Dear MS CpE Students,

I hope the first week of your Spring 2022 semester is going very well!

A kind reminder that the Spring 2022 GMU Calendar is available at
   https://registrar.gmu.edu/calendars/spring_2022-1/ 

In particular, your last day to register for classes, including individual sections, is Monday, January 31.

For those of you who are getting close to finishing your degree, the message below contains some important information regarding the ECE 797 Scholarly Paper and ECE 795 Engineering Seminar requirements.


ECE 797: Scholarly Paper Requirement:

Suppose you have already completed 18 credits of graduate coursework by the start of the Spring 2022 semester. In that case, you can meet the scholarly paper (SP) requirement through the following courses (provided that the course fits into your approved plan of study):

 ECE 611 Advanced Computer Architecture
 ECE 612 Real-Time Embedded Systems
 ECE 615 Software/Hardware Codesign
 ECE 617 Distributed and Federated Learning
 ECE 618 Hardware Accelerators for Machine Learning
 ECE 622 Kalman Filtering with Applications
 ECE 642 Design and Analysis of Computer Communication Networks
 ECE 651 Advanced Learning from Data
 ECE 681 VLSI Design for ASICs
 ECE 686 Sensor Device Technology
 ECE 699 Distributed Control and Optimization
 ECE 746 Advanced Applied Cryptography.
 
If you take one of the classes listed above to meet the SP requirement this Spring, then you need to register simultaneously for the zero-credit ECE 797 Scholarly Paper section CRN 12750. This is needed so that the department can ensure you have met the SP requirement when you apply for graduation. If you do not wish to fulfill the SP requirement this fall, then you can still take one or more of the courses above. In that case, you do not need to simultaneously register for ECE 797.

If you wish to take a course in the future to meet the SP requirement, you will need to register for ECE 797 together with it during the same semester. The department provides a list of all courses that meet the SP requirement on the following subpage of the ECE website:
  ACADEMICS => Master's => Resources for Current MS Students

The direct link is
  https://ece.gmu.edu/academics/masters/resources-current-ms-students 

See
 Scholarly Paper
    List of Courses Meeting the Scholarly Paper Requirement 

A subset of these courses is offered every semester. 

Registration in ECE 797 is controlled. In order to register for ECE 797, you will need to contact Ms. Patricia Sahs ([log in to unmask]) and provide her with your name, your request to enroll in ECE 797, your G number as well as what course you are taking to meet the SP requirement so that she can provide you with the override. 

What to do next is explained in the most recent version of the
   Orientation for New CPE and EE Master's Students, 
available at
   https://ece.gmu.edu/academics/masters/resources-current-ms-students.
See slides 55-58.
The relevant forms are available on the mentioned above page under
  Forms for Master's in CPE and EE
   * ECE797 Entry Form
   * ECE797 Evaluation Form.


ECE 795: Engineering Seminar Requirement:

If Spring 2022 is your last semester in the program, then you need to enroll in ECE 795 CRN 12128 to meet the seminar requirement. You do not need to request an override to enroll in ECE 795. You can directly enroll via Patriot Web.

All degree candidates must attend a minimum of 6 graduate seminars approved for the degree program. Approved seminars are publicized on the departmental webpage and through e-mail announcements. 
See
 https://ece.gmu.edu/about-us/events

Approved seminars are limited to:

ECE Distinguished Seminar Series
ECE Departmental Seminars
PhD Thesis Presentations
PhD Seminars
MS Thesis Presentations.

The relevant form is
  Seminar Attendance Record  
available at
  https://ece.gmu.edu/academics/masters/resources-current-ms-students
under
    Forms for Master's in CPE and EE.

For seminars attended online, no signature of a faculty member is required!
For seminars attended in person, please get the mentioned above form signed by any faculty member attending the seminar.

The department office will verify that the seminar requirement has been met and submit a grade of S (satisfactory) for ECE 795 upon completion of the requirement at the end of the semester of enrollment in ECE 795. Students who have not met the seminar requirement in their final semester must continue to register for ECE 795 in subsequent semesters until the requirement is met.


Change of Catalog Year, Concentration, or Program:

Our MS Computer Engineering Program has substantially changed during the last two years.

In particular, 
 in Catalog 2020-2021: 7 formal concentrations have been added (replacing previous informal specializations)
 in Catalog 2021-2022: 1 new concentration in Machine Learning and Computer Engineering (MLCE) has been added.

For students who choose to follow one of these Catalogs, your concentration will appear on your transcript and your diploma!
You can officially state it as part of your CV.

All students can change their Catalog Year anytime during their curriculum!

If your Catalog Year is 2020-2021 or 2021-2022, you can declare or change your concentration anytime during your studies at GMU.
Just keep in mind that doing that may affect your degree requirements!

The most recent degree requirements are comprehensively covered as a part of the 
   Orientation for New CPE and EE Master's Students, 
available at
   https://ece.gmu.edu/academics/masters/resources-current-ms-students.

In order to 
 * Change your Catalog Year
 * Declare or change your Concentration, or
 * Change your Program
please use the same form, available at
  https://registrar.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/GCP-Graduate-Change-of-Program-0421.pdf 

Please talk with your academic advisor before making any of the mentioned above changes.
If he/she agrees, ask him/her to sign the respective section of the form, and then submit this form by yourself to Ms. Patricia Sahs ([log in to unmask]).

Good luck with all your classes taken this semester!

Kris Gaj

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Kris Gaj
Associate Chair for Graduate Programs
ECE Department
George Mason University