Why Choose NC State?
Rich and diverse set of Graduate courses
We have over 110 unique and distinct Graduate courses covering just about every topic you might be interested in. Many of the courses have significant projects that prepare you to be productive on your first day in industry.
ECE Graduate Career Services
We are the only ECE Department in the country with a dedicated Career Services team that will help you find the ideal job.
Excellent placement record
Over 50% of our students find interns during their time with us. Over 80% report having offers before graduation. Over 95% report having a job within three months. Below you will find a chart showing reported base salary by region and degree.
Flexible course selection
Most complete an MS by coursework. The basic MS structure is to take 10 courses over three or four semesters (three courses per semester is considered full time). Seven courses in the Department, give in your major (EE or CPE), one depth and three breadth courses. Alternatively you can do an MS thesis on an advanced project or research topic.
A degree that is well respected by employers
Below you will find a table of the top Universities whose alumni are hired by Silicon Valley.
Highly Ranked in Research
We are ranked 9th in the world by the ShanghaiRankings, a quantitative ranking system of university programs.
A highly respected distance-ed program
Engineering Online (EOL) is NC State’s long-established distance education program with a long and acclaimed track record, ensuring accessibility to courses while remaining removed from campus.
The Beauty of Research
The winners of the 2023 Envisioning Research contest showcase the scope of research being done at NC State.
Faculty and Ph.D. Student win DesignCon Best Paper Award
Dr. Paul Franzon and recent computer engineering Ph.D. graduate, Priyank Kashyap, won the DesignCon 2023 Best Paper Award for their “Data-Driven PAM4 SerDes Modeling with Generative Adversarial Network” paper.
Two ECE students win 2022-23 Graduate Program Awards
The College of Engineering recognized two ECE students in the 2022-23 Graduate Program Awards. Ashwini Ganesh won COE Doctoral Scholar of the Year in Citizenship and Service, and Mihir Khara won COE Master Scholar of the Year in Scholarly Achievement.
Robust Career Opportunities


Graduate Handbook
Explore the requirements, guides, policies and understand what your graduate journey at NC State will include.
Course Catalog
Learn more about the courses currently available across the University by browsing the official course catalog
As one of only two institutions to be home to two concurrent NSF Engineering Research Centers, one of three NSF Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research Initiatives, the home of the Department of Energy’s PowerAmerica institute, and leaders in the only North America IBM Quantum Hub, we are ranked among the top academic units engaged in scientific research in the United States.