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Student research group in the Medical Design Innovations Laboratory.

Why Pursue a PhD in Electrical Engineering

This doctoral program stresses both theoretical and practical aspects of Electrical & Computer Engineering by combining the teaching and research expertise of the university community with the resources of other San Antonio research institutions. Graduate faculty are very active in conducting cutting-edge research projects, which provide both research experiences and financial supports for graduate students.

Research Opportunities

Research in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering mainly focuses on five concentrations:

Admission & Application Requirements

Applications are submitted through the UTSA Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UTSA Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UTSA by the appropriate application deadline.

Electrical Engineering (PhD)
  Required Degree Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution.
  Minimum GPA 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours
  Coursework 18 credit hours in an area related to this graduate degree and at least 12 hours must be at the upper-division level.
  Transcripts* Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English
  Credential Evaluation Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) directly from the graduate admission application platform
  English Language Proficiency 550 TOEFL Paper / 79 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100
  Purpose Statement Required
  Resume Required
  Letters of Recommendation 3 academic or professional reference(s) demonstrating your attributes for successful completion of this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time)
*Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University.
Apply 2024-25 Application Apply 2025-26 Application

Application Deadlines

Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.

Electrical Engineering (PhD)
Timing on Admission Decision: Completed applications will be reviewed for admission on a rolling basis. Decisions generally will be made and sent to applicants within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the application.
Application Deadlines for: Priority International Domestic
Spring 2025 Not Available October 1 October 1
Summer 2025 Not Available Not Available Not Available
Fall 2025 February 1 June 1 August 1
Spring 2026 Not Available October 1 October 1
Summer 2026 Not Available Not Available Not Available

Funding Opportunities

For more information about graduate funding, click below.

Learn More

Career Options

UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below is data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.


This program is housed on UTSA’s Main campus. Our graduate courses are offered mostly in afternoon and evening. About half of courses are taught in the afternoon (2:00 PM to 5:00 PM) and another half in the evening (5:00 PM to 8:15 PM).

Graduate Advisor of Record

Wei-Ming Lin, PhD

210-458-5529

weiming.lin@utsa.edu