Computer Engineering

Curriculum + Resources

Program Information

Read the in-depth description of the program and guidelines for students who are interested in the BSE in Computer Engineering but may also be considering the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science majors.

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Suggested Schedules

Some students may come to Penn sure of their major, completely undecided, or be considering a few related majors. This document allows you to see course plans for each path – the decided student, the undecided, and the student interested in EE, CSCI, or CMPE.

Optional Concentrations: Available for the 2026-27 Catalog Year

Concentrations are focused areas of study that provide students with a critical level of expertise in a particular domain within CMPE, preparing the student for employment or graduate school in that domain. To satisfy the requirements for a concentration, students must complete at least four courses from the selected concentration as detailed below.

*Students may only pursue one Concentration. Please note: Students who are submatriculating MUST meet all of the concentration requirements BEFORE obtaining their undergraduate degree.

AI & Robotics

Select 4 courses:

CIS 2450 Big Data Analytics

CIS 4190/5190 Applied Machine Learning or CIS 5200 Machine Learning*

CIS 4300/5300 Natural Language Processing

CIS 4810/5810 Computer Vision & Computational Photography

CIS 5210 Artificial Intelligence

CIS 5650 GPU Programming and Architecture

ESE 2000 Artificial Intelligence Lab: Data, Systems, and Decisions

ESE 2240 Signal and Information Processing

ESE 3060 Deep Learning: A Hands-on Introduction

ESE 3600 TinyML: Tiny Machine Learning for Embedded Systems

ESE 4210 Control For Autonomous Robots

ESE 5050 Feedback Control Design and Analysis

ESE 5390 Hardware/Software Co-Design for Machine Learning

ESE 6150 F1/10 Autonomous Racing Cars

ESE 6500 Learning in Robotics

MEAM 5200 Introduction to Robotics

* CIS 4190/5190 and CIS 5200 are mutually exclusive

CHIPs

Select 4 courses:

ESE 3190 Fundamentals of Solid-State Circuits

ESE 4190/5720 Analog Integrated Circuits

ESE 4730/5730 Chips-design *

ESE 4750/5750 Chips-measurements

ESE 5320 System-on-a-Chip Architecture

ESE 5780 RFIC (Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit) Design

ESE 5800 Power Electronics

ESE 6680 Mixed Signal Circuit Design and Modeling

CIS 6010 Advanced Topics in Computer Architecture

* Students who take ESE 4730/5730 must take ESE 4750/5750 

Networking and Distributed Systems

Select 4 courses:

NETS 2120 Scalable and Cloud Computing

ESE 4070/5070 Introduction to Networks and Protocols or CIS 5530 Networked Systems*

ESE 6650 Datacenter Architecture

CIS 4550/5550 Internet and Web Systems

CIS 5050 Software Systems

*ESE 4070/5070 and CIS 5530 are mutually exclusive

Security and Safety

Select 4 courses:

CIS 2330 Introduction to Blockchain

CIS 4410/5410 Embedded Software for Life-Critical Applications

CIS 4510 Computer and Network Security

CIS 5470 Software Analysis

CIS 5560 Cryptography

ESE 5370 Hardware Security

Course Dependencies Flow Chart

We have made available a “flow chart” of required courses and prerequisites for interested students.

Changing Your Major:

To switch your major to CMPE, click here and submit the “Declare/Update Field of Study” form.

Please see the following details regarding the ESE 1120 requirement for your degree:


CMPE students entering Fall 2024 or later:

  • ESE 1120 is mandatory for EE and CMPE students entering Fall 2024 and later.
  • Students transferring into EE or CMPE after their first year can use PHYS 0151 or PHYS 0171 in place of ESE 1120 once the module is completed and the diagnostic exam is passed. The module and diagnostic exam is only for transfer students. No AP credit will count towards the ESE 1120 requirement.
  • ESE 1120 is a natural science course in place of PHYS 0151 (or PHYS 0171).


CMPE students entering Fall 2023 or earlier:

  • If you have taken ESE 1120, it satisfies the prerequisite for ESE 2150 and ESE 2180 and counts towards your degree.
  • If you have taken (or have Penn approved credit for) other previously assumed equivalent physics courses (e.g. PHYS 0151 or 0171) and review the ESE 1120 module and pass the module exam, the course will count towards your degree as a natural science requirement. It also will satisfy the prerequisite for ESE 2150 and ESE 2180.