Embedded Systems Certificate | UCSC Silicon Valley Extension

Certificate Description

Build your knowledge of universal connectivity

Our hardware professional students learn to design function-specific computer and communication systems, including mobile devices, the Internet of Things, networking equipment, industrial controllers, and military electronics.

Four hardware design tracks

System Design
FPGA Design
Embedded Linux
Embedded Software

Apply your knowledge of microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and microcontrollers and design and test hardware and software innovations of the future.

Embedded Systems certificate program objectives

Design, debug, and synthesize digital logic for ASICs, PGAs, and IP cores
Understand the basics of embedded hardware design
Differentiate between types of jitter
Decode IO technologies, including PCI Express, Ethernet and Fibre Channel
Use analog and digital switch-mode power supplies

Cost: $5,700 or 5,770 | International Tuition Cost

Required Credits: Total Required: 5–10 courses/14 units—1 of the core courses (2–3 units) and 3–9 elective credit courses (11–12 units). End with Certificate Review.

Duration: A full-time student can complete the certificate in 9–12 months.

Courses

Course	Units	Fall	Winter	Spring	Summer
1. CORE COURSES (Choose One)
Embedded Firmware Essentials	2.0
Embedded Linux Design and Programming	3.0
Embedded System Hardware Architectures, Introduction	3.0
Practical Design with Xilinx FPGAs	3.0
Real-Time Embedded Systems Programming, Introduction	3.0
2. ELECTIVE COURSES: System Design
Comprehensive Signal and Power Integrity for High-Speed Digital Systems	3.0
Embedded System Hardware Architectures, Introduction	3.0
High Efficiency Switch-mode Power Supply, Design Overview	3.0
IO Concepts and Protocols: PCI Express, Ethernet, and Fibre Channel	3.0
IO Design Fundamentals	3.0
Jitter Essentials	1.5
Printed Circuit Board Design for Signal Integrity and EMC Compliance	1.5
Wireless Communications and Mobile Antenna Design, Introduction	3.0
3. ELECTIVE COURSES: FPGA Design
Digital Design with FPGA	3.0
Embedded Design with Xilinx FPGAs	3.0
FPGA Application in Autonomous Driving Systems, Introduction	3.0
Practical Design with Xilinx FPGAs	3.0
4. ELECTIVE COURSES: Embedded Linux
Embedded Linux Design and Programming	3.0
Linux Kernel and Drivers, Advanced	3.0
Linux Kernel & Drivers	3.0
5. ELECTIVE COURSES: Embedded Software
C Programming, Advanced	3.0
C Programming for Beginners	2.0
Embedded Firmware Essentials	2.0
Real-Time Embedded Systems Programming, Introduction	3.0
The Internet of Things: Big Data Processing and Analytics	3.0
The Internet of Things: Sensors, Platforms, Communications, and Applications	3.0
6. ELECTIVE COURSES: Related Electives
Digital Logic Design Using Verilog	3.0
SystemVerilog Assertions and Formal Verification	3.0
7. REQUIRED CERTIFICATE REVIEW
Embedded Systems Certificate Completion Fee	None

Certificate Inquiry Form

Speak to a student services representative.

(408) 861-3860

extension@ucsc.edu

Recommended Course Sequence

For the certificate program, please begin with one of the five core* courses. After the core requirement is met, courses may be taken in any order provided the prerequisites are met.

These are the 4 tracks of study:

System Design
FPGA Design
Embedded Linux
Embedded Software

Substitutions

You may take one elective outside the certificate curriculum, if you receive prior approval from the Academic Services Department.

Shared credits

Some Engineering and Technology courses may be listed in more than one program. However, only one course may be shared between two E&T certificate programs unless otherwise noted.

To receive your certificate

Upon completion of the course sequence you may request your Embedded Systems Certificate Completion Review.

Professional Development

Earn credit toward an M.S. in Engineering

We have a transfer agreement with the University of Wisconsin–Platteville that assists graduates of our Embedded Systems and Software Engineering and Quality certificate programs pursue an online Master of Science degree in Engineering. Applicants to this master’s program must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and fulfill the school’s admissions requirements.

Requisite Knowledge

Technical aptitude

You need a degree in a technical field or equivalent knowledge acquired through training and experience in system design and development.

We recommended you have experience in C programming.

Please review course descriptions

Make sure you have taken necessary prerequisites or meet the requirements through job experience or previous education before registering for a course.

Advisory Board

Certificate Program Chair

SAM HUYNH, Ph.D., is a principal member of technical staff and a senior manager at AMD. He has over 18 years of experience in the field of VLSI design including memory, IO, physical design implementation and full chip integration. He has three patents and 10 publications. He has served as chair of the VLSI and Embedded Systems programs since 2020.

Certificate Program Advisory Board

ALFREDO ALBA, MS
Senior Software Engineer and Master Inventor, Intelligence Augmentation Department, IBM Almaden Research Center

ABDO BABUKR, MSEE
Consultant, Embedded Computing, Wave Spectrum, Inc.

SAM HUYNH, Ph.D.
Principal member of technical staff and a senior manager, AMD
Chair and Instructor, Embedded Systems Certificate Program, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension

Y.C. WANG, BSEE
Director, Global Academic Program at Digi-Key Electronics
Instructor, Embedded Systems Certificate Program, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension

Declaring Candidacy

You can enroll in a certificate program any time during your studies.

Once you create your student account, you can enroll in a certificate program. Although you can enroll in a program at any time, the benefit of enrolling early is that it locks in your certificate requirements. This means that even if program requirements change, the requirements to complete your certificate will remain the same for you.

You must enroll in the certificate program before enrolling in the Certificate Completion Review.

You have a total of five years to complete all necessary courses in a certificate program.

All the necessary units in a certificate must be completed within a five-year window. The clock begins on the first day of your first course in the certificate program. For example, if you started a course on Sept. 5, 2017, you would have to complete all of the required units in this certificate by Sept. 4, 2022.

Enrolling in a certificate program does not trigger the beginning of the five-year window. It begins the first day of the first course that applies to a certificate program.
The Certificate Completion Review process does not have to occur within the five-year timeframe.

Grade Requirements

Please note that only letter grades of C- or higher may be applied to a certificate, and in some programs, students may have more stringent requirements. Students in most employer- and government-sponsored payment programs, such as workforce development, as well as international students on F-1 visas, need to maintain a B average to meet their requirements. Personal Financial Planning students have additional grade requirements for individual courses to attain a certificate.

See Grading and Credits Policy for further information.

Embedded Systems