TL;DR: BS Computer Engineering (BSCpE) is a four-year degree governed by CHED Memorandum Order No. 87, series of 2017, blending electronics/hardware subjects (circuits, microprocessors, logic design) with software subjects (data structures, software design, computer networks). There is no PRC board exam for the field: Computer Engineering is not among the Professional Regulation Commission's 46 Professional Regulatory Boards, confirmed directly by PRC in a 2023 FOI response, unlike its close cousin Electronics Engineering (ECE), which is licensed under RA 9292. Every CHED-compliant curriculum includes a required On-the-Job Training course (3 units under CMO 87) and capstone design courses. Related computing roles reported ₱65,806 to ₱71,237 average monthly wages in PSA's 2024 wage survey, well above the ₱21,544 national average.
Computer Engineering is one of the more confusing course names in Philippine college admissions, mostly because of one recurring question: does it have a board exam like Civil or Electronics Engineering? It does not, and that single fact shapes a lot of what "having a CpE degree" actually means for a career. This guide walks through what BS Computer Engineering covers under CHED's own curriculum policy, the real subjects and OJT requirement the memorandum specifies, why there's no licensure exam, and what the wage data shows for computing-adjacent roles. For the closely related, licensed alternative, see our best engineering schools in the Philippines roundup.
What Does BS Computer Engineering Actually Cover?
BS Computer Engineering is a four-year degree that trains students to design and build both the hardware and the software that make computing systems work: digital logic circuits, microprocessors, embedded systems, computer networks, and the software layered on top of them. It sits between Electrical/Electronics Engineering (hardware-first) and Computer Science (software-and-theory-first), which is why its curriculum mixes circuits courses with programming courses that a pure CS student wouldn't take in the same combination.
The program is governed by CHED Memorandum Order No. 87, series of 2017, "Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (BSCpE) Program." Like most CHED program policies issued after the 2015 shift to outcomes-based education, CMO 87 sets 11 required program outcomes and a curriculum map of required professional and allied courses, then lets individual colleges and universities design the exact unit total, sequencing, and electives around that framework — which is why the total number of units differs somewhat from school to school even though everyone is following the same CMO.
Disclaimer: exact unit totals, elective tracks, and OJT hour requirements vary by school under CHED's outcomes-based framework. Confirm the current curriculum directly with your target school's engineering department.
What Subjects Are in the BS Computer Engineering Curriculum?
CMO 87's curriculum map names specific required professional and allied courses that every CHED-compliant BSCpE program must include, alongside the general education and math/science load shared with other engineering degrees. The table below lists confirmed subjects and unit values straight from the memorandum's curriculum map, as implemented at institutions such as University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines.
| Course (from CMO 87 curriculum map) | Units |
|---|---|
| Fundamentals of Electrical Circuits | 4 |
| Fundamentals of Electronic Circuits | 4 |
| Discrete Mathematics | 3 |
| Object-Oriented Programming | 2 |
| Data Structures and Algorithms | 2 |
| Logic Circuits and Design | 4 |
| Software Design | 4 |
| Microprocessors | 4 |
| Computer Networks and Security | 4 |
| CpE Practice and Design 1 (capstone) | 1 |
| CpE Practice and Design 2 (capstone) | 2 |
| On the Job Training | 3 |
This is a partial list of the professional and allied courses CMO 87 names directly; the full memorandum maps more than 50 courses (including math, science, and general education subjects) against its 11 required program outcomes. Some schools' implementations run leaner — Philippine Christian University's Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering under its College of Informatics totals 128 units across four years, for example — while others add more technical electives on top of the CMO minimum, so treat the unit counts above as confirmed subject-level figures, not a single fixed program total.
Does Computer Engineering Have a Board Exam?
No. The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) lists 46 Professional Regulatory Boards, covering fields from Accountancy to Veterinary Medicine, and Computer Engineering is not among them. PRC confirmed this directly in response to a 2023 Freedom of Information request: there is no board exam and no PRC license required to practice as a computer engineer in the Philippines. This is a common point of confusion because Computer Engineering's close cousin, Electronics Engineering (ECE), is a licensed profession under Republic Act No. 9292, with its own PRC board and exam — but an ECE license requires an ECE degree (or an ECT track), not a Computer Engineering degree.
Because there is no government-mandated exam, a voluntary industry certification exists to fill the gap: the Computer Engineering Certification Board (CPECB), a SEC-registered organization run by computer engineering professionals and the Institute of Computer Engineers of the Philippines (ICpEP). CPECB certification is not legally required to work in the field, unlike a PRC license for a licensed profession, but some employers use it as a resume signal in the absence of an official credential.
Disclaimer: professional regulation status can change if new legislation passes. Verify current licensure requirements with PRC directly before making career decisions based on this information.
Does BSCpE Require OJT?
Yes. CMO 87 requires an "On the Job Training" course, listed at 3 units in the curriculum map, plus two capstone courses, "CpE Practice and Design 1" and "CpE Practice and Design 2," that function as a senior design/thesis sequence. The memorandum does not fix a single national OJT hour count the way some other CHED program policies do; each school's own implementing curriculum sets the exact number of hours, so ask your target school's engineering department for its current OJT requirement rather than assuming a fixed figure.
How Much Does BS Computer Engineering Tuition Cost?
Tuition for BS Computer Engineering follows the general pattern for engineering programs in the Philippines: state universities and colleges (SUCs) charge little to nothing under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, while private universities commonly run ₱30,000 to ₱150,000 or more per semester depending on the school's tier, laboratory and equipment fees, and location, with engineering programs often priced at the higher end of a school's range because of lab costs. Always confirm the current published rate directly with the school rather than relying on a roundup figure, since fees change yearly.
What Jobs Can a Computer Engineering Graduate Get?
BSCpE graduates typically enter embedded systems development, hardware/firmware engineering, network engineering, IT infrastructure roles, or software development, often competing for the same entry-level software and network roles as BSIT and BSCS graduates since employers in those areas hire on portfolio and technical exam rather than a specific degree title. The hardware/electronics leaning of the curriculum also opens roles in semiconductor design, embedded systems, and electronics manufacturing that a pure software degree doesn't prepare a graduate for as directly.
How Much Do Computer Engineering Graduates Earn?
There is no PSA wage line specifically labeled "computer engineer," since the Philippine Statistics Authority's Occupational Wages Survey tracks by occupation rather than by degree, and CpE graduates spread across several of those occupation categories. The 2024 Occupational Wages Survey recorded these average monthly wages for related computing and technical occupations:
| Occupation (PSA, 2024) | Average Monthly Wage |
|---|---|
| Mathematicians and actuaries | ₱71,237 |
| Software developers | ₱66,180 |
| Industrial and production engineers | ₱65,806 |
| National average, all occupations | ₱21,544 |
These figures are a rough proxy for the computing- and engineering-adjacent roles a CpE graduate might enter, not a guaranteed CpE-specific number, and they reflect established roles rather than fresh-graduate starting pay, which is typically lower. Information and Communications was the highest-paid broad industry sector in the same PSA survey at ₱43,676 average monthly wage.
Disclaimer: wage figures are survey averages across specific occupations and industries, not guaranteed pay for any individual graduate. Actual offers vary by company, role, and location.
Is BS Computer Engineering Right for You?
Before choosing BSCpE over BSIT, BSCS, or Electronics Engineering (ECE), weigh these questions:
- Do you want a licensed "engineer" title? If holding a PRC license matters to you professionally, ECE (licensed under RA 9292) or another board-regulated engineering degree gets you there; BSCpE does not.
- Are you interested in both hardware and software? BSCpE's mixed curriculum (circuits plus software design) fits students who don't want to choose purely one side, unlike BSIT/BSCS (software-only) or ECE (hardware-heavy).
- Have you checked the specific school's unit total and OJT hours? Because CHED's CMO 87 allows real variation between schools, request the actual current curriculum before enrolling rather than assuming a fixed national total.
- Are you comfortable competing on portfolio rather than license? Since there's no board exam, entry into software, network, and hardware roles depends on demonstrated skill (personal projects, certifications, internships) more than a credential.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition and programs across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- CHED CMO No. 87, s. 2017 — Policies, Standards and Guidelines for BS Computer Engineering (official)
- PRC — List of Professional Regulatory Boards (official)
- Freedom of Information — Computer Engineering Licensure Exam? (official PRC FOI response)
- Philippine Christian University — College of Informatics, BS Computer Engineering Summary of Courses and Units
- Philippine Statistics Authority — 2024 Occupational Wages Survey
- BusinessMirror — PSA Data: Industry Wages Show 3-Fold Gap in 2024
- SchoolFinderPH — BSIT Explained: Subjects, Jobs, and How It Differs from BSCS
- SchoolFinderPH — Best Engineering Schools in the Philippines
- SchoolFinderPH — In-Demand Courses in the Philippines
