Supervisors
Learn about faculty available to supervise this degree.
Please note: additional supervisors may be available. Contact the program for more information.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Thesis-based program
Program overview
For students seeking to gain cutting-edge expertise in a particular area, the Electrical and Computer Engineering doctoral program will place you in a vibrant community of researchers who are focused on finding practical solutions to real-world problems. The PhD is a research-based degree that usually takes three to four years of full-time study following a master's degree, or five to six years following a bachelor's degree. Successful students go on to work in high-tech companies in positions such as senior research and development engineer, senior system/network architect, senior system designer, senior system engineer, senior application engineer, senior application developer and senior software architect. They can also work in academia as an assistant professor or instructor.
Completing this program
- Courses: Topics may include virtual environments, data mining, intelligent control, VLSI and SOC, multidimensional signal processing and more.
- Professional Development Courses: Students take two professional development courses on communication styles, presentation skills and more.
- Thesis: Students will be required to submit and defend an original research thesis.
- Software Engineering Specialization: Topics may include modelling and measurement of software performance, advanced software testing and more.
- Candidacy: Students will complete both oral and written candidacy exams.
Specializations
- Software Engineering (offered jointly through the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering and the Department of Computer Science)
- Engineering, Energy and Environment Interdisciplinary
- Engineering, Environmental Interdisciplinary
- Energy and Environmental Systems Interdisciplinary
- Wearable Technology Interdisciplinary
- Medical Imaging Interdisciplinary
Outcomes
Electrical energy, electronics, control, and instrumentation, telecommunications, information and communications technology, computer, software, oil and gas, medical, biomedical, automotive.
A PhD in electrical and computer engineering is usually considered a final degree.
Virtual Tour
Explore the University of Calgary (UCalgary) from anywhere. Experience all that UCalgary has to offer for your graduate student journey without physically being on campus. Discover the buildings, student services and available programs all from your preferred device.
-
Seeking Students6G Communications, Foundational Models and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, Wireless Sensing , Extended Reality Compression and Networking , AI-Powered Brain Computer Interfaces -
Accepting InquiriesSoftware engineering, open source software, human and social aspects of software engineering, human factors, research methods, collaboration, community management -
Accepting InquiriesRF and Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits and Systems -
UnavailableElectrokinetic Microsystems, Microneedles, Brain-machine interfaces -
Accepting InquiriesNetwork Security, Software Security, Usable Security -
Accepting InquiriesHuman Aspects of Software Engineering, Software Fairness, Software Testing, Software Engineering Education -
Accepting InquiriesRequirements Engineering, Transient Micro-services, MLOps and Advanced DevOps -
Accepting InquiriesSoftware Engineering, Requirements Engineering, Machine Learning, NLP, Data Analytics -
Accepting InquiriesDistributed Learning Systems, Edge Computing, Container orchestration systems and AIOps, Blockchain Services -
Accepting Inquiries5G and Beyond Wireless Networks, IoT Networking, Wi-Fi Networking, Vehicular Networking, Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer
Admission Requirements
GPA
A minimum of 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 point system.
Minimum education
MSc degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or software engineering.
Work samples
None
Documents
None
Reference letters
Two
Test scores
None
English language proficiency (ELP)
An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT including TOEFL iBT Home Edition) minimum score of 86 (Internet-based, with no section less than 20).
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.5 (with no section less than 6.0).
- Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency minimum score of 180.
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 59 or higher
- Canadian Academic English Language test (CAEL) overall score of 70 (no section less than 60).
- Academic Communication Certificate (ACC) minimum of B+ in each course.
- Duolingo English Test obtaining a minimum score of 125 (with no sub-score below 105).
*Please contact your program of interest if you have any questions about ELP requirements.
Deadlines
For admission on September 1:
- Canadians and permanent residents: Jan. 31 application deadline
- International students: Jan. 31 application deadline
For admission on January 1:
- Canadians and permanent residents: Apr. 30 application deadline
- International students: Apr. 30 application deadline
If you're not a Canadian or permanent resident, or if you have international credentials, make sure to learn about international requirements
Learn more about this program
Learn more about UCalgary by taking a virtual tour
Related programs
If you're interested in this program, you might want to explore other UCalgary programs.