Embedded Systems
Certificate Program

Embedded Systems

Building the internet of things

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certificate Description

Build your knowledge of universal connectivity

The UCSC Silicon Valley Extension Embedded Systems professional certificate program prepares students with the core design skills needed to work at some of the top companies in the Valley.

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
  • consumer and automotive electronics.

Learn on industry-standard hardware

Students get invaluable hands-on experience with quick prototyping using FGPAs from Xilinx. Learn to design and test hardware and software innovations of the future as you prepare for high-paying jobs in the industry.

Embedded Systems certificate program objectives

  • Design, debug, and synthesize digital logic for ASICs, PGAs, and IP cores
  • Understand the basics of embedded software and hardware design
  • Decode IO technologies, including PCI Express, Ethernet, and Fibre Channel
  • Design and implement prototypes using FPGA

Program Overview

Estimated Cost: $3,810–$5,500 + Est course materials: $500 (You pay only for courses you enroll in.) | International Tuition Cost
Program Requirements: 5–6 courses (14 quarter units). Take 3 required courses (8 quarter units) and 2–3 elective credit courses (6 quarter units). End with Certificate Review.
Minimum Hours of Instruction: Minimum 140 hours of instruction.
Estimated Duration: A full-time student can complete the certificate in 9–12 months.
Modality: You can complete this program fully online, in person, or choose a mix of course formats.
Special Programs: This program is approved for workforce and international students.
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Courses


1. Required Course(s):

Quarter Units: 2.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID

01-22-2025 to 03-12-2025
$740.00
EMBD.X403.(11)
See complete class schedule here.
Want to enroll or get the estimated cost of future sections? Notify Me
Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID

01-09-2025 to 03-20-2025
$750.00
EMBD.X423.(1)
See complete class schedule here.
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Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID
Want to enroll or get the estimated cost of future sections? Notify Me

2. Electives: Embedded Software

Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID

01-21-2025 to 03-25-2025
$750.00
EMBD.X422.(1)
See complete class schedule here.
Want to enroll or get the estimated cost of future sections? Notify Me
Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID
Want to enroll or get the estimated cost of future sections? Notify Me
Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID
Want to enroll or get the estimated cost of future sections? Notify Me
Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID

01-06-2025 to 03-24-2025
$910.00
EMBD.X410.(11)
See complete class schedule here.
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Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID
Want to enroll or get the estimated cost of future sections? Notify Me

3. Electives: Embedded Hardware

Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID

01-16-2025 to 03-20-2025
$980.00
EMBD.X400.(14)
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Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID

01-25-2025 to 03-15-2025
$980.00
EMBD.X405.(12)
See complete class schedule here.
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Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID
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Winter TBD
Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID

01-08-2025 to 03-12-2025
$910.00
EMBD.X408.(14)
See complete class schedule here.
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Quarter Units: 1.5
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID

10-24-2024 to 11-21-2024
$580.00
EMBD.X409.(12)
See complete class schedule here.
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Quarter Units: 3.0
Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID

01-21-2025 to 03-25-2025
$775.00
EMBD.X419.(10)
See complete class schedule here.
Want to enroll or get the estimated cost of future sections? Notify Me

5. Completion Review:

Start / End Date
Cost
Instructor
Location
Section ID

Meet Our Instructors

Ajit A Natarajan
Sr. Software Engineer, Google
Ashkan Hashemi
Signal/Power Integrity Engineer, Amazon Lab126
Edison Fong
RF Engineer and Analog Engineer, Consultant
Edward T Ong
Senior Product Marketing Manager, Power Integrations
Gary Wallichs
Principal Engineer, Broadcom Corp
No image for Gilbert P Garcia
Independent Contractor
Hinkmond Wong
Principal Software Engineer
Joanna Mapel
Senior FPGA Design & Verification Engineer, EXB Solutions, Inc.
Juergen Kienhoefer
Managing Partner, AIRcable LLC
Kalyan Rapolu
Principal Engineer, DuPont Silicon Valley Tech
Mandar M Munishwar
Formal Verification Engineer, Google
Marilson B Campos
Senior Staff Engineer - ML Platform, Apixio
Michael A. Wang
Director of Business Development, ISSI Integrated Silicon Solution Inc.
Preetpal Kang
Vice President of Firmware, Sibros
Radhika S Grover
Founder, Trainer & Consultant, SPEL Technologies
Raghav Vinjamuri
Independent Computer Software Professional
Sam D Huynh
Principal Member of Technical Staff, AMD
Xi "Bill" Chen
Senior Software Engineer, Meta
Yuchung M Wang
Director, Global Academic Program at Digi-Key Electronics

Certificate Inquiry Form

Contact Us
Speak to a student services representative.

Call (408) 861-3860

Envelope extension@ucsc.edu

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 the necessary prerequisites or meet the requirements through job experience or previous education before registering for a course.

Advisory Board

Michael Wang, Instructor

Certificate Program Chair 

MICHAEL A. WANG, M.S., M.B.A., is director of business development at Silicon Motion Technology Corp. He has held various technical and management roles at startups and multinationals in Silicon Valley.

Certificate Program Advisory Board

ALFREDO ALBA, MS
Senior Technical Staff Member, 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
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

Establish Candidacy

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.