Any worth and reputed University for Masters in Embedded System Design??

Hello. In my search for MS degree with emphasis on Embedded Systems last year, I found several Universities that offer this concentration. Your best bet is UC-Irvine ICS dept, they have MS in Embedded Systems and is the leader in publishing papers on Embedded Systems. Another University is Texas A&M College Station (CS dept has E.S. research group). As you mentioned, NUS as well as NTU (Singapore Universities) offer such program. Your best bet is to look at Embedded Systems journals (for example ACM) and look as to which Universities are active in submitting papers in this area. Hope that helps.

Forget it. A masters degree is useless in this case. Being a master also means understanding the customer requirements and come up with something that finally works. Embedded systems require interfacing knowledge to many other fields, be that chemistry, physics, electronics, you name them, whatever the embedded system controls or monitors. There are vast gaps between the fields and they cannot be filled in a degree. Mechanics, chemists, physicists, .., have a language very different from yours. It takes a long time to talk about the same. Be prepared to spend a decade or two on this stuff before considering to call yourself master.

Rene

Thanks a lot for ur response. My observation says that in US they don't have a specialised MS in Embedded Systems (Except a few like UC-Irvine ICS -- the count for which may not pass more than finger tips of one hand :)) One needs to pursue MS in Electrical & Computer Engineering or either of them individually and select the courses related to Embedded. Still that doesn't have a full focus onto it.

I went to ACM journals to have a look over the papers and the universities from which they have come. But still the same, I mean most of them didn't have a special deptt. or program for Embedded System.

Actually I have done my Bachelor of Engineering in Instrumentation (too close to electronics -- but more specific for Control Systems and controllers). Then I have also done a short term (6 months) Diploma in Embedded System Design.

After that since last 1.5 years I'm into a job that has not much to do with designing the microcontroller based system.

My motives behind pursuing this course are:

1) To get to learn intricacies of Embedded Systems and RTOS and getting to learn to make a beatiful products out of them. 2) To make my prospects better to get into such kind of jobs as here companies rarely gives this kind of jobs to freshers out of B.S. or B.E.

Any comments??? Anybody has any idea about how good the course is at NUS?

Warmly, Bhavesh.

It is not clear how much computer science you know. Some random questions:

- would you be able to evaluate one programming language against another for a particular task?

- would you be able to choose amongst algorithms for a particlar task (big Oh etc.); ditto data structures: would you be able to choose an appropriate data structure for (e.g.) a buffer in a router? Would you be able to design and implement a linked list implementation;

- ... compilers, interpreters, ...

If you are not well versed in CS, then maybe a well chosen general MSc in CS will do? Specialise with options and choice of dissertation.

I only half agree with the other poster who suggests forgetting MScs and that domain knowledge is key. That argument tends to rule out all MScs.

See above -- get the intricacies of general CS right first.

Whatever course you do (avoid real lemons), you can make /you/ stand out from the crowd by your attitude and choice and hard work on courswork and dissertation.

Best regards,

Jon C.

In my short course of Embedded Systems I learnt basic OS concepts including semaphores, IPC and other concepts with Linux, RTLinux and even QNX. Yeah I can evaluate one programming language against another, but I do well in 'C'.

Yeah I could implement linked list and can design and analyse sorting, searching and other algorithms using data structures. But I think compliers, interpreters are the subjects where I need to learn more.

Yeah I understand that and very well agree with that.

Thanks and regards, Bhavesh.