Electrical & Computer Engineering MS/PHD | Program Details

Computer architecture and design encompasses everything from instruction set architecture to microprocessor design, memory hierarchy, interconnect, I/O, and performance measurement.  Target applications range from consumer electronics and graphics processors to industrial and automotive electronics to desktop, servers, and high-performance computing. 

The computer architecture and design track provides a solid foundation in computer architecture and design as well as an introduction to more advanced topics. The depth and breadth options along with electives allow the flexibility for an additional emphasis on design verification, IC design, or embedded systems.

Track Director: Yuchen Huang

Computer Architecture Track Completion Form >>

Core Courses

Students must complete these core courses along with the primary focus courses listed below.

• ECE 585 Microprocessors System Design
• ECE 586 Computer Architecture
• ECE 587 Advanced Computer Architecture I
• ECE 588 Advanced Computer Architecture II

Course Planning

A suggested curriculum for the Computer Architecture's Core and Depth and Breadth courses can be found below. Some notes about course sequence order:

• Students shall take ECE 571 before or/at the same term as ECE 585.
• Students shall take ECE 585 and ECE 586 before taking ECE 540, ECE 544, ECE 560,  ECE 593, ECE 595.
• All course prerequisites need to be met.
• The courses below will not necessarily be taken in the order listed.
• One additional 4-credit ECE course and 9 credits of electives must also be completed.

Primary Focus: Computer Architecture. Secondary Focus: Design Verification and Validation 

Depth and Breadth course list of:

• ECE 560 Assertion Based Verification
• ECE 571 Introduction to System Verilog for Design and Verification
• ECE 582 Formal Verification of HW/SW Systems
• ECE 593 Fundamentals of Pre-silicon Validation
• One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 550 Post-Silicon Functional Validation

Primary Focus: Computer Architecture. Secondary Focus: Digital IC Design

Depth and Breadth course list of:

• ECE 525 Digital Integrated Circuit Design I
• ECE 526 Digital Integrated Circuit Design II
• ECE 530 Physical Design of Digital Integrated Circuits
• ECE 581 ASIC Modeling and Synthesis
• One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 571 Introduction to System Verilog for Design and Verification

Primary Focus: Computer Architecture. Secondary Focus: Embedded Systems

Depth and Breadth course list of:

• ECE 540 System on a Chip Design with FPGAs
• ECE 544 Embedded System Design with FPGAs
• ECE 558 Embedded Systems Programming
• ECE 571 Introduction to System Verilog for Design and Verification
• One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 581 ASIC Modeling and Synthesis

Suggested Full Time Schedule

The schedule below is for students beginning the ECE MS program in Fall term. Students that begin in Winter term will shift their schedule one term forward and can work with the department on advising for their course plans.

First Year

International Students on F-1 visas with internship offers will take one internship credit of ECE 504 the summer after their first year.

Second Year

Students not participating in internships can replace ECE 504 with electives.

The presence of microprocessors and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) to improve and enrich lives is pervasive. Advances in manufacturing technology continue to accelerate the opportunity to create new, exciting products. There are many critical factors in the successful development of new designs and it is estimated that well more than half the effort is spent on validation. Design verification and validation is a systematic, engineering approach that works in tandem with other critical concerns to guide the development of correct and maintainable designs. This area is also of particular interest to the Portland metro area with the corporate presence of worldwide leaders in EDA tools and microprocessor development. 

PSU’s MS ECE design verification and validation track provides an opportunity for students to gain an understanding of modern designs and validation techniques used for large scale commercial designs. Courses cover topics including computer architecture, System Verilog, simulation, emulation, formal verification, pre-silicon functional validation, and post-silicon functional and electrical validation. Classes are offered in the evenings to accommodate work schedules. Many of the instructors have been recruited from the local industry.

Track Director: Xiaoyu Song

DVV Track Completion Form >>

DVV Thesis Completion Form >>

Core Courses

The Core Courses below apply to students starting in the 2025-2026 academic year. Current students can use the core courses published for the year they were admitted.

Students must complete these core courses along with the primary focus courses listed below.

• ECE 560 Assertion Based Verification
• ECE 571 Introduction to System Verilog for Design and Verification
• ECE 582 Formal Verification of HW/SW Systems
• ECE 593 Fundamentals of Pre-silicon Validation

Course Planning

A suggested curriculum for the Design Verification and Validation track's Core and Depth and Breadth courses can be found below. Some notes about course sequence order:

• All course prerequisites need to be met.
• The courses below will not necessarily be taken in the order listed.
• ECE 571 should be taken before or/at the same term as ECE 585 for students following the Computer Architecture secondary focus.

Primary Focus: Design Verification and Validation. Secondary Focus: Computer Architecture

Depth and Breadth course list of:

• ECE 585 Microprocessors System Design
• ECE 586 Computer Architecture
• ECE 587 Advanced Computer Architecture I
• ECE 588 Advanced Computer Architecture II
• One additional 4-credit ECE course: Choose either ECE 527 High-performance Digital Systems or ECE 550 Post-Silicon Functional Validation

Primary Focus: Design Verification and Validation. Secondary Focus: Digital IC Design. 

Depth and Breadth course list of:

• ECE 525 Digital Integrated Circuit Design I
• ECE 526 Digital Integrated Circuit Design II
• ECE 550 Post-Silicon Functional Validation
• ECE 583 Low Power Digital IC Design
• One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 595 Emulation and Functional Specification Verification

Primary Focus: Design Verification and Validation. Secondary Focus: Embedded Systems

Depth and Breadth course list of:

• ECE 527 High-performance Digital Systems
• ECE 540 System on a Chip Design with FPGAs
• ECE 550 Post-Silicon Functional Validation
• ECE 583 Low Power Digital IC Design
• One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 595 Emulation and Functional Specification Verification

Suggested Full-Time Schedule

The schedule below is for students beginning the ECE MS program in Fall term. Students who start in winter term will shift their schedule one term forward and can work with the department on advising for their course plans.

First Year

International Students on F-1 visas with internship offers will take 1 internship credit of ECE 504 the summer after their first year.

Second Year Plan

Students not participating in internships can replace ECE 504 with electives.

Digital Computation is now ubiquitous, everything can compute.  VLSI design concepts are necessary for all levels of digital computer design from computer architecture down to digital logic gates.  Communication devices have digital computation leading to the merger of computers and communication devices. Digital electronics continue to grow in capability and decrease in cost as the effects of Moore’s law continue.  CMOS technology is dominant presently, but the basics of digital design, test, verification, and validation will apply whatever the next technology is.  Microprocessor designers, ASIC designers, and FPGA designers all use the digital electronics concepts in this track.  The digital designers model their design at their level of abstraction and verify their implementation with other levels.

Digital designers today start with general VLSI design techniques learned with an MS degree and then apply those skills to the particular requirements of their job.  This gives the digital IC design engineer the tools to deliver successful digital designs.

Track Director: Venkatesh Patil

Digital IC Design Track Completion Form >>

Core Courses

Students must complete these core courses along with the primary focus courses listed below.

• ECE 525 Digital Integrated Circuit Design I
• ECE 526 Digital Integrated Circuit Design II
• ECE 530 Physical Design of Digital Integrated Circuits
• ECE 581 ASIC Modeling and Synthesis

Course Planning

A suggested curriculum for the Digital IC Design track's Core and Depth and Breadth courses can be found below. 

• All course pre-requisites need to be met.
• The courses below will not necessarily be taken in the order listed.
• One additional suggested course for PD Engineers is ECE 510 16nm FinFET ioT SoC Design and Fabrication.
• ECE 571 should be taken before or/at the same term as ECE 585 if these courses are planned to be taken in a secondary focus area.

Primary Focus: Digital IC Design. Secondary Focus: Computer Architecture

• Core courses of ECE 525, ECE 526, ECE 530, ECE 581
• And Depth and Breadth course list of:
  • ECE 571 Introduction to System Verilog for Design and Verification
  • ECE 585 Microprocessors System Design
  • ECE 586 Computer Architecture
  • ECE 587 Advanced Computer Architecture I
  • One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 588 Advanced Computer Architecture II

Primary Focus: Digital IC Design. Secondary Focus: Design Verification and Validation

• Core courses of ECE 525, ECE 526, ECE 530, ECE 581
• And Depth and Breadth course list of:
  • ECE 560 Assertion Based Verification
  • ECE 571 Introduction to System Verilog for Design and Verification
  • ECE 582 Formal Verification of HW/SW Systems
  • ECE 593 Fundamentals of Pre-silicon Validation
  • One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 550 Post-Silicon Functional Validation

Primary Focus: Digital IC Design. Secondary Focus: Embedded Systems

• Core courses of ECE 525, ECE 526, ECE 530, ECE 581
• And Depth and Breadth course list of:
  • ECE 540 System on a Chip Design with FPGAs
  • ECE 544 Embedded System Design with FPGAs
  • ECE 558 Embedded Systems Programming
  • ECE 571 Introduction to System Verilog for Design and Verification
  • One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 582 Formal Verification of HW/SW Systems

Suggested Schedule for Full-time ECE MS Students

The schedule below is for students beginning the ECE MS program in Fall term. Students that begin in Winter term will shift their schedule one term forward and can work with the department on advising for their course plans. 

First Year

International Students on F-1 visas with internship offers will take 1 internship credit of ECE 504 the summer after their first year.

Second Year

Students who are not participating in internships can replace ECE 504 in the above table with elective course

Embedded systems are computer systems dedicated to a particular functionality, rather than for a general purpose. Such systems typically are required to operate under stringent performance, power, cost, space, reliability, and real-time constraints. Embedded systems are increasingly dominating nearly every aspect of human life. They are used in both consumer and industrial applications, such as automobiles, TVs, cell phones, tablets, house appliances, house automation, and many other application domains. Embedded systems are composed of hardware, software (a.k.a firmware), and include mechanical parts, sensors, and actuators. Our embedded systems track provides an industry-focused educational pathway for students who wish to specialize in that growing area. Courses cover both hardware and software aspects. Students in this specialization will learn how to design, build, program, and test entire embedded systems.

A truly exciting area of growth for Embedded Systems is EdgeAI. In an EdgeAI application the data are processed locally on the embedded system where it is generated, such as a camera, car, or industrial sensor instead of in the Cloud.

Track Director: Roy Kravitz

Core Courses

Students must complete these core courses along with the primary focus courses listed below.

• ECE 540 System on a Chip Design with FPGAs
• ECE 544 Embedded System Design with FPGAs
• ECE 558 Embedded Systems Programming
• ECE 571 Introduction to System Verilog for Design and Verification

Course Planning

A suggested curriculum for the Embedded System Track's Core and Depth and Breadth courses can be found below. 

• All course pre-requisites need to be met.
• The courses below will not necessarily be taken in the order listed.
• ECE 571 should be taken in the first term if possible.

Primary Focus: Embedded Systems. Secondary Focus: Computer Architecture

• Core courses of ECE 540, ECE 544, ECE 558, ECE 571
• And Depth and Breadth course list of:
  • ECE 585 Microprocessors System Design
  • ECE 586 Computer Architecture
  • ECE 587 Advanced Computer Architecture I
  • ECE 582 Formal Verification of HW/SW Systems
  • One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 581 ASIC Modeling and Synthesis

Primary Focus: Embedded Systems. Secondary Focus: Design Verification and Validation. 

• Core courses of ECE 540, ECE 544, ECE 558, ECE 571
• And Depth and Breadth course list of:
  • ECE 550 Post-Silicon Functional Validation
  • ECE 560 Assertion Based Verification
  • ECE 582 Formal Verification of HW/SW Systems
  • ECE 593 Fundamentals of Pre-silicon Validation
  • One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 595 Emulation and Functional Specification Verification

Primary Focus: Embedded Systems. Secondary Focus: Digital IC Design. 

• Core courses of ECE 540, ECE 544, ECE 558, ECE 571
• And Depth and Breadth course list of:
  • ECE 525 Digital Integrated Circuit Design I
  • ECE 526 Digital Integrated Circuit Design II
  • ECE 530 Physical Design of Digital Integrated Circuits
  • ECE 581 ASIC Modeling and Synthesis
  • One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 582 Formal Verification of HW/SW Systems

Suggested Schedule for Full-time ECE MS Students

The schedule below is for students beginning the ECE MS program in Fall term. Students that begin in Winter term will shift their schedule one term forward and can work with the department on advising for their course plans. This is subject to change and meant to be a general guide.

First Year

International Students on F-1 visas with internship offers will take 1 internship credit of ECE 504 the summer after their first year.

Second Year

Students who are not participating in internships can replace ECE 504 in the above table with elective courses.

If you like building, testing and in general tinkering with electronic circuits then this track may be for you. As the name suggests, this track will prepare you to design, test and build circuits across the frequency range: from audio to THz frequencies. This track draws heavily on various application areas, such as electromagnetics, acoustics, signal processing, and communications to provide students with breadth of learning experience. Similarly, students can explore related areas that influence Analog/RF/microwave circuit design, such as semiconductor devices, packaging, and digital IC design. Many local companies look for this kind of talent: Tektronix, Intel, Qorvo, Maxim, Analog Devices, to name a few. What is most important, however, is that you will be well prepared for the ever-changing electronics industry and learn how to learn and be a successful circuit designer.  

Track Director: Branimir Pejcinovic

More formally, you are expected to be able to:

• Design “classical” analog circuits and high-frequency (microwave) circuits, in various technologies.
• Characterize and measure low- and high-frequency components and systems
• Design, manufacture and test analog/RF/microwave systems for realistic problems
• Understand wave propagation, reflection and transmission.
• Apply numerical techniques to solve complex circuit and wave propagation problems
• Read and critique published literature
• Present research projects orally and in writing

Analog, RF & Microwave Circuits Track Completion Form >>

Prerequisites

Students who begin this track should have a solid understanding of undergraduate level analog and high-frequency circuit design. Students should at a minimum have the equivalent of PSU ECE 322 (preferably ECE 323) and ECE332. An additional senior-level circuits course in the analog, RF/microwave or digital areas would be desirable. Fluency in simulation and computational methods, including MATLAB is expected.

Core Courses

• ECE 521 Analog Integrated Circuit Design I
• ECE 522 Analog Integrated Circuit Design II
• ECE 531 Microwave Integrated Circuit Design I
• ECE 532 Microwave Integrated Circuit Design II

Course Planning

A suggested curriculum for the Analog Track's Core and Depth and Breadth courses can be found below.

• All course pre-requisites need to be met.
• The courses below will not necessarily be taken in the order listed.
• Students should plan to start with the core courses if possible.
• Students interested in gaining research experience can contact individual professors and explore research opportunities. If mutually agreed upon, students can sign up for 1 credit of ECE 501 Research.

Secondary Focus: Communications

Core courses of ECE 521, ECE 522, ECE 531, ECE 532

And Depth and Breadth course list of:

• EE 517 Instrumentation and Sensing
• EE 522 Discrete Time Processing
• ECE 561 Communications Systems I
• ECE 562 Communications Systems II
• One additional 4-credit ECE course: EE 523 Estimation and Detection
• Elective suggestion: ECE 533 Advanced Electromagnetics (if offered)

Secondary Focus: Devices and Circuits

• Core courses of ECE 521, ECE 522, ECE 531, ECE 532 and Depth and Breadth course list of:
  • ECE 515 Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices
  • ECE 525 Digital Integrated Circuit Design I
  • ECE 526 Digital Integrated Circuit Design II
  • ECE 528 VLSI Computer-Aided Design
• One additional 4-credit ECE course: ECE 545 Power Electronics Systems Design I
• Elective suggestion: ECE 533 Advanced Electromagnetics (if offered)

Suggested Schedule for Students following the Communications Secondary Focus

The schedule below is for full-time students beginning the ECE MS program in fall term.

First Year

International Students on F-1 visas with internship offers will take 1 internship credit of ECE 504 the summer after their first year.

Second Year

This plan has 4 credits above the required 45. Students hoping to complete ECE 562 in the spring may need to adjust their fall plan in their second year.

Suggested Schedule for Students following the Devices and Circuits Secondary Focus

The schedule below is for full-time students beginning the ECE MS program in fall term.

First Year

International Students on F-1 visas with internship offers will take 1 internship credit of ECE 504 the summer after their first year.

Second Year

Power engineering plays a significant role in the regional economy, with over eighty companies focused on various aspects of power. These include regional IOUs, munis, co-ops and PUDs; numerous power engineering consultancies; power equipment manufacturers; developers and independent power producers; high-tech firms focused on smart grid products; and federal entities like BPA and the Army Corp of Engineers. Investment in new generation and transmission, innovations in communications and IT, and rapidly-decreasing prices for renewable resources are all contributing to the industry’s growth.

PSU’s MS ECE power engineering track provides an industry-focused educational pathway for individuals who wish to enhance their depth in power engineering. Courses cover topics such as protection, power systems design, stability, planning and operations. Students are exposed to industry-relevant software, including ETAP, PowerWorld, ATP and ASPEN. Classes are offered in the evenings to accommodate work schedules. And, many of the instructors have been recruited from the local power industry.

Track Director: Bob Bass

Power Engineering Track Completion Form >>

Prerequisites

Students who begin this track should have a solid understanding of power systems components and fundamental power systems analysis techniques. PSU’s EE 347 (non-rotating power systems components, fundamental analytical methods) and EE 348 (rotating power systems components, power systems controls) together prepare students well for the MS ECE power engineering track.

Core

• EE 530 Analytical Methods for Power Systems
• EE 531 Power Systems Protection
• EE 532 Electrical Machine Analysis & Design
• EE 537 Advanced Power Systems Protection

Suggested Schedule for the ECE MS Power Engineering Coursework Path

The schedule below is for full-time students beginning the ECE MS program in fall term.

First Year

Students may need to enroll in a one-credit course to qualify for full-time status.

Second Year

• ECE 501, 508, etc. are one-credit course options
• EE 538 and 539 alternate years
• EE Electives: EE 532, 533, 534, 536, 537, 538, 539
• ECE Electives: ECE 533, 545, 546, 551, 552
• Non-ECE or EE Electives: PH 531, 532, 573; PA 567, 573; ME 515, 521, 522, 523, 526, 543; EC 537, 538

Suggested Schedule for the ECE MS Power Systems Thesis Path

The schedule below is for full-time students beginning the ECE MS program in fall term.

First Year

Second Year

• EE Electives: EE 532, 533, 543, 536, 537, 538, 539
• ECE Electives: ECE 533, 545, 546, 551, 552
• Non-ECE or EE Electives: PH 531, 532, 573; PA 567, 573; ME 515, 521, 522, 523, 526, 543; EC 537, 538
• Suggested Schedule for the ECE MS Machines Thesis Path

We live in an era of unprecedented creation, transmission, and storage of data, ranging from traditional signals such as speech and sensor data to video streams and user preference data. The Signal Processing & Machine Learning track provides students with the tools they need to transform signals and data into information. Building on a strong mathematical foundation, successful graduates develop core knowledge spanning statistical signal processing, classical machine learning methodology, and deep learning.

A graduate degree is usually required in order to obtain an engineering position in signal processing or data science. Our graduate track is designed to provide this knowledge and prepare students for successful careers for both those seeking a job in industry upon graduation and those planning to continue on to graduate programs and research careers.

The signal processing & machine learning track will change starting Fall 2019 and will follow the requirements listed below. These courses may not match up with what is currently listed in the PSU Bulletin. EE 516, 518, and 519 may all be initially scheduled as EE 510 courses but will still fulfill the requirements. If you run into prerequisite errors while registering for any course please contact eceinfo@pdx.edu for an override. If you have any questions about these changes or how it affects your degree requirements, please contact Dr. McNames at mcnames@pdx.edu.

Track Director: James McNames

Signal Processing & Machine Learning Track Completion Form >>

Program Requirements

Students starting the MS program in sensors and signal processing should have a solid background in calculus, linear algebra, probability & statistics, signals & systems, transform analysis, and high-level programming (such as Python or Matlab). Students who have completed ECE 315, ECE 316, and STAT 351 with a B or better should be well prepared to start this track. Please contact the track director James McNames <mcnames@pdx.edu>, if you have questions about how to prepare for this track.

Core Courses

• EE 516 Mathematical Foundations of Machine Learning
• EE 520 Random Processes
• EE 522 Discrete Time Processing
• EE 523 Estimation & Detection

Depth and Breadth Courses

• EE 513 Introductory Image Processing
• EE 514 Advanced Image Processing
• EE 515 Computer Vision
• EE 518 Machine Learning Theory & Algorithms
• EE 519 Deep Learning Theory & Practice
• EE 525 Spectral Estimation
• EE 526 Adaptive Filters
• EE 527 Sensor Array Processing
• EE 528 State Space Tracking
• EE 529 Practicum