M.Sc. Policies

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Master's Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) offers a graduate program for the degree of Master of Science (MSc) in Electrical and Computer Engineering, with a research thesis (hereafter referred to as the “regular program" or the “thesis program"). Graduates of the regular MSc program may proceed to PhD studies at BGU. The objective of the MSc degree is to provide advanced training and knowledge in a specific specialization area of ECE to BSc graduates, as well as train the student in carrying out a research of a limited scope in ECE, thus allowing the student to experience the creation of new knowledge.

A.    Admission Requirements

The minimal admissions requirement to the regular program is that the applicant must hold an undergraduate degree (BSc) in Electrical and Computer Engineering, or in another engineering discipline, or in mathematics, physics or computer science. International candidates required to obtain a grade of 85/100 in the TOEFL test or an equivalent grade in an internationally recognized English proficiency test.

Additional admissions requirements could be set by the ECE Graduate Studies Committee (GSC), and may be based on the individual application files. Additional consideration in the evaluation of applications include: Cumulative average grade in BSc degree, rank in class, strengths of the letters of recommendation, and the grades earned in the core electrical engineering courses. For up-to-date admission requirements please refer to the ECE website at http://in.bgu.ac.il/en/engn/ece/Pages/default.aspx

B.     MSc Specialization Areas

MSc studies in the ECE are divided into six specialization areas: communications, signal processing, control systems, electromagnetics, electro-optics, and computers. In addition, the department offers a specialized focus area of secure systems for MSc students.

Communications: The communications field constitutes the most important driving force of the high tech industry in Israel. It is expected that in the 5G network every electronic device, which generates and receives information will be connected to the communications network, giving rise to the internet-of-things. This includes home equipment like refrigerators and alarm systems, manufacturing equipment, environmental monitoring systems, etc. 5G communications is also expected to enter into new fields like the auto industry, towards the realization of autonomous vehicles, and the smart grid industry. The topic studied in the communications area include the entire aspects of communications systems, ranging from physical layer transmission to network management. The curriculum covers a range of topic including communications theory, information theory, and communications over different channels, including terrestrial wireless transmission, fiber optics, and satellite channels. Due to the increasing demand for higher communication rates and the scarcity of spectrum resources, design and management of communications systems becomes increasingly complex. Accordingly, the time it takes to develop a practical communication system has shortened to only a few years. ECE faculty in communications have achieved international recognition, and offer scholarships through their research grants. The research subjects in communications include wireless communication, smart grid communication, and signal processing for communications (Dr. Ron Dabora), error correction codes and digital sequences (Prof. Moshe Schwartz), optical satellite communications and wireless optical communications (Prof. Shlomi Arnon), optical communications through fibers and optical communications devices (Prof. Dan Sadot), information theory in multi-users systems and source-channel coding (Prof. Haim Permuter), applications of statistics , intelligent systems and distributed algorithms (Dr. Koby Cohen), OFDM and MIMO systems (Prof. Dov Wullich).

Control Systems:   Control engineers design and build control systems which enable machines to operate autonomously, by adjusting their operation using feedback based on state space measurements. Using control algorithms allows machines to achieve intelligence levels and autonomy which improve their performance. Feedback control systems are included in numerous practical systems, like autonomous machines, cars, ships, aircrafts, robots, and industrial manufacturing systems. Lately, there is an increasing interest in the implementation of control theory concepts and methods in non-engineering fields like medicine and investment banking. Research activities in control theory at BGU-ECE include the stability of linear and non-linear systems, geometrical description of control systems (Prof. Itzchak Levkowitz), control of systems under uncertain conditions, and non-linear filtering (Dr. David Levanony). In addition, ongoing research activities include methods and mathematical tools in fields which are directly related to control theory, including matrix theory (Prof. Itzchak Levkowitz), and probability theory and random processes (Dr. David Levanony).

Electromagnetics:  The electromagnetic (EM) radiation specialization offers in-depth insight of theoretical and numerical computational tools for evaluation and design the main parameters characterizing the transmission of electromagnetic energy at high frequencies, and the interaction between EM waves and natural/artificial materials. The studies also introduce the students to the most modern computational tools for the design of radio frequency (RF) devices like antennas and electronic components at high RF frequencies, which constitute the foundation in all wireless communications systems and for radar systems. The Faculty of the EM specialization area cover different aspects of transmission, propagation and reception of EM radiation and consists of senior and experienced researchers in their field. Research subjects within the electromagnetics specialization are include antenna design and RF devices with focus on printed antennas and estimation of the interaction of material and waves (Prof. Reuven Shavit), investigation of EM wave propagation for bodies moving at relativistic velocities, investigation of the geometrical structure of objects based on the EM scattering of the object, analytical methods in time domain, ray and beam theory (Prof. Timor Melamed), imaging methods for structures based on their EM scattering, investigation of the radiation parameters of antennas in time domain (Dr. Amir Shlivinski), numerical methods in EM theory with application to circuit analysis (Dr. Yaniv Brick), investigation of the electrical parameters of artificial materials, implementation of artificial materials for microwave and optical devices, investigation of microwave microscopy to characterize biological materials (Dr. Eugene Kamenitski).

Electro-optics: The electro-optics specialization area offers expertise in a diverse range of topics which are the state-of-the-art of electro-optics research and technology. Electro-optics graduates work in the leading industrial high tech companies and in major universities in Israel and abroad. The students  study the electro-optics theory in depth and receive experimental and research training with international recognition. The curriculum and the research subjects of the electro-optics specialization area includes optical satellite communications and wireless optical communications (Prof. Shlomi Arnon), optical telecommunications and non-linear optics (Dr. Stess Darvienko), high power lasers coupled to fiber optics and non-linear optical devices (Prof. Amiel Yeshaya), bio-medicine optics and computational holographics microscopy (Prof. Yossi Rosen), target acquisition and hyperspectral signal processing (Prof. Israel (Stanley) Rotman), optical communications through fibers and optical communications devices (Prof. Dan Sadot).

Computers: The computers specialization area offers in-depth knowledge in computer engineering topics and computer science, especially in topics related to computer architecture, DSP architectures, hardware and software design, design of systems based on micro-computers, computer communications, distributed systems, design of processors in both software and hardware aspects, parallel processing, design and performance analysis of multi-core computer systems, synthesis and logic design, development of hardware accelarators, evaluation and performance improvement of low-power VLSI systems, design of advanced hybrid CPU platforms and FPGA devices, as well as real time image processing, computer vision, artificial intelligence and autonomous robotics. The curriculum in the computers specialization area enables specialization in this field and introduces the students to advanced technologies implemented in computers, architectures of advanced processors and signal processors with multiple cores as well as to design aspects of software and hardware in real time systems. The studies provide the students with the necessary knowledge and tools for participating in the development of the next generation of computers. The curriculum is constantly updated according to the needs of the high-tech industry. Graduates of the computers specialization area join the high-tech industry in a variety of senior positions of research and development in software and hardware. The curriculum and research include topics in advanced technologies as detailed in graduate course catalog.

Secure Systems: The secure systems concentration includes fundamental topics of the security aspects of ECE. This includes physical layer secure communications, reception of signals in the presence of interference, coding, person and speaker identification, use of microphone arrays for spatial adaptive processing of audio signals, and hyperspectral signal processing and its application to image processing. Development and analysis of secure systems requires in-depth theoretical and practical multidisciplinary knowledge The training includes a range of courses in three groups: mathematical courses, core courses and recommended elective courses. The objective of the mathematical courses is to give a broad mathematical foundation for the various topics related to secure systems. The core courses provide knowledge of the various concepts related to secure systems, and the elective courses expand on specific topics of these systems. The studies are designed for students with BSc degree in electrical and computer engineering, and graduates from related disciplines, such as communications network engineering, computer science and software engineering.

C.     MSc Degree with Thesis (Regular Program/Thesis Program)

C.1.  Course of Study

MSc studies at BGU-ECE consists of four aspects:

1. A minimum of 24 course credits has to be completed with the following categories:  

• 1 mathematical course according to the elected specialization area.

• 3 core courses according to the selected specialization area.

• 11-12 credits of elective courses according to the selected specialization area or from other areas subject to the approval of the thesis advisor.

2. Research thesis (12 credits).

3. Department seminar course – lecture (course number 361-2-1010).

4. Department seminar course – attendance (course number 361-2-1020).

C.2.  Duration of the MSc Program

Definitions:

• A student is considered a “full-time" student (sometimes referred to as “internal" student) if he/she receives financial support from the university.

• A student is considered a “part-time" student (sometimes referred to as “external" student) if he/she does not receive financial support from the university.

• Regular enrollment (sometimes referred to as “Min-Ha'minyan") is enrollment for student in good academic standing (see item C.12).

MSc Program Duration:

• Full-time students are expected to complete the MSc program within two years of Regular enrollment. In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the recommendation of the student's thesis advisor, the ECE-GSC can authorize an additional semester.

• Part-time students are expected to complete the MSc program within 3 years of Regular enrollment.

• A period/periods of leave of absence are excluded from the count of the duration of studies.

C.3.  Coursework

The objectives of the coursework are to train the students and provide the basic tools and knowledge in the specialization area and in additional related area that are needed for carrying out the Master's research. The list of courses for the specialization areas can be found in the Section E. Enrollment for courses is subject to the approval of the advisor. The MSc coursework requirement for the Thesis program is as follows:

Enrollment for any course from other departments (excluding the required mathematical course and the Scientific Writing in English course) requires the approval of the ECE GSC. Criteria in considering a request to enroll to a course from another department include: i) The extent to which the course is essential for the student's research, ii) Recommendation of the thesis advisor, iii) Relevance of the course to a degree in electrical engineering, iv) Absence of a course with a similar syllabus within the department's courses, and v) The Committee's evaluation of the academic standard of the requested course (i.e. the level of the course corresponds to the accepted standards for graduate courses in the ECE Department). As a general guideline, the GSC will not approve more than 2 courses to be taken from other departments (the required mathematical courses are not counted towards this restriction). Students are allowed to enroll to one “supervised reading" course, subject to the approval of the GSC.

C.4.  Appointment of an Advisor

The student is required to appoint an advisor at least 4 weeks before the beginning of the second semester of his/her studies. To appoint as advisor, the student has to submit an advisor appointment form to the ECE GSC, signed by the intended advisor. A student who has not yet appointed an advisor at the time of registration for courses for the second semester, is required to switch to the Master's degree program without a thesis, subject to the approval of the ECE GSC. It is recommended that students select an advisor at the beginning of their studies in order to facilitate effective planning of the study program and to avoid enrolling to courses that are not relevant to the study. The advisor must be an ECE faculty member at the minimal rank of a Lecturer, or a teaching specialist at the minimal rank of a Teacher.

C.5.  The Research Proposal

A Master's student is required to submit a research proposal at least 4 weeks before the beginning of the semester subsequent to the semester in which an advisor was appointed. The length of the research proposal may not exceed five pages, and the proposal must include: A title, background, research objectives, research methodology, expected results, tentative time schedule and coursework plan. The research proposal has to be approved and signed by the advisor. The approved and signed research proposal will be submitted to the ECE GSC. The approval of the research proposal by the ECE GSC is required for course registration. The coursework listed in the proposal for the subsequent semester is mandatory. Any changes in the coursework listed in the research proposal for the subsequent semester requires a written approval from the advisor and approval of the ECE GSC.

C.6.  Appointment of an Additional Advisor

At the time of the submission of the research proposal it is possible to request the appointment of an additional advisor or of a research counsel for the student. A request for the appointment of an additional advisor must be explained and approved by the main advisor. The ECE GSC will consider the request in accordance with the faculty rules. In cases where the requested additional advisor is from another department, his/her Curriculum Vitae must be enclosed to the appointment request. In any case, an additional advisor from another department must have a proven record as an advisor and appropriate academic qualifications, and the ECE advisor will supervise the main part of the research.

C.7.  The Progress Report

Starting at the first semester after the submission of the research proposal, and at least 7 weeks before the beginning of each semester, the student is required to submit to the ECE GSC a progress report, approved by the advisor. The length of the progress report should be  no less than 3 pages and it should not exceed 6 pages. The progress report should include: A title, background, research description and objectives, relationship between the planned research and the research actually carried out during the preceding semester, updates to the research objectives, updated research plan and time schedule, list of courses taken and final grades earned, and the updated coursework plan for the subsequent semester and beyond. Approval of the progress report by the ECE GSC is required for course registration. The courses listed in the report for the coming semester are mandatory. Any request for changes in the planned coursework listed in the research proposal for the subsequent semester requires the written approval of the advisor. An unauthorized delay in the submission of the progress report may lead to a mandatory leave of absence.

C.8.  Department Seminar – Lecture

An MSc student is required to deliver a 30-minute presentation of his/her research work in the within the course “Department seminar – lecture". The seminar presentation is a required condition for scheduling the final exam. A “pass" grade for this course will be given after the seminar took place. Lectures given at conferences or other forums do not exempt from this requirement.

C.9.  Department Seminar – Attendance

An MSc student is required to enroll in the course “Department seminar – attendance" at the beginning of his/her studies. A “pass" grade for this course will be given after attending 12 seminar hours during the course of the degree. It is not necessary to re-enroll for this course every semester.

C.10.        Master's Thesis

C.10.1 Format of thesis: Thesis format must follow the instructions detailed in the policies of the Faculty of Engineering Sciences regarding the format of Master's thesis.

C.10.2 Submission of thesis: One unbound hard copy of the work, signed by the advisor, should be submitted to the ECE GSC. After correcting any comments by the Committee, and after Committee's approval of the thesis, the thesis will be submitted to the Faculty Master's secretariat, both in a soft copy – in PDF format, and in hard copies,  where the number of copies will be equal to the number of evaluation committee members.

C.10.3 Thesis evaluation committee: The Master's thesis will be evaluated via a committee. The committee will first evaluate the written thesis and then evaluate the overall research via an oral exam. The member of the thesis evaluation committee will be determined by the ECE GSC, and will include the advisor(s) and at least 2 additional members, which can be faculty members from research universities at the minimum rank of a Lecturer, or teaching specialists at the minimum rank of a Teacher. At least one evaluation committee member will be from another university (not Ben-Gurion University of the Negev).

C.10.4 Evaluation of the written thesis: Each member of the evaluation committee will submit a thesis evaluation and a thesis grade, using the dedicated evaluation form. The final thesis grade will be the average of the grades submitted by the evaluation committee members. In the case where there is more than one advisor, the average grade of the advisors will be considered as one grade for computing the overall grade average. The criteria for evaluation of the thesis include: The significance of the research, the degree of novelty, the presentation and clarity of the work, the overall knowledge demonstrated by the student on the background material and related works. The grade for the written thesis will constitute 50% of the final thesis grade.

C.10.5 The oral exam: After the evaluation of the written thesis, the research will be evaluated in an oral examination. The oral exam may be scheduled only after the following two conditions are satisfied:  

1. All other degree requirements, as detailed in item C.1 have been completed.
2. All the evaluation form from all evaluation committee members have been received by the GSC, and all evaluation committee members recommended accepting the work without corrections or with minor corrections that can be approved by the advisor(s).

In the oral exam, the student will present his/her research work and will be examined by the evaluation committee on the subject of the thesis and on general subjects related to the thesis research. The grade for the oral exam will be the average of the individual grades assigned by the committee members. In cases where there is more than one advisor, the average grade of the advisors will be considered one grade for computing the overall average grade. The criteria for the evaluation of the oral exam include: The quality of the presentation, the demonstrated knowledge on related material, the extent to which the student understands the research, the extent of the student's contribution to the research, and the independence demonstrated in carrying out the research work. The grade for the exam will constitute 50% of the final thesis grade.

C.10.6 Final submission of thesis: If the evaluation committee recommended accepting the thesis without corrections or with minor corrections, the student will submit the thesis, signed by the advisor, to the ECE GSC (after making any required corrections). In the case where the evaluation committee required minor corrections, a letter from the advisor confirming that the corrections were made in accordance with the requirements of the evaluation committee should accompany the submission. Final submission should include two formats: A soft copy in PDF format and hard copies. The soft copy should be submitted through the ECE website, as well as in a CD. The hard copies should be submitted to the Faculty Master's secretariat. The number of hard copies should be equal to the number of evaluation committee member plus 2.

C.11.         “Good" Academic Standing

Students are in good academic standing if the following are satisfied:

1. Minimum average grade at each semester is 65,
2. An advisor was appointed by the end of the first semester following the student's full-time enrollment (“Min Ha'Minyan" status) OR an extension was awarded to identify an advisor.
3. Thesis subject approved by the end of the second semester following the student's Regular enrollment (“Min Ha'Minyan" enrollment),
4. Thesis progress report submitted on time, at the end of each semester of Regular enrollment (“Min Ha'Minyan" enrollment) .

C.12.        “Warning" Academic Standing

A student who does not satisfy at least one of the conditions stated in item C.12 for “good" academic standing, will become in “warning" status. The ECE GSC will consider the student's record and will set conditions for the students in order to continue the program. A student is allowed to be in “warning" status for only one semester. If a student does not achieve good academic standing by the end of the semester, he/she will be required to withdraw the program.

A student who is enrolled in the MSc program with thesis and, according to the evaluation of his/her advisor, will not succeed in completing the program within the expected duration wil be required to take a leave of absence[1].

C.13.        Failure in Course and Required Leave of Absence

The following rules apply to failure in course and set the policies for required leave of absence:

1. A student who fails a graduate course will be required to take the course again in the subsequent year. In the case the course is not offered in the subsequent year, the student may choose another course within the specialization area, subject to the approval of the advisor/academic supervisor of the specialization area. A student may not fail in more than two courses during the MSc degree program. The grade received in the failed course(s) will be taken into consideration when calculating the average grade for that academic year, but will not be taken into consideration when calculating the average grade for the degree.
2. A student who does not meet the requirements of the MSc program as detailed in this document, will be required to take a leave of absence.
3. A student who is on a leave of absence is not allowed to register for studies in another engineering department for a year following the beginning of the leave of absence.
4. A student who has not enrolled in courses or in the “thesis writing" course will be will be required to take a leave of absence..
5. A student may appeal the decisions of the ECE GSC to the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee.

D.    Required and Elective Courses for the Specialization Areas of the ECE Master's Program

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D.1. Communications

D.2. Signal Processing

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D.3. Control

D.4. Electromagnetics

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D.5. Electro-optics

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D.6. Computers

D.7. Secure Systems

D.8. ECE Master's Courses (International Program)

[1] A student receiving a university-funded scholarship will be required to return the funds, in accordance with University's regulations applying to grants.