How long should I be a Graduate EE? I've been a Grad EE for 3 yrs now

 

Depends on what you are doing, what you are seeking, and how hard you are working. Most masters programs are intended to be about two years long when pursued full time.

 

2 years for masters
4-8 years for PhD - can be done in series or parallel of the Masters - depending on the university.

I've heard of some PhD students taking 10-12 years due to their advisors leaving for a new position somewhere else, changing discipline, etc. Ph.D. is just as much about politics as it is about the Body of Knowledge.

 

I worked with someone who did his MSEE at Stanford in a year to save money.

 

Can I do it in a shorter amount of time if I want to double the volume of learning stuff just to do it faster?

To some extent, yes. But it is easier said than done. As an undergrad, I always carried between 18 and 23 semester hours each term. My first year as a grad student I took 13 sem-hrs thinking that would be a breeze and it damn near killed me. Graduate courses (at a decent school) are a lot harder and more time consuming than undergrad courses.

In addition to that, there can be some limitations imposed by your program, particularly at the PhD level. Some programs limit the number of credits you can complete prior to achieving some milestone event, such as passing your qualifiers or comprehensive exam. Most programs also limit the number of thesis hours you can complete each semester, though this is seldom the hurdle if planned far enough in advance.

Finally, there is a max pace at which your research can proceed, which varies enormously from one research topic to another.

If you are willing to commit the time and resources to complete your program more quickly than normal, it is critical to discuss this ahead of time with your potential advisors and choose your thesis/dissertation topic carefully with this goal in mind.