Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (Communication and Information Technology )

An electrical engineer is at the forefront of technological innovation in advanced electronic systems. They drive the evolution towards ‘smart’ environments consisting of interconnected devices, sensors and systems. Some pertinent applications include remote surgery, 6G communication, smart cities, smart grids, industry 4.0, robot swarms, satellite constellations, and autonomous vehicles. These all require specific electronic hardware, sensors, real-time signal processing, and fast communication, designed, built and managed by electrical engineers.

Electronics and digital applications are integrated in every aspect of our daily lives. The future of our society, industry, healthcare, and communication infrastructure depends on innovative solutions that enhance the functionality, efficiency, and connectivity of electronic systems, information processing, and networks. These advancements are crucial for addressing the challenges posed by the exponential growth of data, the rise of artificial intelligence, the need for high-quality and affordable healthcare, for competitive highly automated manufacturing industries, and for the pursuit of a sustainable and safe future. The Master of Science in Electrical Engineering offers in-depth training in the domains of electronic system engineering, treating both hardware and software aspects but with a clear focus on the underlying electronic components and advanced circuits, system architecture and signal processing.

Students specialise either in Electronic Circuits and Systems (ECS) that form the hardware of smart devices and equipment or in Communication and Information Technologies (CIT) that create the connectivity and information processing for those devices to build much more powerful systems. Students learn how electronic hardware works exactly and how to design such hardware, how communication and navigation systems function and how these need to be adapted to increasingly complex environments, how wearable sensors and remote sensing enable personal healthcare, how circuit design innovates with continuously advancing semiconductor technology, how the combination and co-design of electronics and photonics create new sensors and transceivers, how new devices target the exploitation of sub-terahertz and terahertz frequencies for new sensing and communication applications, how more advanced digital signal processing and algorithms are enhancing energy efficiency and system performance...

Specialising in Communication and Information Technologies (CIT) provides thorough insight in the algorithms and signal processing techniques that control the sensing, localisation and communication functionality. Students learn to develop complex electronic systems for various applications, from conception and analysis to design, implementation, testing and up to the management and deployment of such systems. The programme provides a strong theoretical and technological foundation, hands-on design experience with state-of-the-art tools and equipment. The acquired research competences prepare the students to drive creative and innovative (r)evolutions in industry and academia.

Moreover, this study programme provides a broad non-specialist knowledge in other engineering disciplines and in several economical, legal, deontological, ecological, and societal aspects. On top of a sound theoretical base, every year of the programme includes practical projects that gradually enhance your skills in effective teamwork and in acting as skilled team leaders in an industrial research environment.

The Electrical Engineering programme consists of two phases: a three-year Bachelor’s degree followed by a two-year Master’s degree. Throughout the Master’s programme, students can deepen or broaden their scope by choosing from a wide range of elective course units or by including a broadening minor into their curriculum.

The programme focuses specifically on research and development, as well as on creation and design in the field of electronics and ICT. Many companies seek electrical engineers for developing smart systems and are therefore constantly looking for highly trained graduates. The balanced mix of analogue and digital circuit and system design, signal processing and communication technology on a strong theoretical foundation enables graduates to play key roles in the development of such smart devices and systems and to provide solutions addressing societal challenges as well.

Electrical engineers design and develop advanced chips, information processing systems (for e.g. speech, sensor data, video), wearables, measurement and sensor technology (for e.g. healthcare, vehicles, robots), and future ICT infrastructure, including wired, wireless, satellite and vehicular communication systems. Our graduates thrive in large multinational electronics, ICT, telecommunication, space and research oriented companies, as well as in a wide range of small and medium-sized enterprises active at the forefront of technology or consultancy. Their expertise in electronics hardware, signal processing and system design, is highly valued for its broad scope and strong connection to state-of-the-art research and technology.