Graduate Programs

MS in Computer Engineering

The MS in Computer Engineering is best suited for students who are looking to focus more on computer engineering (hardware) aspects. It can be either a pure course option program, or it can incorporate a project or a thesis.

All students in the MS in Computer Engineering program must have previously completed (as documented by their undergraduate transcript), successfully test to place out of, or complete at the start of their program, the following courses: CSE 501N Programming Concepts and Practice and CSE 505N Introduction to Digital Logic and Computer Design.

The Master of Science in Computer Engineering degree is jointly administered by the Department of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) and the Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering (ESE).

Course Option

This option requires 30 units of graduate credit. Students must also follow the general degree requirements listed below.

Thesis/ Project Option

The thesis or project options require 24 units of graduate credit in addition to 6 units of either thesis or project courses (CSE/ESE 599 or CSE 598 respectively). Students pursuing the project option may opt to take 27 units of graduate courses and only 3 units of CSE 598 with adviser approval. Students must also follow the general degree requirements listed below.

General Degree Requirements 

  • 18 of the 30 units must be from the designated graduate-level Computer Engineering courses.
  • Students may request approval to take up to 12 additional units from outside the CSE/ESE departments. Such approval shall be contingent on the credits being suitably technical graduate-level content. To count more than 6 units from outside the CSE/ESE departments, an appropriate justification for the additional increment shall be provided by the adviser and student. Departmental approval shall be evaluated with increasing stringency for each additional increment.
  • Up to 12 units of 400-level courses can count for graduate credit.
  • None of the 30 units may be taken as independent study (i.e., CSE 400, CSE 500, ESE 400 or ESE 500).
  • Courses with an "N" designation do not count toward the master's degree.
  • All courses must be taken for a grade of C- or better.
  • As per Engineering School guidelines, students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.70.

Graduate-Level Computer Engineering Courses 

CSE 507A Technology Entrepreneurship 3 units
CSE 517A Machine Learning 3 units
CSE 520S Advanced Real-Time Embedded Systems 3 units
ESE 520 Probability and Stochastic Processes 3 units
CSE 521S Wireless Embedded Sensor Networks 3 units
CSE 522S Advanced Operating Systems 3 units
CSE 527 Natural Language Processing 3 units
CSE 523S Systems Security 3 units
CSE 532S Advanced Multiparadigm Software Development 3 units
CSE 538T Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Interconnected Computer Systems 3 units
CSE 539S Concepts in Multicore Computing 3 units
ESE 543 Control Systems Design by State Space Methods 3 units
ESE 547 Robust and Adaptive Control 3 units
CSE 549T Theory of Parallel Systems 3 units
CSE 559A Computer Vision 3 units
CSE 560M Computer Systems Architecture I 3 units
CSE 561M Computer Systems Architecture II 3 units
CSE 563M Digital Integrated Circuit Design and Architecture 3 units
CSE 565M Acceleration of Algorithms in Reconfigurable Logic 3 units
CSE 566S High Performance Computer Systems 3 units
ESE 566A Modern System-on-Chip Design 3 units
CSE 567M Computer Systems Analysis 3 units
CSE 568M Imaging Sensors 3 units
CSE 569M Parallel Architectures & Algorithms 3 units
CSE 570S Recent Advances in Networking 3 units
CSE 571S Network Security 3 units
CSE 574S Wireless and Mobile Networking 3 units
CSE 598 Master's Project 3-6 units
CSE/ESE 599 Master's Research 6 units
CSE 515T Bayesian Methods in Machine Learning 3 units
CSE 519T Advanced Machine Learning 3 units
CSE 534A/ESE 513 Large-Scale Optimization for Data Science 3 units
CSE 569S Advanced IoT, Real-Time, and Embedded Systems Security 3 units
ESE 523 Information Theory 3 units
ESE 524 Detection and Estimation Theory 3 units
ESE 526 Network Science 3 units
ESE 551 Linear Dynamic Systems I 3 units
ESE 553 Nonlinear Dynamic Systems 3 units
ESE 562 Analog Integrated Circuits 3 units
ESE 572 Signaling and Control in Communication Networks 3 units