With approximately 1,400 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students, the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is one of the largest EE/CmpE programs in the USA. Because of the large numbers of both students and faculty, we have established certain policies and procedures in order to operate efficiently.  Students should consult this manual and the ECE Graduate Affairs Office staff for policy, procedure and advisement information. Guidance provided by fellow students may not be the most up to date and may be unreliable.

For graduate students, the primary contact with the administration of the School will be through the Graduate Affairs Office, which is in Room W-208 of the Van Leer (ECE) Building. The Graduate Affairs Office is administered by the Associate Chair for Graduate Affairs, Professor Mark Davenport. The staff in the office consists of Mrs. Olivia Kulisz, Ms. Carol March, Ms. Katrina Patton, Mrs. Rosanna Quinones-Atkinson, Dr. Daniela Staiculescu, and Ms. Tasha Torrence.

The primary functions of the ECE Graduate Affairs Office are:
  • Process and make recommendations to the Graduate Admissions Office of the Institute on all applications for admission to the graduate program.
  • Process and make recommendations to the ECE school chair on all applications for financial assistance in support of graduate programs.
  • Initiate and maintain a file on each incoming graduate student.
  • Coordinate the assignment of examination and reading committees for thesis and dissertation activity.
  • Receive, process, and validate all petitions and applications for graduate degrees.
  • Process information on graduate assistantships and monitor eligibility for tuition waivers.
  • Prepare draft requests for student (F and J) visas; assure compliance with Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration (BCIS) and SEVIS rules and regulations.
  • Provide academic advisement and guidance to ECE graduate students.
  • Make teaching assistantship assignments.
  • Issue registration permits for ECE graduate level classes.

The preferred way to contact the ECE Graduate Affairs Office is through the Contact Us form. Our fax number is 404-894-3047 and the office number is 404-894-2983.

The ECE Graduate Affairs Office provides academic advisement to ECE students in a variety of ways:
Daily Advisement Hours
  • Students desiring one-to-one advisement are welcome to visit the ECE Graduate Affairs Office.  
  • The office staff is generally available from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday.  
  • The Academic Office holds advising both in person and virtually. Specifics on each team member’s schedule and appointments are communicated by email. 
  • All staff members may not be available during the posted office hours.  
  • Students wishing to meet with the Associate Chair for Graduate Affairs must make an appointment.  An appointment request should be requested at the front desk in Van Leer W208.
  • Suggesting dates and times when you could be available for a meeting could speed up the process.
New Students
  • New, on-campus ECE graduate students are required to attend an orientation program prior to the start of classes.  
  • The Academic Office holds virtual orientation sessions for the new Online MS students each Fall and Spring semester. Online MS students residing in the Atlanta area are welcome to attend the on-campus orientation.
  • Students admitted into the Georgia Tech – Europe or Georgia Tech - Shenzhen program participant in the advisement program on their campus.
Continuing Students
  • Advisement for continuing students is provided prior to the first phase of registration each term.  Advisors are available during the hours listed above for any students needing assistance.
Web-based Materials
  • The ECE website serves as a means by which students may obtain information about graduate degree requirements, policies, and procedures.  
  • All electronic forms for both faculty and students are all available on the forms resource page.
  • Degree program information, frequently used forms, and handbooks are all available on the Student Resources page of the ECE website.
Email Communication
  • At both the administrative and the academic levels, email is the official means of communication with Georgia Tech students. The list grads@ece.gatech.edu includes the email addresses of all enrolled ECE graduate students. This list is updated after the close of registration each term and is used to send information related to academic issues—policies, procedures, registration, or deadlines, etc.—to the entire ECE graduate student body.
  • If you are interested in announcements on jobs, news, assistantship positions, teaching opportunities, internships, and seminars, please subscribe to the email list news_grads. To subscribe to this list, do as follows:
    • From your GT email (any others will be rejected), send a message to sympa@lists.gatech.edu.
    • In the subject line of your email, type in: subscribe news_grads.
    • Leave the message body blank.
Faculty Advisors
  • Faculty (or research) advisors are not required for students pursuing a non-thesis master's degree.
  • Ph.D. students and M.S. students choosing the thesis option must have research advisors and are expected to select an advisor early in their degree program.  
  • Students selecting advisors outside of ECE must have a co-advisor who is ECE faculty.
Ph.D. Research Advisor
M.S. Thesis Advisors
  • M.S. thesis option students should select a research advisor during their first term and no later than the end of registration for their second term in residence.
  • The ECE Graduate Affairs Office is informed of the advisor selection by the submission of the signed “Select M.S. Thesis Advisor” form. This form is available through our website at: https://www.ece.gatech.edu/current-students/graduate/forms.
  • Only after the submission of the form can the student register for ECE 7000 (M.S. Thesis Research) under the selected advisor.
Changing Advisors
  • Circumstances may arise which make it necessary for a student pursuing the Ph.D. or M.S. thesis option degree to change advisors. The decision to change advisors is not to be made lightly. Students considering a change of advisor are urged to meet with the Associate Chair for Graduate Affairs for guidance before making a change. It is important that all involved (student, current advisor, and new advisor) are aware of the situation and that a mutually acceptable resolution results from the change of advisor.  
  • Students are expected to make good progress in completing their chosen degree program. A single change of advisor, where warranted, is understandable. Multiple advisor changes are viewed as an indication of poor degree completion progress and may have a negative impact on the student’s funding and future academic status.