Departments and Key Contacts – CECS Office of Graduate Affairs

CECS Graduate Affairs Staff

Dr. Ali P. Gordon	Mrs. Heather Houser	Mrs. Tracey Ziebro
Associate Dean	Manager, Academic Programs	Administrative Assistant
Office of Graduate Affairs	Office of Graduate Affairs	Office of Graduate Affairs
407.823.0980	407.823.0980	407.823.1731
ali.gordon@ucf.edu	hstevens@ucf.edu	tracey.ziebro@ucf.edu

Graduate Program Coordinators

Graduate students are best served by their specific program faculty coordinators and staff assistants for program requirements, plans of study, and course selection. General advising about university and college policies is offered in CECS’s Academic Affairs Office in Engineering 1, Room 107.

Civil and Environmental Engineering
Graduate Director:	Andrew Randall, Ph.D.
Graduate Director (Travel Technology & Analytics MS):	Naveen Eluru, Ph.D.
Graduate Coordinator:	Arvin Cortez

Graduate Coordinator:

Computer Science
Graduate Director: (CS Dept.):	Wei Zhang, Ph.D.
Graduate Director (Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity & Privacy MS):	Cliff C. Zou, Ph.D.
Associate Graduate Director (Data Analytics MS):	Dan Eilen, Ph.D
Graduate Director (Mixed Reality Engineering Cert):	Joseph LaViola, Ph.D. Ryan McMahan, Ph.D.
Graduate Director (Computer Vision MS):	Niels da Vitoria Lobo, Ph.D.
Graduate Director (FinTech MS):	Wei Zhang, Ph.D.
Graduate Coordinator:	Jeanine Clements

Electrical and Computer Engineering
Graduate Director:	Mingjie Lin, Ph.D.
Graduate Coordinator:	Diana Poulalion

Industrial Engineering

Graduate Director:

Mansooreh Mollaghasemi, Ph.D.

Graduate Director (Professional Project and Systems Engineering MS):

Timothy Kotnour, Ph.D.

Graduate Director (Healthcare Systems Engineering MS and Cert):

Graduate Coordinator:

Rebecca Underhill

Materials Science & Engineering
Graduate Director:	Jiyu Fang, Ph.D.
Graduate Coordinator:	Kerry-Ann Wright

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Graduate Director (MAE Dept.):	Jihua “Jan” Gou, Ph.D.
Graduate Director (Biomedical Engineering MS & PhD):	Alain Kassab, Ph.D.
Graduate Coordinator:	Gabriela Laboy

Modeling and Simulation
Graduate Director:	Ghaith Rabadi, Ph.D.
Graduate Coordinator:	Kirsten Seitz

CECE PhD Admission Requirements

3.0 GPA – can submit 2 applicants with < 3.0 per program (domestic only) • 3.0 GPA – absolute for international applicants • No GRE required for admission; is required for some fellowships • Spring 2024 Admission: GRE will be required and the WES evaluation will not be required. • International transcripts evaluation by WES or Josef Silny required • TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5, or via UCFs ELI for international students from non-English speaking countries • Essay: 1.5 pages at most including why do you want to obtain the degree and what will it make you capable of that you can’t do with your current knowledge/credentials • 3 Letters of reference

CECE PhD Admission Requirements

3.0 GPA – can submit 2 applicants with < 3.0 per program (domestic only) • 3.0 GPA – absolute for international applicants • No GRE required for admission; is required for some fellowships • Spring 2024 Admission: GRE will be required and the WES evaluation will not be required. • International transcripts evaluation by WES or Josef Silny required • TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5, or via UCFs ELI for international students from non-English speaking countries • Screening Process for International Students delays admission process weeks or, sometimes, a month or two • Essay: 1.5 pages at most including why do you want to obtain the degree and what will it make you capable of that you can’t do with your current knowledge/credentials • 3 Letters of reference

Overlay Image

Guidance Control and Dynamics Admission Requirements

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.
In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related discipline with a minimum GPA 3.0
Résumé.
Statement of educational, research, and professional career objectives.
Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.

For international students interested in UCF Global Pathway Program (immersive English-language learning), please contact Dr. Ali P. Gordon for guidance.

Travel Technology and Analytics Admission Requirements

The GRE/GMAT is not required
A goal statement. This is your opportunity to outline in 500 words why you wish to join the program, what you think you will contribute to the program, and how you feel the program will enhance you both personally and professionally in the future.
Updated résumé.
Three letters of recommendation.
Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.
A computer-based TOEFL score of 220 or 80 on the internet-based TOEFL is required if an applicant is from a country where English is not the official language, or if an applicant’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, or if an applicant did not earn a degree in a country where English is the official language or a university where English is the official language of instruction. Although we prefer the TOEFL, we will accept IELTS scores of 6.5.

Systems Engineering Admission Requirements

The GRE is not required for admission to this program.
Resume or Curriculum Vita
Goal statement
- The goal statement should discuss all relevant professional background and any previous research and/or teaching experience. The statement should explain the motivation behind the pursuit of an MSSE. Future educational and career goals after the completion of the applicant’s master study should be discussed.
- If the applicant is interested in completing a Master thesis, then the applicant must clearly describe the particular area of research interest. The applicant should identify at least one UCF faculty member who shares a similar research focus and is believed to be best suited to serve as a potential thesis advisor.
- The goal statement should between 500 and 1,000 words.
Two letters of recommendation
- The letters of recommendation should be from faculty members, university administrators, and employers with a supervisory role of the applicant. The letters, which must be current to the application and must not be for another degree program, should address the educational and career goals of the applicant. The letter writers should also know the applicant well enough to discuss the applicant’s capacity to perform, excel and succeed in a graduate program. Letters for Master’s thesis students must discuss the applicant’s ability to perform graduate-level research.
Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.