Electrical Engineering, MSE

The MSE Program in Electrical Engineering gives students the theoretical and technological foundation needed to deal with the new ideas and new applications that are the hallmarks of modern electrical engineering.  A major advantage of our MSE program is that it allows students to focus their education according to their interests and goals, from nanotechnology and circuits, to embedded systems or robotics.  The MSE Program in Electrical Engineering gives students the theoretical foundation and the interdisciplinary skills needed to deal with the new ideas and new applications that are the hallmarks of modern electroscience. A major advantage of our MSE Program allows you to tailor your education to your own interests and goals, from Electromagnetics and Photonics, sensors and MEMS to VLSI and Nanotechnology.

For more information: http://www.ese.upenn.edu/current-students/masters/index.php

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2026 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

Electrical Engineering Degree Requirements

10 course units are required for MSE in Electrical Engineering.1

EE Core
Select 5 required course units in any of the three areas below: 25
Physical Devices and Nano Systems
ESE 5090
Quantum Circuits and Systems
ESE 5100
Electromagnetic and Optics
ESE 5130
Prin of Quantum Tech
ESE 5210
The Physics of Solid State Energy Devices
ESE 5230
Quantum Engineering
ESE 5250
Nanoscale Science and Engineering
ESE 5290
Introduction to Micro- and Nano-electromechanical Technologies
ESE 5360
Nanofabrication and Nanocharacterization
Circuits and Computer Engineering
ESE 5150
Internet of Things Sensors and Systems
ESE 5160
IoT Edge Computing
ESE 5180
IoT Wireless, Security, & Scaling
ESE 5190
Smart Devices
ESE 5320
System-on-a-Chip Architecture
ESE 5390
Hardware/Software Co-Design for Machine Learning
ESE 5700
Digital Integrated Circuits and VLSI-Fundamentals
ESE 5720
Analog Integrated Circuits
ESE 5730
Chips-design
ESE 5750
Chips-measurements
ESE 5780
RFIC (Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit) Design
ESE 5800
Power Electronics
ESE 6680
Mixed Signal Circuit Design and Modeling
Information and Decision Systems
ESE 5000
Linear Systems Theory
ESE 5030
Simulation Modeling and Analysis
ESE 5050
Feedback Control Design and Analysis
ESE 5060
Introduction to Optimization Theory
ESE 5070
Introduction to Networks and Protocols
ESE 5140
Graph Neural Networks
ESE 5280
Estimation and Detection Theory
ESE 5300
Elements of Probability Theory
ESE 5310
Digital Signal Processing
ESE 5380
Machine Learning for Time-Series Data
ESE 5420
Statistics for Data Science
ESE 5460
Principles of Deep Learning
ESE 6500
Learning in Robotics
ESE Electives
Select 2 ESE electives 32
SEAS Electives
Select 1 SEAS elective 4, 51
Open Electives
Select 2 open electives 62
Total Course Units10
1

Students must complete ten (10) course units at the graduate level (5000+). 

  • A maximum of two (2) graduate-level course units may be transferred from another school to apply towards the degree. These cannot have been used to fulfill requirements of an undergraduate degree. 
  • Students must be registered with the 5000-level course number to be eligible as a graduate level course. Any cross-listed section at the 4000-level or below is ineligible towards the degree.
2

Students can select any combination from this list, and are not limited to a single area.

3

Select any graduate-level ESE course at the 5000 and 6000 level.

4

Select 1 graduate-level course within: ESE, CIS, CIT, IPD, MEAM, MSE, EAS, or ENM.  A maximum of two (2) CIT course units are allowed towards the degree.

5

Only the following EAS courses are allowed:

  • EAS 5070 Intellectual Property and Business Law for Engineers
  • EAS 5100 Technical Communication for Non-Native English Speakers
  • EAS 5120 Engineering Negotiation
  • EAS 5450 Engineering Entrepreneurship I
  • EAS 5460 Engineering Entrepreneurship II
  • EAS 5950 Foundations of Leadership
  • ESE 6800 Special Topics in Electrical and Systems Engineering can be taken several times and counted more than once towards the degree. Each ESE 6800 Special Topics in Electrical and Systems Engineering course taken must address different topics to be eligible.
  •  A maximum of 1 ESE 5990 course unit can be used toward the degree.
  • If a thesis is completed, it will count for 2 course units of ESE 9990 Master's Thesis).
6

Select from graduate courses at Penn in SEAS, SAS, Medicine, Law, Wharton MBA, Social Policy, and Education. These must have technical/scientific content and relevance to the student’s program. Approval must be obtained from the ESE department prior to enrollment in the course.

Students may select one concentration.

Artificial Intelligence

Two required courses:
ESE 5420Statistics for Data Science1
CIS 5190Applied Machine Learning1
or CIS 5200 Machine Learning
Choose two electives:2
ESE 5060
Introduction to Optimization Theory
ESE 5140
Graph Neural Networks
ESE 5380
Machine Learning for Time-Series Data
ESE 5460
Principles of Deep Learning
ESE 6450
Deep Generative Models
CIS 5210
Artificial Intelligence
CIS 5300
Natural Language Processing
CIS 5800
Machine Perception
CIS 5810
Computer Vision & Computational Photography
ENM 5310
Data-driven Modeling and Probabilistic Scientific Computing
Total Course Units4

Computer Engineering

Two required courses:
ESE 5700Digital Integrated Circuits and VLSI-Fundamentals1
CIS 5710Computer Organization and Design1
Choose two electives:2
ESE 5320
System-on-a-Chip Architecture
ESE 5390
Hardware/Software Co-Design for Machine Learning
ESE 5730
& ESE 5750
Chips-design
and Chips-measurements
ESE 5760
Semiconductor Memory Devices and Circuit Design
CIS 5410
Embedded Software for Life-Critical Applications
CIS 5480
Operating Systems Design and Implementation
Total Course Units4

Embedded Systems

Two required courses:
ESE 5190Smart Devices1
CIS 5710Computer Organization and Design1
Choose two electives:2
ESE 5050
Feedback Control Design and Analysis
ESE 5160
IoT Edge Computing
ESE 5180
IoT Wireless, Security, & Scaling
CIS 5190
Applied Machine Learning
or CIS 5200
 Machine Learning
CIS 5410
Embedded Software for Life-Critical Applications
Total Course Units4

Mixed-Signal/RF Integrated Circuits

One required course:
ESE 5720Analog Integrated Circuits1
Choose three electives:3
ESE 5700
Digital Integrated Circuits and VLSI-Fundamentals
ESE 5730
& ESE 5750
Chips-design
and Chips-measurements
ESE 5780
RFIC (Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit) Design
ESE 5800
Power Electronics
ESE 6680
Mixed Signal Circuit Design and Modeling
ESE 6710
High Frequency Power Electronics
ESE 6720
Integrated Communication Systems
Total Course Units4

Nanotechnology and Semiconductors

One required course:
ESE 5250Nanoscale Science and Engineering1
Choose three electives:3
ESE 5100
Electromagnetic and Optics
ESE 5150
Internet of Things Sensors and Systems
ESE 5210
The Physics of Solid State Energy Devices
ESE 5290
Introduction to Micro- and Nano-electromechanical Technologies
ESE 5360
Nanofabrication and Nanocharacterization
ESE 5700
Digital Integrated Circuits and VLSI-Fundamentals
ESE 5720
Analog Integrated Circuits
ESE 5730
& ESE 5750
Chips-design
and Chips-measurements
Total Course Units4

Photonics and Quantum

Two required courses:
ESE 5100Electromagnetic and Optics1
ESE 5130Prin of Quantum Tech1
Choose two electives:2
ESE 5090
Quantum Circuits and Systems
ESE 5230
Quantum Engineering
ESE 5360
Nanofabrication and Nanocharacterization
ESE 6730
Integrated Photonic Systems
Total Course Units4

Robotics

One required course:
ESE 5050Feedback Control Design and Analysis1
Choose three electives:3
ESE 5000
Linear Systems Theory
ESE 6150
RoboRacer Autonomous Racing Cars
ESE 6250
Nanorobotics
ESE 6500
Learning in Robotics
MEAM 5200
Introduction to Robotics
MEAM 6200
Advanced Robotics
CIS 5190
Applied Machine Learning
or CIS 5200
 Machine Learning
CIS 5800
Machine Perception
Total Course Units4
Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallCourse Units
3 CU's of EE Core Courses 3
 Course Units3.00
Spring
2 CU's EE Core Courses 2
1 ESE Elective Course 1
 Course Units3.00
Second Year
Fall
1 ESE Elective Course 1
1 SEAS Elective Course 1
1 Open Elective Course 1
 Course Units3.00
Spring
1 Open Elective Course 1
 Course Units1.00
 Total Course Units10.00