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.

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
Quantum Circuits and Systems
Electromagnetic and Optics
Prin of Quantum Tech
The Physics of Solid State Energy Devices
Quantum Engineering
Nanoscale Science and Engineering
Introduction to Micro- and Nano-electromechanical Technologies
Nanofabrication and Nanocharacterization
Circuits and Computer Engineering
Internet of Things Sensors and Systems
IoT Edge Computing
Smart Devices
System-on-a-Chip Architecture
Electronic Design Automation
Hardware/Software Co-Design for Machine Learning
Digital Integrated Circuits and VLSI-Fundamentals
Analog Integrated Circuits
RFIC (Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit) Design
Power Electronics
Mixed Signal Circuit Design and Modeling
Information and Decision Systems
Linear Systems Theory
Simulation Modeling and Analysis
Feedback Control Design and Analysis
Introduction to Optimization Theory
Introduction to Networks and Protocols
Dynamical Systems for Engineering and Biological Applications
Graph Neural Networks
Estimation and Detection Theory
Elements of Probability Theory
Digital Signal Processing
Statistics for Data Science
Data Mining: Learning from Massive Datasets
Principles of Deep Learning
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, 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 and Academic Wrting for Non-native Speakers of English
  • 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 5970 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.


The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2023 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.