In Fall 2019, the ECE department began a highly-competitive PhD Priority admission program to provide 1st-year funding for exceptional full-time PhD students. This program is in addition to normal PhD admission. Students who are interested in going directly from their bachelors degree into this program are highly encouraged to apply. Students with a masters in electrical and/or computer engineering are also welcome to apply.
Benefits of the Program
Students accepted into the PhD Priority admission program will be awarded one academic year of graduate teaching assistant (GTA) support including a stipend and tuition remissions. Cohort students may also transition to a graduate research assistant (GRA) position within 2 years, which also includes tuition remissions and a stipend of value dependent of the availability of research funds.
Application Process
The PhD Priority program does not have a fixed deadline. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the program will close when sufficient students are selected for admission into the program. We recommend submitting your application by December 31 at the latest.
Step one:
Contact an ECE faculty member directly to inquire about support for pursuing a PhD in their research area. You MUST obtain an ECE faculty member's recommendation for this program in order to apply.
Links to the ECE research areas and faculty directory are below:
ECE Faculty Directory
ECE Research Areas
Step two:
With an ECE faculty member's recommendation for this program, you can apply for it at the following link.
Apply to the ECE PhD Priority Cohort.
The application for the Fall 2024 program will open during the Fall of 2023.
Gmail address needed for application. You will need to create a Gmail account for this purpose if you do not already have one.
Step three:
Accepted applicants will need to apply to PSU through the normal admission process as a final step for formal admission to PSU.
Students not chosen for the cohort are still encouraged to apply to an ECE graduate program.
Please email eceinfo@pdx.edu if you have any questions.