The authors belong to the Artist education group (http://www.artist-embedded.org/). They identify the following five fundamental pillars of knowledge, which in their view should underpin a graduate embedded software and systems curriculum (and which presuppose a basic grounding in computer science (CS) and engineering): control and signal processing, computing theory, real-time computing, distributed systems, and optimization and evaluation. Caspi et al. further emphasize two transitional themes: system architecture and applications (which incorporates methodology and tools).

In the authors’ introduction, they highlight the diverse backgrounds, cultures, and origins typically exhibited by embedded systems engineers. The diversity of their practices and education are also mentioned in this regard. Many principles and limitations informed the authors’ guidelines. Among the principles are: an emphasis on the role of basic knowledge and CS, an increased awareness of application domains, and promotion (and comparison) of several alternative approaches. The limitations include: a software-only emphasis, a lack of foundation/background undergraduate degrees in embedded systems, and the level of abstraction (that is, bodies of knowledge as opposed to modules).

The authors conclude with the observation that no existing curriculum fully implements the features outlined above. Nevertheless, the authors promote their proposed curriculum as a basis for some form of future compliance or certification process, at least for Europe. This paper should prove of interest to both academics and practitioners working in the field of embedded systems.