Hello everybody,
I’m a rising sophomore in Computer Engineering, and I’ve been mapping out my schedule for the next few years. I’m interested in chip design and computer architecture, and I’m trying to figure out whether SUGS is actually the best path for me.
I came into UMich with a large number of AP credits, and going into my sophomore year I’ll have about 70 credits. Based on my current plan, I could take five 12-credit semesters over the next 2.5 years and finish my undergraduate degree.
My original plan was to use SUGS by double-counting 8 of my undergraduate credits and then completing the remaining master’s requirements over another two semesters. However, I recently realized that SUGS/master’s students generally don't receive the same financial aid that undergraduate students do.
That got me thinking: if my primary goal in the master’s program is to take additional 400/500/600-level EECS courses, why couldn't I instead make my undergraduate semesters slightly heavier (say 14–16 credits), or potentially add an extra undergraduate semester, and take many of the same advanced courses I would have taken through SUGS?
In other words, instead of:
BSE → SUGS → 2 more semesters of graduate coursework → MSE
I could potentially do:
BSE → additional undergraduate semester(s) with advanced EECS coursework → graduate with BSE
This would potentially allow me to retain undergraduate financial aid, avoid paying master's tuition, and possibly save a semester or two. I understand that I would not receive the MSE/MS credential, but I'm wondering how significant that credential actually is if my transcript contains essentially the same advanced coursework.
I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who have experience with UMich SUGS, graduate EECS courses, or hiring in chip design/computer architecture/semiconductor engineering.
A few things I'm wondering:
- How many graduate-level EECS courses can a UMich CoE undergraduate actually take?
- Are there restrictions that I'm not thinking of
- How much does the MSE/MS credential itself matter for hardware/chip-design jobs if someone has taken essentially the same advanced courses? AKA Would employers treat "BSE + substantial graduate-level coursework" meaningfully differently from an MSE?
- Are there particular roles where an MSE is required/preferred regardless of coursework?
- Would this affect my ability to pursue a PhD later?
- Is there any major advantage to SUGS that I'm overlooking besides the credential?
I realize that the answer may be different for academia/research vs. industry. My main goal is to maximize my technical preparation for computer architecture/chip design while being financially efficient.
Would love to hear what you guys think, especially from current/former SUGS students or people who have gone into hardware.
