Switching to EECS or minoring in CSE- which is better for a PhD in EECS?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Hello,

I am currently an Information Technology major but I am interested in pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at one of the top schools. I know admission is very competitive, that’s why I was wondering if it will hurt me if I have an IT major with a CSE minor, or if I should switch to EECS instead?

Universities are extremely vague about their requirements. They say you need a “strong background” in math, but don’t really specify what they mean by that. Does that mean I should study Calc 3 and differential equations even though I don’t need it for my degree?

2

If you want to do graduate study in CS, here are some suggestions:

https://eecs.berkeley.edu/academics/graduate/recommended-coursework

3

Yes it will be a disadvantage to have a degree in IT when applying for a PhD in EECS. When the admissions committee looks at your file, they are going to see that degree and then have to go look at the transcripts. Depending on the coursework involved in the IT degree, they will either determine that you don’t have a suitable background to be offered admission, that you might be offered admission with the stipulation that you have to complete some undergraduate coursework to get you up to speed (this may also mean that they would want you to do a MS first), or that your degree actually was okay and you can just be admitted.

The most important question will be the mathematics background in your current IT degree. Graduate school in engineering gets very math heavy, and without a sufficient background, it can really hurt you.

4

@boneh3ad I really don’t mine taking additional math courses over the summer. Math is actually my strongest subject in school, so it’s doable. I just need to know before jumping into it if it will be worth it.

5

@boneh3ad the problem with me is that I don’t have a lot of money, and my college is extremely stingy with scholarships. If I switch my major now, I will have to cover the cost of half my tuition for 3 more years and then the full cost after that because my scholarship expires in 2020. That’s why I am trying as hard as I can to get a good enough background that I can directly apply to a PhD without any problems. I don’t mind taking more math courses.