Electrical and Software Engineering

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

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.

Thesis-based program

Students are required to prepare a thesis and successfully defend in an open oral defense.

Classroom delivery

Time commitment

Expected completion time is 4 years; six years maximum; part-time available

Supervisor

A supervisor is required, but is not required prior to the start of the program

Fees and funding

See the Graduate Calendar for information on fees and fee regulations, and for information on awards and financial assistance.


Supervisors

Learn about faculty available to supervise this degree.
Please note: additional supervisors may be available. Contact the program for more information.


  1. Dr. Ignacio Galiano Zurbriggen

    Ignacio Galiano Zurbriggen

    Seeking Students
    Power electronics as enabling technology for high-impact applications, Modelling & Control, Topologies, Power Integration, Multi-domain Modelling, Magnetic Devices
  2. Fadhel M Ghannouchi

    Fadhel M. Ghannouchi

    Accepting Inquiries
    Software-defined Radio Systems, Power Amplifiers & Linearization, Modeling of Devices, Circuits, and Systems, DSP for Communication Systems, Instrumentation & Measurements, Electromagnetic energy harvesting and recycling techniques, Millimetre wave (mm-wave) electronics, Integrated Active Antenna Systems, Radio-over Fiber (RoF) and Laser Communications
  3. Hadi Hemmati

    Hadi Hemmati

    Accepting Inquiries
    Software Engineering, Applied Interdisciplinary Research
  4. Prof Yaoping Hu

    Prof. Yaoping Hu

    Seeking Students
    Human-Computer Interaction within Virtual Environments
  5. Portrait Photo

    Yani Ioannou

    Accepting Inquiries
    Sparse Neural Networks, Efficient Deep Learning, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence
  6. Hadis Karimipour

    Hadis Karimipour

    Seeking Students
    Anomaly Detection in Smart CPSs, AI and IoT/OT Monitoring/Security , AI-enabeld Smart Grid Analysis, Machine Learning and Its Applications
  7. Kangsoo Kim

    Kangsoo Kim

    Accepting Inquiries
    eXtended Reality (Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality), Virtual Avatars and Agents, Embodied & Multimodal Interaction, Perception and Cognition, Human-Computer Interaction
  8. Placeholder Profile Image

    Diwakar Krishnamurthy

    Accepting Inquiries
    Performance evaluation of software systems
  9. Picture of Dr. Leung in the Robotics and Sensor Networks Lab

    Henry Leung

    Accepting Inquiries
    Signal and Image Processing, Autonomous Systems, Machine Learning, Internet of Things and Wireless Communications
  10. photo

    Ethan MacDonald

    Accepting Inquiries
    Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Big Data and Machine Learning, Next Generation Artificial Intelligence

Admission Requirements


GPA

A minimum of 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 point system.

Minimum education

A master's degree in electrical, computer or software engineering from a recognized institution.

Work samples

None

Documents

None

Reference letters

Two

Test scores

None

For the software engineering specialization

  • At least one year of experience in software development.
  • A background of C/C++.
  • Knowledge of object-oriented design and human-computer interaction.


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:

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

Department of Electrical and Software Engineering

ICT (Information and Communications Technology) 402
2500 University Drive NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4
403.220.7596

Contact the Graduate Program Administrator

Visit the departmental website

Schulich School of Engineering

University of Calgary
2500 University Drive NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4

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