Program overview
Integrated Circuit Design and Integrated Systems, simply put, teaches you how to design chips, manufacture them, and apply them to various electronic devices. Core courses include digital integrated circuit design, analog integrated circuit design, semiconductor physics and devices, VLSI design, EDA tools, embedded systems, and more. You'll learn how to write circuit descriptions using Verilog/VHDL, how to use tools like Cadence and Synopsys for layout design, and even get hands-on experience with simple chip tape-out experiments. This major is ideal for students interested in physics, math, and programming, who enjoy tinkering with circuit boards and understanding how electronic products work from the ground up. Chinese universities have strong programs in this field—for example, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China all have top-tier microelectronics schools. Many schools also have joint labs with companies like Huawei and SMIC, giving you access to real industry projects.