Curriculum Roadmap
This page shows the long-range curriculum sequence.
For additional theory, verification, performance, research, and maintenance work after the core, see the Advanced Engineering Path. Its 380-580 hour estimate is additional to the schedule below.
This is the compact, guide-first route. If your goal is to read every admitted book from beginning to end, use the Full-Book Degree instead.
If you are starting now, read Path Levels first. The roadmap is the long-range map; it is not the first workload.
Canonical semester readiness lives in Curriculum Readiness. Use that page before treating any semester as coursework.
Phase-to-Semester Mapping
| Semester | Roadmap Phase | Weeks | Focus | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Semester | Phase 00 | Before Semester 00 | Study, evidence, communication, digital recovery, no-code AI, environment and Git | 92–138 focused hours |
| 0 | Phase 0 | After Launchpad; legacy 4–8 denotes order | Programming/CS orientation, data/API tools, AI literacy and learning support | 210–309 focused hours |
| 1 | Phase 1 | After Semester 0; see workload note | Mathematical and CS foundations | 520–750 focused hours |
| -- | Buffer | 21 | Recovery, consolidation, catch-up | 1 week |
| 2 | Phase 2 | After Semester 1; see workload note | Algorithms and data structures | 465–660 focused hours |
| 3 | Phase 3 | Legacy 32-37; see workload note | Software design, refactoring, design patterns | 473–688 focused hours |
| -- | Buffer | 38 | Recovery, consolidation, catch-up | 1 week |
| 4 | Phase 4 | 39-48 (legacy order) | Programming and systems foundations | 440 –640 focused hours including safety/platform strand and integration |
| 5 | Phase 5 | 49–58 (legacy order) | Operating systems and networking | 468–676 focused hours including security strand and integration |
| -- | Buffer | 59 | Recovery, consolidation, catch-up | 1 week |
| 6 | Phase 6 | 60–69 (legacy order) | Databases and distributed systems | 512–743 focused hours including privacy/retrieval and integration |
| 7 | Phase 7 | 70–75 (legacy sequence) | Software architecture, DDD, API design | 460–655 focused hours; see semester workload |
| 8 | Phase 8 | Legacy sequence 76–83 | System design, distributed architecture, leadership | 510–725 estimated hours; see workload contract |
| 9 | Phase 9 | Legacy 84–89 | Cloud infrastructure and delivery | 535–770 estimated hours; workload |
| -- | Buffer | 90 | Recovery, consolidation, catch-up | 1 week |
| 10 | Phase 10 | Legacy 91–96 | Capstone and graduation evidence | 530–785 estimated hours; workload |
Legacy schedule: 96 weeks = 92 learning weeks + 4 buffer weeks. This is the original phase-slot map, not a validated total for the revised coursework. Other numbered week slots below and above retain that legacy sequencing.
The revised Semester 1 workload is 520–750 focused hours, approximately 52–75 weeks at ten hours weekly or 26–38 at twenty. It includes all seven modules and semester integration. The old twelve-week coordinate is not a validated completion estimate.
The revised Semester 2 workload is 465–660 focused hours, approximately 47–66 weeks at ten hours weekly or 24–33 at twenty. It includes the six upgraded modules and their integration assessment, excluding optional depth and additional prerequisite repair. These are author estimates awaiting pilots. Recompute your calendar from available hours and current semester estimates; do not compress this core into the old ten-week slot or treat later legacy week numbers as fixed deadlines.
Semester 3's reconciled workload is 473–688 focused hours across five modules and integration, including review and human-centered/accessibility work. That is about 48–69 study weeks at ten hours weekly or 24–35 at twenty. These are author estimates awaiting pilots, not a six-week completion promise.
Readiness is intentionally not duplicated here. See Curriculum Readiness for the current canonical status of each semester.
Current Public Path
The learner-facing route is:
- Pre-Semester Launchpad
- Semesters 0-10, in order, when their readiness status supports coursework use
Use the buffer weeks as recovery and consolidation checkpoints rather than skipping them; the later semesters assume the earlier project and review artifacts exist.
Visual Curriculum Progression
Cross-Cutting Track Activation Timeline
Buffer Weeks
Four legacy buffer slots mark natural transition points. Schedule actual recovery and consolidation from the reconciled workload estimates; the expanded curriculum is not a 96-week completion promise.
Use them to:
- finish overdue work
- re-pass weak checkpoints
- clean notes, repos, and decks
- reduce fatigue before the next phase
Structural Milestones
- By the end of Semester 3, the learner should have one primary language, clean Git habits, and recurring engineering artifacts in writing.
- By the end of Semester 5, the learner should have completed one small real deployment rather than waiting for the cloud semester.
- From Semester 6 onward, major projects should include formal design artifacts such as ADRs, architecture diagrams, threat models, or runbooks.
- Across the whole curriculum, AI use should leave verification evidence: tests, review notes, debugging logs, or written critiques. See AI-Era Engineering.
Second-pass reading and practice
See the foundation-strengthening resource inventory for selective books, courses and documentation supporting the added clinics. Workload estimates include required local exercises, not full external courses.