PMP Overview
The PMP is designed for students whose ultimate goal is to work in professional roles in industry. Our flexible degree accommodates both working professionals seeking advancement and full-time students who use the program and the rich networking opportunities to launch their careers in the vibrant Seattle-area tech and engineering community.
Student Demographics
Full-time/Part-time Status
We have around 250 students in the program, comprised of both full-time and part-time students. The blue sections below indicate our full-time student enrollment, a growing student demographic! Full-time students are enrolled in a minimum of 10 credits per quarter. Part-time students generally enroll in around 5 credits a quarter.
Our part-time students work at a variety of companies in the Seattle area including Amazon, ATT, Blue Origin, Boeing, Casne Engineering, Crane Aerospace, Cypress Semiconductor, Facebook, Honeywell, Kenworth, Microsoft, PACCAR, Puget Sound Energy, T Mobile, and the US Army. This provides rich networking opportunities for both our part-time and full-time students!
Check out this video featuring part-time student Elliot who works at Microsoft!
Student Age Profile
We have a diversity of students in our program, including their age distribution. The majority of our students are in their 20’s and are either continuing on directly from their undergraduate studies or join us early in their careers.
Student Academic Backgrounds
We welcome students from a variety of academic backgrounds. Last year, 60% of our new students came from EE related majors, followed by CS/CE, ME, and Physics. Other majors represented included Chemical Engineering, Marine Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mathematics, and Aeronautical/ Astronautical Engineering.
International Students
We accept international students on an F1 visa, as shown in blue in the graph below. Our Domestic Non-Resident students are those on H1B, H4, L4, and TN visas.
The majority of our international students come from China and India, though we have also welcomed students from other countries around the world!
F1 students, please check out our International Students page.
FAQs
What are the main differences between the PMP and the department’s traditional master’s program?
The primary difference is that the PMP has a professional vs. research focus. Students in our program tend to go on to careers in industry vs. further graduate study/ careers in academia. The PMP offers both full-time and part-time options with greater flexibility than our daytime program. Additionally, our courses are offered in the evening vs. during the day. This allows our part-time students to continue with their careers and our full-time students to pursue internship opportunities during the day.
Is the curriculum the same as the daytime master’s program?
About 25% of our coursework is also offered in the daytime master’s program. These tend to be classes in the classic EE disciplines such as Digital Signal Processing and Linear Systems Theory. The remaining coursework has been developed specifically for PMP with a focus on industry trends. These classes include subjects such as The Self-Driving Car: Intro to AI for Mobile Robots, Software Engineering for Embedded Applications, Deep Learning for Big Visual Data, TinyML, and Quantum Computing and Quantum Mechanics for Engineers. Please also view our Curriculum and Registration section.
I want to get a PhD. Is this the right program for me?
Research is a critical component in PhD admissions, and so our coursework-only program is not the best fit for students who want to pursue further graduate study in a PhD program. However, some PMP students have gone on to PhD programs after obtaining research experience through EE P 599 credits. Remember that our PMP does lead to the same MSEE degree as our daytime program.
Check out this profile of one PMP’s students experience with research!
Can I transfer to another graduate program?
No, there is no transfer mechanism between graduate programs. Students in the PMP who wish to be in another program must apply separately (and vice versa).