Overview

Students are fully funded by a combination of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and fellowships. Students work with faculty members in state-of-the-art labs and can pursue interdisciplinary collaborations.

For its PhD program in electrical engineering, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering looks for students who have a strong academic record, and for those who display a clear motivation in becoming a leading researcher.

Career Paths

The Electrical Engineering program at Northwestern University emphasizes excellence in education and research, providing graduates with a solid foundation for a career in industry, academia, and research labs.

Recent graduates are pursuing careers in industrial research labs (Intel Labs, IBM Research, Google, Facebook, and Qualcomm), industry (AMD, Bloomberg, IBM, Intel, Global foundries, and Mentor Graphics), and universities (Iowa State, Penn State, and the University of Maryland). In the last decade, recent graduates have founded more than half dozen successful startups.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Photonic Information Processing

Fiber-Optic Communications

Nanotechnology

Electronic Devices

Advanced Electronic Devices

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 60 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-09-23 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-12-15 00:00:00

Language

English

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Credits

15 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Evanston, United States

Disciplines

Electrical Engineering View 109 other PhDs in Electrical Engineering in United States

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

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Other requirements

General requirements

Admitted students must hold a U.S. bachelor’s degree — or an equivalent non-U.S. degree — from a regionally accredited institution.

TGS will accept applications from international students with 3-year bachelor's degrees.

You may be considered for admission before you finish your undergraduate degree, but you must complete that degree before you enroll at Northwestern.

In general, to apply to The Graduate School (TGS), you will be required to:

Submit an application online.

Pay an online application fee by credit card.

Submit your Statement of Purpose.

Upload your transcript or academic record.

Submit your test scores (if required by your admitting program).

Upload two to three Letters of Recommendation.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

9344 USD / year

≈ 9344 USD / year
Out-of-State

9344 USD / year

≈ 9344 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

9344 USD / year

≈ 9344 USD / year

Living costs

Evanston

United States

1100 - 1500 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Electrical Engineering.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Career Paths

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Evanston

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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