MS Plan of Study

Overview

This interactive tool helps Electrical & Computer Engineering MS students and their advisors build and track a complete plan of study. Fill in each panel from top to bottom, and the Requirements Dashboard on the right will update in real time to show your progress toward degree completion.

• Work through the form with your advisor, then Save Plan to download a JSON file you can reload later.
• Use View Report to generate a printable text summary for submission or records.

Student Information

• Enter the student's full name and UK Student ID.
• Pathway — select the appropriate entry path:
  • UK Undergrad (Standard) — completed a UK bachelor's in ECE or related field.
  • UK Undergrad (USP) — University Scholars Program; some undergrad courses count toward the MS.
  • AMP — Accelerated Master's Program; similar to USP with pre-approved courses.
  • External — bachelor's degree from another institution.
• Plan A vs Plan B — Plan A (thesis) uses EE 768; Plan B (project) uses EE 784.
• EE 749 (Leave of Absence) — 0-credit course that maintains full-time status while a student is away from campus. Must be taken alone with no other courses in the same semester.
• Select the Start Semester/Year and Faculty Advisor.

USP/AMP Credits

This panel appears only when the pathway is set to USP or AMP. Enter courses taken as an undergraduate that will count toward the MS degree. These credits appear in the requirements dashboard and reduce the number of additional hours needed.

Summer Courses

Use this panel to add courses taken during summer semesters. Each course has a dropdown to select which summer it was taken in. Summer courses count toward all degree requirements (credit hours, core courses, GPA, ECE hours, etc.) but do not affect full-time status checks.

Transfer Credits

• If the student has a prior graduate degree or graduate coursework from another institution, select the degree type and enter the transfer hours (maximum 9 hours).
• Only courses with a grade of B or better may be transferred.
• Transfer hours count toward the 30-hour total but do not count toward ECE department hours.

RA/TA Funding

• If the student holds a Teaching Assistantship, select the semester they will complete TA Training.
• If applicable, select the semester for the Language Screening requirement (required for non-native English speakers serving as TAs).

Semester Course Planning

The main grid shows semesters from your start date through the 6-year degree window. For each semester:

• Adding courses — type a course prefix and number (e.g., EE 611) in the input box. As you type, matching courses appear in a dropdown. You can also select from the dropdown directly.
• Credit hours — auto-filled for known courses; editable for variable-credit courses.
• Grades — select the letter grade once earned. Future semesters can be left blank.
• Color-coded badges appear next to each course:
  • Core — one of the 6 core courses (EE 611, EE 621, EE 640, EE 641, EE 661, EE 685). You must complete at least 3 of 6.
  • Special — thesis/research/seminar credits (EE 748, EE 749, EE 768, EE 780, EE 783, EE 784, EE 595).
  • DGS Approval — courses that need Director of Graduate Studies approval.
• Semesters are color-coded by timing: past (green tint), current (blue border), and future (default).
• Use the × button to remove a course row.

Requirements Dashboard

The sticky sidebar on the right tracks all degree requirements in real time:

• Green checkmark — requirement met.
• Red X — requirement not yet met.
• Tracked requirements include: total credit hours (30), core courses (3 of 6), ECE department hours (at least 16), Plan A/B specific items, GPA minimums, and more.

Before Graduation

• This panel is locked until your plan meets the required credit hours and includes the thesis/project course (EE 768 for Plan A, EE 784 for Plan B).
• Once unlocked, it contains the graduation checklist: exam committee formation, final exam scheduling, thesis/project submission, and application for degree.
• Select Exam Committee members (3 faculty required).
• Check off each milestone as it is completed.

Saving & Loading

• Save Plan — downloads a .json file containing all form data. The filename includes the student name and date.
• Load Plan — opens a file picker to load a previously saved JSON file. All fields are restored.
• Clear All — resets every field to its default. Use with caution (you will be prompted to confirm).

View Report

Generates a formatted text report summarizing the entire plan of study. The report opens in a new window and can be printed or copied. This is useful for submitting the plan to the Graduate School or sharing with your advisor.