Carnegie Mellon University ———
College of Engineering  ›  Electrical and Computer Engineering  ›  Academics  ›  BS in ECE  ›  Area Pathways

Area Pathways

Utilizing Stellic to plan out your degree path is a helpful way to visualize and understand your semester course load and to track degree requirements. The Pathways tool in Stellic displays example templates for students, showing how a program could be completed, with courses laid out by semester. This can help students plan semester by semester, rather than just showing you the list of all classes needed for degree requirements.

The ECE Advising Team has launched ECE Area Pathway templates to help students who want to focus/concentrate their coursework in a particular ECE Area:

  • Device Science and Nanofabrication: Solid State Physics, Semiconductors, Electromagnetic Fields and Waves, Magnetics, Optics, etc.
  • Signals and Systems: Digital Signal Processing, Communication Systems, Control Systems, Power Systems, etc.
  • Circuits: Analog and Digital Circuits, Integrated Circuit Design, etc.
  • Hardware Systems: Logic Design, Computer Architecture, etc.
  • Software Systems: Programming, Embedded Systems, Data Structures, Compilers, Networks, Operating Systems, etc.

Undecided Students

  • A BS in ECE - General Pathway in Stellic can be utilized as a starting point.
  • 18-100 (taken during your first year) and 18-200 (taken fall of your sophomore year with ECE) will highlight ECE Areas in more detail. 
  • ECE advisors recommend you read the course descriptions for all Core classes (18-220, 18-213, 18-240, 18-290). Choose the Core class that interests you the most.
  • Have a conversation with your faculty advisor about your interests.
  • Be prepared to pivot. It is okay to change pathways at any time!

Pathways Considerations

The ECE Area Pathways were designed to help the ECE students explore the breadth of options within ECE. Pathways will often be only a starting point for students when planning their degrees. The pathways were planned out in a way that our students can successfully complete their 379 units without AP/transfer credit or taking summer courses. You will also see we have made notes within the pathways to inspire flexibility in course planning.

These ECE Area Pathways are a potential map and guide, so if you are moving through your degree requirements at a different pace, don’t hesitate to meet with your ECE Academic Advisor to determine your specific pathway. Your personal pathway may vary based on your individual goals and circumstances (i.e. Additional Majors, Minors, IMB, AP credits, repeated courses, etc).

Below are the strategies that were considered to set our students up for success. Please note not all of the below suggestions fit for every student and for more complex situations, please discuss them with your advisor. 

  • Should attempt 9 courses by the end of year 1
  • Calc 1 & 2
  • Engineering intros (18-100 & other preferred intro)
  • Physics 1
  • 76-101
  • 99-101
  • 15-112/15-110 
  • 1 general education course
  • 15-112 before or together with 18-100
  • Students (who have to take 21-122) should ideally take 21-122 before 21-127
  • This is especially true for students with Calc AB credit.
  • The real measure of readiness for 21-127 is 'math maturity'.
  • Experiential Learning (EL) sophomore year and junior fall
  • No more than 3 technical classes per semester 
  • 1 core each semester and complete by junior year
  • 33-142 before or with 18-220
  • 21-127 before or with 15-122 or 18-240
  • Do not take 21-127, 15-122, and 18-240 together
    • Strongly discourage any 2 of the 3
  • 18-202 before or with 18-220 or 18-290
  • All students should have their capstone prerequisites completed by the end of Senior Fall. All capstone courses require 2 Area courses and all 4 Core courses to be completed as prerequisites; however, 18-540, 18-578, and 18-525 require specific area courses. Students will be registered from the 18-500 waitlist as long as any 2 area courses have been completed.

ECE Area Pathways

Adding a Pathway to Your Stellic Planner

  • Login to Stellic
  • Navigate to “Pathways” tab on the left-hand side menu bar
  • Click on your preferred pathway from the “BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering” section
  • Click on “Apply to your plan” in the upper right-hand corner
    • Choose to apply to a plan already created or a “new plan” if you are still exploring options
  • Click “Apply”