An Embedded System Curriculum for Undergraduate Software Engineering Program

There is an increasing demand for well trained software talents in embedded application fields. Because embedded systems usually have complex requirements, higher standards are set for qualified embedded engineers’ technical and soft skills. Considering the challenges imposed to the embedded system education, and given the resource constraints in universities, in this paper, we propose a practical embedded system curriculum for software engineering undergraduate programs. This curriculum consists of software engineering fundamentals, domain fundamentals and embedded system core courses. The two-phase embedded system core courses are aimed at improving students’ abstracting and hands-on abilities in solving embedded system problems. The contents of these courses are selected according to the requirements from industry on the qualifications of embedded engineers. The implemented curriculum provides an proactive learning setting accepted by students. Close cooperation with industry is essential to the successful implementation of this curriculum.