A field effect transistor (FET) having a source, a drain and a gate includes a first connection electrically connected to the gate near a first end of the gate, a second connection electrically connected to the gate near the first end of the gate, a third connection electrically connected to the gate near a second end of the gate, and a fourth connection electrically connected to the gate near the second end of the gate. By performing gate resistance measurements at different ambient temperatures, a thermal coefficient of gate resistance can be derived and then used to monitor the gate temperature, which is representative of the channel temperature.