Welcome to the ECE 5 Year Integrated Degree Program! We are excited to help you work towards the major milestone of earning your MSECE Degree! 

Newly Admitted IDP Students

Follow these steps to complete your Graduate School Application:

• Submit your application to the Graduate School after admission to the IDP by the deadline listed in your admission email.  Generally, the only information needed is your biographical information, program information, and the Graduate School application fee.

• Pay the Graduate School application fee.

• If you have attended any institutions other than the U of M since matriculating at the U, you will need to submit unofficial transcripts from the other institutions (i.e., community college).

• You don't need to enter any information in the section for letters of recommendation. Just leave this section blank.

• You don't need to submit a Personal Statement.

• Questions? Contact ECE graduate advisor Ann Rausch at arausch@umn.edu

Current IDP Students

Upon admission to the IDP, students' undergraduate degree plan will be moved to a new EE or CompE APAS with an integrated degree sub-plan. Please keep the following in mind as you complete your undergraduate degree:

• IDP students are responsible for informing the Undergraduate Academic Advisor which courses for that term will be used for the MSECE degree. Generally, this should be done by the end of the first week of classes for the semester, and no later than the beginning of the third week of classes.  Use this Google form to update your MS coursework for Fall 2026 (due September 18). *The form for Fall 2026 will open on the first day of the semester.

• Your ECE advisor will email you once they have updated your MS courses during the first few days of the semester. Double-check your APAS once your advisor emails you that the APAS adjustments have been made.

• IDP students are responsible for staying on top of their undergraduate degree requirements.  Students should check their APAS carefully each semester for the following:

  1. Progress on undergraduate degree requirements including technical elective labs, breadth courses, and depth courses; and

  2. The correct MS coursework is appearing in the IDP area of the APAS.

• Your MS course(s) will be moved into the integrated degree sub-plan area of your APAS by the 10th day of each term per University policy.

• No changes to your IDP subplan coursework are allowed after the final day of instruction in your last semester as an undergraduate.

• All IDP students must maintain a minimum 3.0 technical GPA while enrolled as an IDP student. Any student who fails to maintain a 3.0 tech GPA can be removed from the IDP program.

• Information about MSECE coursework can be found in the ECE Graduate Student Handbook. The handbook contains the most up-to-date information about all graduate policies, including the 4xxx level rule (see bottom of this webpage) and the approved list of non-EE coursework that students can apply toward their MSECE degree. It is the IDP student's responsibility to learn about and understand which courses can count toward the MSECE, but students are welcome to consult with the ECE graduate advisor Ann Rausch (arausch@umn.edu), if they have questions. 

Graduating IDP Seniors

Congratulations on finishing your BEE or BCompE degree! As you transition from undergraduate to graduate studies, please do the following:

• At the beginning of the semester you intend to graduate: 

  1. Email the ECE Graduate Advisor (Ann Rausch, arausch@umn.edu) to let her know that you will be ready to graduate at the end of the term and request to activate your graduate status for the following semester. You will not be able to register for graduate credits until this is done.

  2. One of the Undergraduate Academic Advisors will automatically remove your DS and ECE holds to allow you to register for graduate classes. You do not need to attend an academic advising or faculty guidance appointment if you are in your final semester as an undergraduate. 

  3. Double-check that the correct courses are in the IDP subsection of your APAS report. This step is critical because we cannot move courses around after the final day of classes in your final semester as an undergraduate.

  4. International students will need to contact ISSS to find out the process of changing from an undergraduate to a graduate student here at the U. You will need to obtain a new I-20, among other things.

• During your last month as an undergraduate student: 

  1. You will need to complete the following form to move your IDP courses to your graduate program: Transfer Credits from Undergraduate to Graduate Career. Students do NOT need to get instructor signatures. List the course name, credits, grade, and term for each course that will be transferred. Students should send this form to the Undergraduate Academic Advisor for processing.

  2. Double-check that your DS and/or ECE holds have been removed from your student record. If you still see them, please email the undergraduate academic advisor to get the holds removed.