The Computer Engineering (CPE) program offers two plans leading to the MSE with a Computer Engineering option.  These are designated:

  • Plan I (Thesis)

  • Plan II (Non-thesis)

The following sections describe the requirements for each of these options.  With prior approval, up to 12 credit hours of 500-level courses may be taken in fulfillment of the MSE requirements.  At least 15 credit hours counted toward the degree must be courses with a CPE prefix taken at UAH.

Basic Program of Study

The Basic Program of Study, common to both the Plan I and Plan II MSE options, contains a minimum of 24 credit hours of graduate-level coursework that must include:

CPE Core 1
CPE 512INTRO PARALLEL PROGRAMMING3
CPE 526VLSI HARDWARE DESC LANG/MODL/S3
CPE 631ADV COMP SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE3
3 semester hour graduate course in computer engineering or a related field3
Math Minor
6 hours of coursework with mathematical or theoretical foundation. The courses must be approved by the student’s academic advisor.6
Engineering Area of Specialization Minor
Select a 2-course sequence from engineering, or computer science 26
Total Semester Hours24
1

Students who have completed these or similar courses elsewhere may request course substitutions. All substitutions must be approved by the student’s academic advisor.

2

At least one of those courses should be at the 600 level. The selected courses must be approved by the student’s academic advisor or Supervisory Committee.

Plan I, Thesis Option

Students selecting this option must:

Complete the Basic Program of Study as described above24
CPE 699MASTER'S THESIS6
Complete an acceptable thesis including a public defense
Total Semester Hours30

Plan II, Non-Thesis Option

Students selecting this option must:

Complete the Basic Program of Study as described above24
Select 6 semester hours of graduate coursework to complete an approved extended program of study 16
Total Semester Hours30
1

 At least 3 semester hours must be at the 600-level or above