScE)
  • Course-based program Master of Engineering (MEng)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Several courses and research topics are available to choose from. Individual programs of study are tailored for you in consultation with your research supervisor.

For those taking the course based MEng program, courses are available for study within ECE or other engineering departments and other faculties, with the prior approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.

Master of Science in Engineering (MScE)

The MScE is a research-oriented Master's degree. Normal admission requirements will be a Bachelor's degree with a first or second division standing in electrical engineering or related discipline, obtained from a recognized university. The degree requires successful completion of a research proposal, a thesis and an approved course program of 15 credit hours minimum, of which at least nine credit hours must be graduate courses in electrical engineering.

Master of Engineering (MEng)

The MEng is intended for students who wish to study one or more areas of electrical engineering at an advanced level without the necessity of engaging in a research program. No faculty supervisor is required for the MEng degree, nor is any research funding available for MEng students. Admission requirements are the same as for the MScE program.  The MEng degree can be accomplished without the need for a thesis or project by successfully completing 30 credit hours of approved course content for graduate credit. This degree is expected to be of special interest to graduates of Canadian universities who wish to upgrade or update their skills at the graduate level.

The MEng degree may involve a project completed under the supervision of a faculty member if the six credit hour course EE6000 MEng Project is chosen. The EE6000 course requirements include a substantial written document as well as a public presentation of the completed project. Normally, a MEng student would choose this option after enrolling at UNB and only if a suitable project and faculty supervisor are available.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The PhD is a research degree for which the major requirement is the successful completion of a thesis. Candidates for the PhD should normally hold a Master's degree in electrical engineering. Candidates are required to successfully complete two oral examinations and one written qualifying examination. The degree requires successful completion of a research proposal, a thesis and an approved course program of a minimum of nine credit hours beyond the Master's level. In some cases, candidates may be required to register initially for the MScE. Transfer to the PhD program may then be permitted after satisfactory evaluation of the candidate's performance.

Research areas

Power system engineering

Smart Grid research, power system planning and operation, demand response and load control, load modeling, resource forecasting, microgrids, digital protection of power systems, energy storage and renewable energy systems, power electronics for power conversion.

Electromagnetic systems

Research activities include radar remote sensing, numerical modeling of radar backscatter, laboratory radar measurements, distributed fibre optic sensing, antenna design, propagation studies, microwave frequency circuit design, experimental plasma generation using multi-level power converters.

Biomedical engineering

Design and implementation of control systems for artificial limbs, bio-instrumentation, human operator modeling, biological signal processing, speech processing and robots in medical applications, health management technologies.

Communications

Wireless channel modelling, optical fibre communications, wireless sensors networks, high-speed algorithms in FPGAs, antenna design for communications, digital communications, equalization, and multi-user detection.

Control systems

Theory, design and implementation of control systems, digital control systems, real-time knowledge-based controllers, fault tolerant control systems, and multiprocessor implementation with applications in motion control systems, UAV and robot control, power system and power electronic controls and process control.

Electronics and digital systems

Design of VLSI circuits, embedded system development, computer-aided circuit design, electronic instrumentation, fault tolerant system design, and real-time multiprocessor systems.

Digital Image/Signal Processing

Development of specialized digital hardware designs for image processing, development of digital signal processors for communication and control systems, signal estimation, object detection and recognition, adaptive filtering, speech and speaker recognition.