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.

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.


Supervisors

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


  1. Placeholder Profile Image

    Diwakar Krishnamurthy

    Accepting Inquiries
    Performance evaluation of software systems
  2. 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
  3. photo

    Ethan MacDonald

    Accepting Inquiries
    Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Big Data and Machine Learning, Next Generation Artificial Intelligence
  4. Om Malik

    Om Malik

    Accepting Inquiries
    Electric Machines and Power Systems
  5. Brent Maundy

    Brent Maundy

    Accepting Inquiries
  6. Geoffrey Messier Photo

    Geoffrey Messier

    Accepting Inquiries
    Data Science for the Services Provided to People Living with Homelessness, Mental Health Disorders and Addiction
  7. martin mintchev

    Martin Mintchev

    Accepting Inquiries
  8. Kartikeya Murari

    Kartikeya Murari

    Accepting Inquiries
    Biomedical Imaging and Instrumentation
  9. Jorgen Nielsen

    Jorgen Nielsen

    Accepting Inquiries
    signal processing of wireless and vision systems
  10. Michal Okoniewski

    Michal Okoniewski

    Accepting Inquiries
    RF and mm-wave antennas and circuits

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:

*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

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

Visit their website

Learn more about UCalgary by taking a virtual tour