EECS Department

Fall 2020 New Graduate Student Orientation

Daniel Georgiev, PhD

Graduate Program Director

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Graduate Program: Academic and Research Goals
Align with the departmental strategic directions

• Increase both quality and number of graduates

• Increase external research funding
• Develop multi-disciplinary research
• Effectively utilize limited departmental resources
• Align with the departmental strategic directions
• Align with the national research agenda
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Graduate Program: Structure
The current research focus of the Department faculty is in the following
Tracks and Specialization Areas:

Electrical Engineering
System Sciences Track

- Communications
- Signals, Image Processing, and Computer Vision
- Controls
Physical Sciences Track
- Materials, Devices, Electromagnetics, and Plasma
- Power
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Graduate Program: Structure
The current research focus of the Department faculty is in the following
Tracks and Specialization Areas:

Computer Science and Engineering

Computer Engineering Track

- Advanced Computing Systems

Computer Science Track

- Artificial Intelligence
- Cyber Security
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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Advanced Computing Systems (ACS)

Members: Mohammed Niamat (ACS Leader), Devinder Kaur, and Ahmad Javaid

Advanced Computing Systems (ACS) group focusses on research in the areas of high
performance computing, innovative computer architecture, cybersecurity, cyber physical
systems, machine learning/artificial intelligence, block chain technology, cloud
computing, information systems and services, system software for parallel computing,
scalable system architecture, reliable computing, field programmable gate arrays, VLSI
Design, fault tolerance and reliability, and tools and methods for evaluating emerging
computing architectures including novel computing technologies beyond Moore’s Law.

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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Students specializing in the ACS area are advised to select core and recommended
courses from the following list in consultation with their advisors.

Required Core Courses:

EECS 6/8110: Advanced Computer Architecture
EECS 6/8660: Field Programmable Gate Arrays
EECS 6/8640: Hardware Oriented Security and Trust

Recommended Courses:
EECS 5720: Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
EECS 5750: Machine Learning
EECS 5760: Computer Security
EECS 6/8180: Biologically-Inspired Computing
EECS 6/8630: Digital and VLSI System Testing

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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Members: Kevin Xu (AI Leader), Devinder Kaur, and Gursel Serpen.
Research in Intelligent Systems focuses on design and development of software
applications for optimization, biomedical informatics, computer security, image
interpretation, intrusion detection and access control in computing systems, medical
image interpretation and hybrid reasoning systems for diagnosis, development of novel
neural network algorithms for optimization, data mining in databases for knowledge
modeling and extraction, development of novel ensemble machine learning algorithms,
evolutionary computation-based hybrid techniques for knowledge extraction, empirical
process intelligent control and databases, logic reasoning with applications in cognitive
wireless sensor networks, development of cognitive software for management and
control of various aspects of wireless sensor networks, and mathematical
aspects related to intelligent systems such as probabilistic modeling and
statistical inference for large, high-dimensional, and structured data.
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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Students specializing in the AI area are advised to select core and recommended courses
from the following list in consultation with their advisors.
Required Core Courses:
EECS 5740: Artificial Intelligence
EECS 5750: Machine Learning
EECS 6/8180: Biologically-Inspired Computing
Recommended Courses:
EECS 5120: Fuzzy Systems and Applications
EECS 5330: Image Analysis and Computer Vision
EECS 5390: Wireless and Mobile Networks
EECS 5650: Social and Information Networks
EECS 6300: Random Signals and Optimal Filters
EECS 6980: Probabilistic Methods in Data Science
EECS 6980: Pattern Recognition and Neural Networks
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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Cyber Security (CyS)

Dr. Ahmad Y. Javaid is the CYS Leader and his research is in the areas of cybersecurity of
drone networks, smartphones, wireless sensor networks, and other cyber-physical systems.
He is also conducting extensive research on human-machine teams and applications of AI
and machine learning to areas including but not limited to attack detection and mitigation.
Dr. Lawrence Thomas’s research is in the area of software engineering and computer
security.
Dr. Mohammed Niamat’s research is in the area of hardware-oriented security and trust;
reconfigurable processors including field programmable gate arrays; reliable computing
including testing of digital, reconfigurable, system on chip (SOC) and VLSI circuits; built in
self-test (BIST); fault modeling; parallel processing; hardware
implementation of algorithms; and applications of blockchain and
machine learning.
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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Students specializing in the CyS area are advised to select core and recommended courses
from the following list in consultation with their advisors.

Required Core Courses:

EECS 5720: Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
EECS 5760: Computer Security
EECS 6640/8640: Hardware Oriented Security and Trust

Recommended Courses:
EECS 5390: Wireless and Mobile Networks
EECS 5640: Inside Cryptography
EECS 5790: Network Security
EECS 6/8340: Modern Communications I
EECS 6/8350: Modern Communications II

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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Communications

Members: Junghwan Kim (COM Leader), Ezzatollah Salari

The research in the Communications includes a variety of topics such as mobile wireless
sensor network, satellite communication, process control, real-time control, optimal control,
and neural networks.

The research in communications and communications systems involves modeling,

simulation and performance analysis of communication systems, mobile/satellite system
architecture, and network and payload design. Work also involves on tactical
communication network, digital video/audio/multimedia broadcasting, advanced channel
coding using FEC codes including turbo code and LDPC codes.

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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Students specializing in the Communications area are advised to select core and
recommended courses from the following lists in consultation with their advisors.

Required Core Courses:

EECS 5390: Wireless and Mobile Networks
EECS 6/8340: Modern Communications I
EECS 6/8350: Modern Communications II

Recommended Courses:
EECS 5360: Communication Systems
EECS 5370: Information Theory and Coding
EECS 5380: Digital Signal Processing
EECS 6/8300: Random Signals and Optimal Filters

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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Signals, Image Processing and Computer Vision (SPCV)

Members: Ezzatollah Salari (SPCV leader), Junghwan Kim

The research in the SIPCV area includes a variety of topics such as mobile wireless sensor
network, process control, real-time control, optimal control, pattern recognition, neural
networks, machine learning, image processing and biomedical applications.

The research in pattern recognition & neural networks, machine learning and image
processing mainly focuses on exploring advanced pattern recognition and machine learning
techniques for a variety of image processing applications. Current focus is on the use of
convolutional neural network, deep learning, generative models, GANs, SVM and random
forests mainly for biomedical images. Also, a variety of advanced
techniques for Image fusion, tracking of objects in a video, and data
compression have been developed.
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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Students specializing in the SPCV area are advised to select core and recommended courses
from the following lists in consultation with their advisors.

Required Core Courses:

EECS 5330: Image Analysis and Computer Vision
EECS 5380: Digital Signal Processing
EECS 6/8320: Data Compression for Multimedia Communication

Recommended Courses:
EECS 5750: Machine Learning
EECS 6300: Random Signals and Optimal Filters
EECS 5390: Wireless and Mobile Networks
EECS 6/8980: Pattern Recognition and Neural Networks

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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Controls

Members: Richard Molyet (Controls Leader), Raghav Khanna

The research in the Controls area includes topics such as process control, real-time control,
optimal control, neural networks, and machine learning. The research in control focuses on
control of autonomous vehicles, smart grid systems, dc power systems, and biomedical
processes.

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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Students specializing in the Controls area are advised to select core and recommended
courses from the following lists in consultation with their advisors.

Required Core Courses:

EECS 5200: Feedback Control Systems
EECS 5260: Control Systems Design
EECS 6200: Digital Control Systems

Recommended Courses:
EECS 5750: Machine Learning
EECS 6/8230: Optimal Control Theory
EECS 6/8300: Random Signals and Optimal Filters
EECS 6/8980: Pattern Recognition and Neural Networks

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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Materials, Devices, Electromagnetics and Plasma (MDEP)

Members: Daniel Georgiev (MDEP Leader), Abbas Semnani, Raghav Khanna

The research of the MDEP group focuses on a blend of electrical engineering and
applied/engineering physics topics that exploit electromagnetics, photonics, plasma and
semiconductor basics, as well as atomic and molecular scale phenomena in developing next
generation of solid-state materials and devices, plasma-based devices and systems, and
microwave and RF electronics. The research targets the growing demand for
renewable/alternative energy, electrical energy conversion and storage, reconfigurable
devices and systems for emerging wireless applications and communications, photovoltaics,
solid-state lighting, sensors, low-power electronics, and harsh environments capable
electronics.

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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Students specializing in the MDEP area are advised to select core and recommended courses
from the following list in consultation with their advisors.

Required Core Courses:

EECS 5410: Electro-Optics
EECS 5420: Microwave Electronics
EECS 6/8840: Compound Semiconductors and Devices

Recommended Courses:
EECS 5330: Image Analysis and Computer Vision
EECS 5480: Power Electronics 1
EECS 6/8340: Modern Communications I
EECS 6/8350: Modern Communications II
EECS 6/8450: Advanced Power Electronics
EECS 6/8980: Plasma in Engineering and Science
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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Power

Members: Raghav Khanna (Power Leader), Richard Molyet

Climate change effects and the resulting demand for clean energy have led to significant
technological advancements in the areas of power systems, control, power electronics, and
semiconductor devices. Integrated together, these disparate topics of varying levels of
abstraction can lead to substantial improvements in the efficacy of renewable energy
systems, the smart grid, transportation electrification systems, and electronic devices.
Consequently, specific areas of interest for this focus group include power converter design
and operation, semiconductor device modeling and characterization, utilization of energy
storage devices for grid-related harmonic mitigation, stability analysis of the smart grid,
cybersecurity of the smart grid, and advanced strategies for renewable
energy integration.

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Graduate Program Structure: Specialization Areas
Students specializing in the Power area are advised to select core and recommended
courses from the following lists in consultation with their advisors.
Required Core Courses:
EECS 5460: Power System Management
EECS 5480: Power Electronics 1
EECS 6/8450: Advanced Power Electronics

Recommended Courses:
EECS 5200: Feedback Control Systems
EECS 5240: Power System Operation
EECS 5260: Control System Design
EECS 5410: Electro-Optics
EECS 5420: Microwave Electronics
EECS 5720: Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
EECS 6/8220: Nonlinear Control Systems
EECS 6/8230: Optimal Control Theory
EECS 6/8840: Compound Semiconductors and Devices
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EECS 6/8980: Plasma in Engineering and Science
Registration

All new international graduate students (whether supported

or unsupported) must register for 9 credit hours to maintain
full time visa status. Registering for fewer hour needs special
approval.

All new supported MS/PhD students on full support (as full RA

or full GA) are expected to register for 9 hrs.

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Fall’20 Late Registration Fees and Payment Dates

www.utoledo.edu/offices/treasurer/ImportantDates.html
www.utoledo.edu/offices/registrar/registration.html

If you have a TS, notify us if the TS is not on your student account by September 10.
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Other Important Deadlines and Registration Requirements

• Adding/Dropping Courses – Friday, Aug.21 (via web)

http://www.utoledo.edu/offices/registrar/registration_dates_fall.html

• Responsible Conduct of Research Training

• If you have RA support coming from an NSF grant

www.citiprogram.org

(Office of Research website for information)

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Plan of Study
• A Plan of Study (PoS) is approved by the advisor, the
Graduate Program Director, and COGS.
• Specific course requirements depending on Program, Track,
and Specialization Area.
• Must take the required EECS 5930 Seminar Course.
• CoE and COGS now require PoS on file before the end of
the 2nd semester. EECS Department requires a PoS
submitted before the end of the 1st semester!
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The EECS Seminar Course Objectives

• Expose students to EECS faculty research as well as relevant

research at other departments and external institutions.

• Help match academic and technical background with

available research opportunities.

• Provide for scholarly search for a thesis/dissertation topic.

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The Seminar Course
Currently, the EECS seminar is offered only in the Spring semester but it is available
for registration in both the Fall and the Spring semesters. If a student’s Plan of
Study does not allow registering for the seminar in a given semester, the student
can still attend all seminar sessions and do all of the required work without
registering for it, which will be noted by the seminar’s faculty coordinator. The
student can then register for the seminar at a later semester and the seminar credit
will be given based on the department’s (i.e., the seminar coordinator’s) records.

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Graduate and Research Assistantships

• Students with Research Assistantships (RAs) and Graduate

Assistantships (GAs) are expected to meet departmental
research objectives and must do a thesis.

• RAs are supported by faculty research grants and they are

expected to work with the respective faculty on externally
funded research projects.

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Graduate and Research Assistantships
• All new GAs must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
• GAs are expected to meet the goals set by the department.
GA offer extensions are not guaranteed.
• Full GAs supported by the department are assigned 20
hours of teaching/grading duties every semester. Half GAs are
assigned 10 hours of work.
• GAs must conduct research under the supervision of a
faculty advisor that is generally expected to lead to
publications or other equivalent products.

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Tuition Scholarships

• Tuition Scholarship covers instructional fees only

• Tuition scholarship cannot be applied to:
o Courses for which you do not receive a grade (i.e., audits)

o Undergraduate courses

o Courses in which you earn less than a C grade

o Courses not listed on your Plan of Study, or not counted

towards your degree

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Master of Science Degree Requirements

M.S. Degree with Thesis Option:

A minimum of 30 credit hours, according to an approved

Plan of Study, including 9 credit hours of Masters Thesis.
All GAs and RAs must use this option.

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Master of Science Degree Requirements

M.S. Degree with Project Option:

Students are required to complete 30 credit hours
according to an approved Plan of Study, including 6 hours
of Project as specified by individual department guidelines
and requirements. Students are required to submit a
bound, typed Project Report to the department. A
committee of two faculty members, including the
advisor, must approve the report.

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Master of Science Degree Requirements

M.S. Degree with Coursework-only Option:

Students are required to complete 30 credit hours of

approved graduate-level course work.

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Master of Science Degree Requirements

• At least 18 hours of EECS courses (including thesis and

independent study) of which at least 6 hours at the 6000 level
excluding thesis and independent study.
• 1 credit hour (included in the required 30 hours for the
program) of the EECS Graduate Seminar course.
• The student must be enrolled in a minimum of one credit
hour in the semester of graduation.
• Must submit at least one paper, if pursuing a
thesis option.
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Formation of an MS Thesis Committee
• The thesis committee is formed (for those students
pursuing thesis option) and approved by the EECS Graduate
Program Director in consultation with the thesis advisor and
the student.
• The M.S. thesis committee shall be composed of a minimum
of three members (having a majority of EECS faculty), one of
whom should be from the student’s Specialization Area.
• The student advisor chairs the committee and must:
(1) have a Graduate Faculty status that allows serving as
the advisor; (2) be an EECS faculty member or have
a special authorization by the department to serve
as the advisor. 34
Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements

• A minimum of 60 semester credits beyond the M.S. degree

or a minimum of 90 semester credits beyond the B.S. degree.

• At least 45 semester credits of graduate-level course work

beyond the B.S. degree of which the credit allowance for the
master’s degree will not exceed 30 semester credit hours.

• Every Ph.D. student must register and complete the

seminar course.

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Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements

• The Plan of Study of a Ph.D. student must include all of the

core/required courses (!) from the chosen Specialization Area
(SA) as well as courses from the recommended list of the SA.

• Depending on the needs of the student and their research

project, and in consultation with the advisor, the student can
take non-EECS PhD-level courses from other departments.

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Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements
• No more than 3 semester credits of Independent Study for
students with M.S. degrees and no more than 6 semester
credits of Independent Study for direct-route Ph.D. students
(with B.S. degree and no MS degree) may be counted toward
the Ph.D. course requirement.

• The student must pursue, complete and publish a research

study which is demonstrated to be an original contribution to
their field of study (a dissertation).

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Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements

• The dissertation must be written and successfully defended

publicly before the Ph.D. degree is conferred.

• The student must submit a minimum of 2 journal papers (or

equivalent products) based on their dissertation research, at
least one of which must be accepted for publication at the
time of the Ph.D. defense.

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Ph.D. Advisory Committee
• The Committee is formed in consultation with the student’s
advisor and approved by the Graduate Program Director.
• The Committee shall be composed of a minimum of five
members with a majority of EECS faculty.
• At least one of the committee members must be a non-
EECS member.
• All committee members must have appropriate Graduate
Faculty status.

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Ph.D. Advisory Committee
• The student advisor chairs the Committee and must:
(1) have a Graduate Faculty status that allows serving as
the advisor;
(2) be an EECS faculty member or have a special authorization
by the department to serve as the advisor.
• A non-EECS faculty member can serve as the advisor if the
committee includes a co-adviser who is an EECS faculty with
appropriate Graduate Faculty status

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Doctoral Qualifying Examination (QE)

• It is an open-book exam based on four courses:

at least two of which must be core courses for the
Specialization Area and the other two courses can be from the
recommended courses list.
• Ph.D. students with an M.S. degree can take the QE at the
beginning of their 3rd or 4th semester. Direct-route Ph.D.
students can take the exam at the beginning of their 4th or 5th
semester.

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Doctoral Proposal Defense
• Objective: The intent of the Ph.D. proposal defense is to
review and evaluate the content and style of the dissertation
proposal and the student's ability to present the ideas orally.
• Schedule: The doctoral student must present his/her
dissertation proposal as soon as possible after passing the
Qualifying Examination and at least 6 months before their
PhD dissertation defense
• Format: Defined by the PhD advisory Committee. Typically,
it consists of a presentation, followed by an
intensive Q&A session.
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Forms

http://www.utoledo.edu/engineering/electrical-engineering-
computer-science/forms.html

http://www.utoledo.edu/graduate/currentstudents/academicprogr
amforms/

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