Prospective Students

General Information

The ElectroScience Laboratory (ESL) at The Ohio State University (OSU) has been and continues to be a world leader in electromagnetics education and research for the past fifty years. More than 65 graduate and undergraduate students conduct world-class research at ESL, and through the years, 315 doctoral and 500 Master’s students have graduated from the ElectroScience Laboratory and gone on to very successful careers in government, industry and academia. Before continuing, you may want to meet some recent graduate students of the ESL!

Undergraduate Studies

Undergraduate students in Electrical Engineering can choose from five courses in electromagnetics:
• EE 311 - Electromagnetics I
• EE 312 - Electromagnetics II
• EE 517 - Electromagnetics Laboratory
• EE 613 - Antennas and Propagation for Wireless Systems
• EE 614 - Introduction to Electromagnetic Compatibility

The Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering also offers an honors thesis option for undergraduates who wish to research a particular topic before graduating. Choosing the honors thesis option adds special recognition of the achievement on the student’s diploma and offers a student who may be interested in graduate studies the opportunity to obtain real-world research experience. Awards consisting of full tuition and a monthly stipend are available for honors thesis proposals submitted the Spring quarter before honors thesis studies begin. The department also offers a combined B.S./M.S. program which allows students who maintain high enough G.P.A.s to graduate with both degrees in five years. There are also many ways that undergraduate students can get involved in research projects at ESL. By teaming with an ESL faculty member, students can participate as technicians or as other project support personnel while learning more about their field of study. Please contact any of the ESL faculty or research staff to discuss these possibilities further.

Masters and Ph.D. Degree Program Requirements

For current information regarding degree program requirements, please see the Graduate Program Information at the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.

311 Electromagnetics I U 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee311.htm
Syllabus of this quarter
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/~johnson/311/ee311.html
Waves and pulses on transmission lines including reflections, line impedance, and impedance matching. Static fields including dielectric and ferrite materials, and resistance, inductance and capacitance.
Au, Wi, Sp Qtrs. 3 cl. Prereq: 204 or 205, Math 415, and acceptance as Elec & Computer Eng major.
Note course description change from course offerings bulletin 2003-04.


312 Electromagnetics II U 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee312.htm
Introduction to time varying fields including Maxwell's Equations and plane wave propagation, reflection and transmission; applications to antennas, guided waves, and radar and communication systems.
Au, Wi, Sp Qtrs. 3 cl. Prereq: 311.
Note change in course description from Course Offerings Bulletin 03-04.


517 Electromagnetics Laboratory U 2
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee517.htm
Transmission line parameters; attenuation, magnitude and phase of voltage and current on lines; reflected waves; waveguide characteristics and techniques; antenna patterns and impedances; optical devices.
Su, Wi, Sp Qtrs. 1 cl, 1 3-hr lab. Prereq: 312.
Offered Su Qtr. subject to funding.


613 Antennas and Propagation for Wireless Systems U G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee613.htm
Syllabus of this quarter
http://www.eleceng.ohio-state.edu/~lee/ee613.htm
Introduction to antennas; antenna design for wireless base stations and remote sites; statistical propagation of waves in urban and rural environments; applications to cellular and PCS.
Au Qtr. 3 cl. Prereq: 312.


614 Introduction to Electromagnetic Compatibility U G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee614.htm
Syllabus of this quarter
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/~rojas/ee614.html
Basic knowledge of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) fundamentals including government EMC regulations, grounding, shielding, and crosstalk.
Sp Qtr. 3 cl. Prereq: 312.


710 Microwave Circuits U G 4
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee710.htm
Syllabus of this quarter
http://www.eleceng.ohio-state.edu/~rojas/Courses/ee710/ee710permanent.html
Theory of microwave passive devices, transformers, couplers, filters, resonators, and circulators; computer-aided design of microwave circuits; microstrip realization and testing with a network analyzer.
Au, Sp Qtrs. 3 cl, 1 3-hr lab. Prereq: 312 or equiv or grad standing.
Not offered Spring 03-04.
This was formerly a qualifying exam course in Electromagnetics.


711 Radiation from Antennas U G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee711.htm
Dipole, loop, aperture, reflector, lens, surface wave, and other antennas; array theory; radiation resistance, directivity, and input impedance
Wi Qtr. 3 cl. Prereq: 312 or equiv or grad standing.
This was formerly a qualifying exam course in Electromagnetics.


713 * Elements of Radio Wave Propagation U G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee713.htm
Practical methods for predicting tropospheric, groundwave, and ionospheric propagation, including refraction, reflection, and extinction effects.
Sp Qtr (even years). 3 cl. Prereq: 312 or equiv or grad standing.


714 * Radar Systems U G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee714.htm
Study of radar systems and their applications; emphasis on measurement of target parameters by means of radar with applications to ranging, tracking, mapping, and navigation.
Au Qtr (odd years). 3 cl. Prereq or concur: 613 or grad standing.


716 * Optics with Laser Light U G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee716.htm
Wave equation, ray optics, optical matrices, near and far-field diffraction theory, diffraction integral with lenses, Fourier optics, optical computing, holography, polarization, birefringence, applications.
Au Qtr (even years). 3 cl. Prereq: 352 and 312, or grad standing in engineering, chemistry or physics.


719 Electromagnetic Field Theory I U G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee719.htm
Fundamental laws of electrodynamics; dielectric, magnetic, and conductive media; energy, force, and momentum; radiation, scattering, and dispersion; interior boundary value problems; and Green's functions.
Au Qtr. 3 cl. Prereq: 312 or equiv or grad standing.
Proposed change to description and prereq: Maxwell's equations; constitutive relations; boundary conditions; wave equation; plane wave solutions in planar multilayered media; Doppler shift; vector potentials and fields of simple sources. Prereq: 312.
This is a qualifying exam course in Electromagnetics.


810 Electromagnetic Field Theory II G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee810.htm
Solution of Maxwell's equations in time and frequency domains; field theorems; integral representations; eigenfunction solutions; fields of moving charges.
Wi Qtr. 3 cl. Prereq: 719.
Proposed change to course description: Electromagnetic field theorems with applications; separable guided wave and scattering boundary value problems; one-dimensional Green's functions with applications; multi-conductor transmission lines.
This was formerly a qualifying exam course in Electromagnetics.


811 Electromagnetic Field Theory III G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee811.htm
Multi-dimensional potential Green's functions for solving separable electromagnetic problems with arbitrary excitation; integral equation formulation for more general wave problems of practical interest.
Sp Qtr. 3 cl. Prereq: 810.
Proposed new course to be offered Sp04.


812 * Applied High Frequency Methods in Electromagnetics G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee812.htm
Introduction of ray and wave optical concepts leading to the uniform, geometrical and physical theories of diffraction; Gaussian beam method; application to modern antenna and scattering problems in EM.
Au Qtr (even years). 3 cl. Prereq: 719 and 810, or equiv.


813 * Finite Elements for Electromagnetics G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee813.htm
Introduction to finite element, finite difference, and finite volume methods from the viewpoint of electromagnetics.
Au Qtr (odd years). 3 cl. Prereq: 810.


814 * Method of Moments in Electromagnetics G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee814.htm
Method of Moments solution of integral equations of electromagnetic radiation and scattering; applications to conducting and material bodies, apertures, thin wires, microstrip, etc.
Wi Qtr (even years). 3 cl. Prereq: 719.


815 * Advanced Antenna Theory G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee815.htm
Mutual impedance; moment method, aperture antennas; ground plane effects; horn and reflector antennas; pattern synthesis; antenna measurements.
Sp Qtr (even years). 3 cl. Prereq: 810.


817 * Advanced Electromagnetic Theory I G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee817.htm
Foundations of the electrodynamics of continuous media; physical implications of the theory; moving sources, boundaries, and media; scalar Green's functions.
Au Qtr (even years). 3 cl. Prereq: 810 or equiv.
Not offered 04-05. This course is being withdrawn Wi04.


818 * Advanced Electromagnetic Theory II G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee818.htm
Vector wave functions and dyadic Green's functions; integral equations and their solution by the moment, variational, and T-matrix methods; application to antenna and scattering problems.
Wi Qtr (odd years). 3 cl. Prereq: 817.
Not offered 04-05. This course is being withdrawn Wi04.


819 * Advanced Electromagnetic Theory III G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee819.htm
Use of asymptotic methods to obtain high-frequency solutions; geometrical optics and the propagation through inhomogeneous media; geometrical theory of diffraction and its application to antenna and scattering problems.
Sp Qtr (odd years). 3 cl. Prereq: 818.
Not offered 04-05. This course is being replaced and we expect it won't be offered again.


917 * Advanced Optical Concepts G 3
Standard Syllabus
http://eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/abet/std_syl_ee917.htm
Fiber and integrated optics and their applications, optical transfer functions, aberrations, optical thick holograms, numerical optical computing, and liquid crystals.
Wi Qtr (odd years). Prereq: 716 or permission of instructor.


Masters Degree

36 hours of true courses (~12 classes), of which at least 15 hours must be EE courses, of which 6 hours must be 800-level. At least 9 additional hours of EE 999 (independent study) credit. No more than 9 hours may be transferred from another institution. Satisfactory completion of Master's Thesis and Master's Thesis examination. See EE _Department Graduate Handbook_ (link) for more detailed descriptions.

Ph.D. Degree

12 hours of EE major area, 9 hours of EE minor area, 9 hours of minor area outside EE (30 total hours of graded course work beyond MS requirements), 135 total hours (including the 45 required for M.S.). Completion of qualifying exam, candidacy exam, satisfactory Ph.D. Thesis and Examination. See EE _Department Graduate Handbook_ (link) for more detailed descriptions.

Application

You can apply online to The Ohio State University’s Graduate School. Please contact us when beginning the application process to let us know about your interest in ESL.

Fellowships

University Fellowships

These are very competitive fellowships since they are awarded from a pool of the entire College of Engineering. The best student applicants are recommended to the graduate school for awards of up to three consecutive years. The submission of candidates for these fellowships is done by the Electrical Engineering faculty and decisions are made in early March. Over the past several years, applicants with excellent GPA have very good chances of being awarded a fellowship. To be eligible for fellowships, applicants must take the GRE exam. Both International and U.S. students are equally eligible for awards, with additional funds being available to women and minorities. Please see the Graduate School Website for more information about these opportunities.

ElectroScience Laboratory and Industrial Fellowships

The Lab has about 10 externally sponsored fellowships most of which are awarded to incoming students. The entire pool of applicants is considered for these fellowships subject to faculty and fellowship sponsored interests. Decisions on these fellowships are done towards the end of March by the Laboratory faculty and research scientists. U.S. students and residents are typically considered for these awards. If you would like additional information about these fellowships, please click here.

External Fellowships

There are a multitude of externally managed fellowship opportunities available, too. (U.S. Government, Non-Profit Organizations, Private Endowments etc.) . You can find a partial list of these fellowship opportunities here.

GRA Opportunities

Graduate Research Associate

The ElectroScience Laboratory (ESL) offers Graduate Research Associate (GRA) appointments to students enrolled in graduate studies in the Department of Electrical Engineering. A GRA appointment provides a stipend of $1,650 per month. In addition, all academic tuition and fees are waived. Allowances can also be made for health insurance coverage.

GRA appointments are renewable contingent upon satisfactory academic progress, research performance, and the availability of funds. A half-time GRA at ESL is required to spend 20 hours per week on specified research tasks and to carry at least nine quarter hours of graduate courses or research credit per quarter. The research effort is on sponsored ESL contracts and grants, most of which are in the areas of electromagnetics, antennas, scattering, wireless communications, signal processing, remote sensing and optics. While a GRA usually focuses on a particular topic, the appointments themselves are backed by ESL and not just a single research project.

Research at ESL is done within a research team framework. In fact, ESL GRAs normally have the luxury to align their project research topic with their Master's Thesis and Ph.D. Dissertation. The participate in presentations of papers and status reports and converse with ESL corporate and government sponsors. This is one reason ESL graduate students receive so many recruiting offers when they are ready to graduate.

If you are interested in a GRA appointment, your first step must be to apply for acceptance into The Ohio State University Graduate School. For additional information, and to request a GRA Application Packet, see "Applying to the Graduate Program".

More Information

To learn more about our tradition of excellence in research and education and our goals for the future, contact:

Prof. John L. Volakis, Director ElectroScience Laboratory Department of Electrical Engineering The Ohio State University 1320 Kinnear Road Columbus, Ohio 43212

email: volakis.1@osu.edu

Phone: (614) 292-6191 or (614) 292-7981