High Speed Digital Engineering Subplan, Professional Master's Program

The High Speed Digital Engineering (HSD) subplan prepares students for thriving careers in the rapidly growing fields of signal integrity (SI), power integrity (PI), and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

This 10-class, 30-credit-hour program bridges the gap between academic theory and industry application. Students complete five core courses and tailored electives taught by university professors and local industry experts. Our curriculum balances fundamental theory with cutting-edge simulation tools and hands-on measurement practices. This closed-loop, "measurement-based model" approach directly replicates the workflows used by the world’s leading hardware companies.

What sets the HSD program apart is its deep practical focus. Starting with applied Maxwell’s Equations, students master the electromagnetics necessary to eliminate crosstalk, ground bounce, voltage droop, reflections, and high-speed serial link issues.

By equipping students with the specialized skills to solve complex design problems on day one, the program serves as a direct pipeline to elite tech giants. Past graduates have launched successful careers at Apple, AMD, Broadcom, Cisco, Google, Marvell, NVIDIA, Tesla, and dozens of other premier hardware companies.

Core Courses

  • ECEN 5224 High Speed Digital Design
  • ECEN 5514 Principles of EM for HSDE
  • ECEN 5524 Principles of Computational Electromagnetics for Signal and Power Integrity
  • ECEN 5534 Practical Signal Integrity Measurements
  • ECEN 5730 Practical PCB Design and Manufacture 

Elective Courses

  • ECEN 5544 EM Signal Modeling for HSDE using Ansys HFSS and Q3D
  • ECEN 5554 Designing PCB Memory Systems using Keysight ADS 

*All courses are taught in person on the Boulder campus and there is no option for online/distance coursework.

*All courses are 3 credits. 

*See our spreadsheet for when courses are generally taught. 

The HSD courses are a subplan in the Professional Master of Science degree. Students must apply and be admitted to the Professional MS program and the HSD subplan. 

HSD MS subplan requirements:

  • Complete all five HSD core courses.
  • Complete one HSD elective course.
  • Complete four open 5000-level electives, either HSD elective, other ECEE, or other technical coursework in College of Engineering and Applied Science departments (must be approved by academic advisor).
    • Students may take one nontechnical elective, if approved by academic advisor. 

Students graduate with a Master of Science in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Subplan: High Speed Digital Engineering.

Professor Melinda Piket-May serves as the Director of the HSD subplan. 

No, the High Speed Digital Engineering subplan is in-person only. 

 

neha pazare

 If you're looking for coursework that will not only deepen your theoretical knowledge and also provide practical training, look no further. This subplan built my confidence in working on real-time projects in the industry and taking my engineering skills to a new level. 

Neha Pazare
Senior Analog Designer of Signal Integrity, Advanced Micro Devices

Vivek Kamble

 The best thing about the high-speed digital subplan were the instructors who empowered me to become a better signal integrity engineer. 

Vivek Kamble
Senior Signal and Power Integrity Engineer, NVIDIA Corporation