Students are required to take a minimum of 11 courses (33 credits) beyond the bacheloru2019s degree. At least seven of these courses (21 credits) must be graduate ENEE or CMPE courses, i.e., ENEE/CMPE courses at the 600 or 700 level excluding ENEE 66X and ENEE 67X. The remaining four courses (12 credits) can be MATH, STAT, CMSC, or from any other related discipline. Only three credits of Independent Study (ENEE/CMPE 699) can count toward the total course requirement. Students who have received their Masters at UMBC are allowed to count two 400 level MATH/STAT courses for the PhD degree with approval of their advisors. The doctoral dissertation must be an original and substantive contribution to knowledge in the studentu2019s major field. It must demonstrate the studentu2019s ability to carry out a program of research and to report the results in accordance with standards observed in the recognized scientific journals related to that field.