Electrical & Computer Engineering (PhD)
Doctorate (PhD)
Program overview
The PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering is the highest-level degree offered by the department, providing expertise in a chosen area through intensive research. Students advance their analytical and practical knowledge through a combination of specialized courses and a research thesis completed under the supervision of an experienced faculty member. The objective of the PhD is to train highly qualified students who will contribute to the research, development and technological innovations of the department and academia in general. Where possible, research of interest to industry is encouraged.
Program details
Admission on a full-time basis
- Master’s degree or equivalent with high standing in engineering or computer science, or in a cognate discipline.
- Holders of a bachelor’s degree will, in general, be considered for admission to a master’s program only. After completion of a minimum of two terms of full-time study, they may, upon application, be considered by the GCS Graduate Studies Committee for admission to a PhD program.
Admission on a part-time basis
- Master’s degree with high standing in engineering, computer science or a cognate discipline.
Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the Graduate Admission page for further information on the Language Proficiency requirements and exemptions.
In addition to the general admission requirements, the Gina Cody School (GCS) may require applicants to write the Engineering Writing Test (EWT) as a condition of admission to all graduate programs in Engineering and Computer Science. Depending on the result, students may be required to complete remedial English language courses in addition to their program requirements.
Engineering Writing Test (EWT). The Engineering Writing Test examines students’ ability to provide reasoned assessment of a short technical composition in English or French, and their ability to provide a qualitative account of quantitative or graphically presented data. The test is offered a number of times throughout the year. Based on their performance in the test, students may be asked to take remedial courses.
Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 90 credits.
12 credits – Coursework
See the full list of Electrical and Computer Engineering Courses. Each student’s program must be approved by a supervisory committee consisting of three members of faculty, including the student’s research supervisor.
2 credits – PhD Seminar
ENCS 8011 - Doctoral Seminar in Electrical Engineering (2 credits)
Comprehensive Examination (no credit value)
ENCS 8501 - Comprehensive Examination (no credit value)
6 credits – Doctoral Research Proposal
ENCS 8511 - Doctoral Research Proposal (6 credits)
70 credits – Research and Thesis
ENGR 8911 - Doctoral Research and Thesis (70 credits)
or
COMP 8901 - Doctoral Research and Thesis (70 credits)
or
SOEN 8901 - Doctoral Research and Thesis (70 credits)
Please apply online. Read the how-to guide for application procedures.
1. Submit your application and pay a $103.50 CAD application fee. A student ID number will be issued
2. Log on to MyConcordia.ca portal to upload documents
3. A completed file that is ready to be assessed will include:
- Application form and Fee
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Three Letters of Reference and assessment form
- Statement of purpose
- Transcripts (with mark sheets if applicable) for all post-secondary institutions attended
- Proof of Canadian citizenship (if applicable)
- Applicants whose primary language is not English, are required to submit official language test scores, unless exempted.
4. An admission offer will not be issued until a supervisor match has been made. Students are encouraged to review the list of faculty members' field of interests and directly contact those with whom you would like to work.
For initial assessment purposes, scanned and uploaded copies of documents are accepted. To finalize a file, once admitted, Concordia University will require official documents.
| DEGREE |
FALL (September) |
WINTER (January) |
SUMMER (May/June) |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | ||||
| Canadian / International / Permanent Resident |
PhD | June 1 | Oct. 1 | Feb. 1 |
Priority will be given to those who apply within the official deadlines listed above. Some programs may continue to accept applications after these deadlines. For more information, please contact the department.
Sample classes
- Doctoral Seminar in Electrical Engineering
- Topics in Electrical Engineering
- Advanced Digital Communications
- Fault-Tolerant Distributed Systems
Curriculum
To see curriculum requirements, please visit the section above on degree requirements.
ECE produces a high level of research activity that benefits from more than 1.5 million dollars in annual funding. Faculty members are involved in eleven areas of research:
- Systems, control and robotics
- Circuits and systems; communications
- Computer communications and protocols
- Signal processing
- High performance architecture
- Software engineering;
- VLSI systems
- Microelectronics
- Microwave and optoelectronics
- Antennas and electromagnetic compatibility
- Power electronics and adjustable speed drives
Graduate funding is available in various forms.
Teaching Assistant (TA) assignments are awarded to qualified graduate students (PhD, MASc, MEng). The basic requirements are technical knowledge and good communication skills as demonstrated by past experience and academic record.
