ECE Industrial Advisory Board Meeting 2026

Prof. Abhishek Gupta — Chair, Graduate Studies

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
The Ohio State University

August 21, 2026

ECE@OSU Graduate Studies Team

Prof. Abhishek Gupta
Chair, Graduate Studies · Dreese Lab 464
gupta.706@osu.edu

Prof. Lisa Fiorentini
Chair, Graduate Admissions · MS Advisor
fiorentini.2@osu.edu

Tim Langreder
PhD Program Coordinator · Dreese Lab 236
langreder.1@osu.edu

Beth Bucher
MS Program Coordinator · Dreese Lab 238
bucher.9@osu.edu

Six research areas — and their chairs

Research area	Area chair
Solid-State Electronics & Photonics	Prof. Wu Lu
Power & Energy	Prof. Mahesh Illindala
Control, Signal / Image Processing & Computer Vision	Prof. Zak Kassas
Electromagnetics	Prof. Asimina Kiourti
Circuits	Prof. Tawfiq Musah
Computer Engineering, Networks & Communications	Prof. Can E. Koksal

Centers & laboratories

Autonomous Systems Perception, Intelligence, and Navigation Laboratory (ASPIN)
Center for High Performance Power Electronics (CHPPE)
Circuit Laboratory for Advanced Sensors and Systems (CLASS)
ElectroScience Laboratory
Institute for Materials Research

Semiconductor Epitaxy and Analysis Laboratory (SEAL)
Solid State Electronics and Photonics Area (SSEP)
Institute for Cybersecurity and Digital Trust (ICDT)
Krishna Infrared Detector Laboratory (KIND)
Center for Automated Vehicles Research with Multimodal Assured Navigation (CARMEN)

Two degrees, three paths

The course workload is heavier than undergrad — courses are more demanding and more is expected, at both the MS and PhD level.

PhD vs. MS program overview

Key differences in research depth, coursework timeline, and degree expectations.

PhD Program

Goal: Conduct intensive and prolonged research on a specialized topic, leading to archival publication and scientific or engineering breakthroughs
Years 1–3: Coursework to fulfill degree requirements & broaden technical foundation
Years 1–5+: Focus on original research & final dissertation

MS Program

Goal: Develop expertise in a specialized field of ECE
Semesters 1–2: Coursework to fulfill degree requirements
Semesters 3–4: Focus on advanced courses and project / thesis
Allow at least 2 semesters to complete the project and 3+ for thesis

Degree Requirements

PhD

Requirement	Credits	Details
Dissertation Research — ECE 8999	50 min	—
Letter-graded graduate courses (5000+ / 6000+)	28 min	21 cr ECE letter-graded · ≥2 ECE 6xxx · ≤9 cr related field
Engineering Ethics — PHILOS or ECE 7080	1	Waived if you completed ECE 3080 or PHILOS 1332
Individual Studies — ECE 8193	≤2	—
Seminar — ECE 8891	2	Attend ≥3 seminars per enrolled semester

MS (non-thesis)

Requirement	Credits	Details
Letter-graded graduate courses	24 min	ECE graduate ≥15 · advanced ECE ≥6 · ECE 6070 Project Management (first 2 semesters) · related ≤9
Engineering Ethics — PHILOS or ECE 7080	1	Waived if you completed ECE 3080 or PHILOS 1332
Individual Studies — ECE 8193	≤5	—
MS Non-Thesis Exam	Project	1-page proposal → advisor approval, then a project report

Enrollment Trends

ECE@OSU Graduate Admissions recovered, still mid-pack

MS applications fell, then stabilized

Applications for PhD admissions are recovering

Remains an attractive option for immigration

International Students stopped applying for MS

Partly due to GDP growth in their own countries

International MS enrollment fell in 2025

Recent immigration rules discourages hiring international graduates

International PhD applications are recovering

Domestic PhD enrollment has declined

Graduate education is a net negative ROI for top domestic students

Ranking remains in mid-20s

Sources · U.S. News national rank, Ohio State announcements

2018 · news.osu.edu/11-ohio-state-graduate-programs-ranked-in-top-10

2019 · engineering.osu.edu/news/2018/03/engineering-grad-programs-rank-among-nations-best

2020 · engineering.osu.edu/news/2019/03/grad-program-ranked-14th-among-publics · ECE

2021 · ece.osu.edu/news/2020/03/ece-graduate-program-jumps-22 · college

2022 · engineering.osu.edu/news/2021/03/ohio-state-engineering-grad-programs-rank-among-best-us

2023 · engineering.osu.edu/news/2022/03/graduate-programs-rank-among-nations-best

2024 · engineering.osu.edu/news/2023/04/graduate-program-rankings-rise

2025 · engineering.osu.edu/news/2024/06/graduate-program-jumps-13th-among-publics

2026 · engineering.osu.edu/news/2025/04/graduate-program-ranks-13th-among-publics

2027 · engineering.osu.edu/news/2026/04/graduate-program-ranks-14th-among-publics

New Minors and Certifications

Undergraduate

Embedded certificates & Minor

Signal Processing
Semiconductor Devices
Tech Entrepreneurship

Graduate

Embedded for students. Stand-alone for professionals.

Semiconductor Optoelectronics
Semiconductor Devices
Semiconductor Fabrication Technology

Goals for the future

Research partnerships with industry to grow the graduate program

Online MS for underserved topics

Challenges and the Road Ahead

Headwinds and Impact

AI skips the learning, creating bimodal distribution in the class

Research funding pulls away, new unusual partnerships needed to win grants

Tailwinds

AI fluency opens the door for capable students

Continued interest in PhD from international students

What we need from you

Where to set the AI bar for the next generation of workforce

Reduce job risk by creating pathways for hiring, coop, internships

New underserved areas for training through online certifications/degrees