ECE MS: Proposals & Presentations

Proposals

To register to MS project course (ECxxx), students need to submit a detailed proposal and MS Project Proposal Form approved by a ECE research advisor to the ecems@bu.edu.

Deadlines

Spring semester projects: The Thursday before University ADD deadline for Spring
Summer Term projects: Late April

Fall semester projects: The Thursday before University ADD deadline for Fall

The specific deadlines will be communicated each semester, and may differ depending on the committee schedules.

You will be registered for the ECE MS Project Course if the ECE Master Committee approves your proposal. Approval will be based on the committee’s evaluation of 1) the quality of your proposal and 2) of the adequacy of your academic preparation for successfully carrying out the proposed research project.

In addition, the ECE Graduate Committee expects proposals to exhibit English-language proficiency. If you are concerned with your abilities in this area, the committee recommends that you consider setting up an appointment for writing assistance at BU’s Educational Resource Center. The ERC offers 45-minute “Traditional Appointments” and 30-minute “ESL Writing Skills Appointments” that could help you significantly improve the English grammar/style of your proposal.

MS Project Proposal Submission Guidelines

    1. Proposals must be signed by the supervising ECE faculty member indicating he/she has read the proposal, approves of it, and is willing to supervise the project and to assist the student in meeting departmental standards for the expected quality of such projects
    2. Proposals must be 3–5 pages in length, double-spaced, typed in 11-point font
    3. Proposals should include:
      1. Abstract (100–150 words)
      2. Clear and precise problem statement (~ 1 page)
      3. Discussion of prior work by others as reported in the relevant literature (~1 page)
      4. Approach(es) to be used in carrying out the project (~ 1 page)
      5. Plan and schedule (~1 page)
      6. Evaluation and grading plan (~ ½ page)
    4. Proposals must include an agreed upon evaluation and grading plan. Plans should include expectations for workload/effort, communication and final deliverables, along with grading scales for those expectations.

    Here is a past approved proposal to use as an example.

    Presentations

    MS students who are finishing their projects in a particular semester are required to present their work to ECE faculty and students at the end of that semester. Project presentations will typically take place on the last Friday before final exams, exact dates will be communicated each semester.