Master of Science (Technology) in Wireless Communications and RF Systems, Computing Sciences and Electrical Engineering
Tampere, Finland
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
EUR 12,000 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Application for studies starting in autumn begins December and ends January.
** per academic year for non-EU/EEA students
Key Summary
About: Tampere University's Master of Science (Technology) in Wireless Communications and RF Systems is a specialization in the Master's programme in Computing Sciences and Electrical Engineering. The programme covers radio-frequency systems, IoT, 5G/6G mobile networks, sensing and radar, positioning, and applications in consumer devices, industrial automation, robotics, and space. The university formed in 2019 from a merger and combines decades of technical and societal research and applied learning in connectivity and telecommunications.
Career Outcomes: Graduates join mobile operators, R&D houses, chipset and device vendors, consulting firms, research institutes as RF, systems, network or test engineers, researchers; eligible for doctoral programmes
Wireless communications – connecting people and things
Digitalization is here to stay. The ongoing digitalization builds on an efficient communications infrastructure.
Communication is not only for humans anymore: the Internet of Things and the Industrial Internet are the forerunners of a connected and programmable world where things are also able to communicate. Digitalization will have an impact on a wide range of industries, such as energy, transportation, logistics, and manufacturing.
Another prevailing trend in society and industry is robotization. Modern inventions, such as self-driving cars and drones, strongly rely on highly efficient and reliable wireless communications while also utilizing radio-based positioning and sensing/radar technologies. Wireless communications and radio frequency (RF) technologies enable the making of a wide variety of applications ranging from everyday consumer products to high-end industrial machines, robots, and space science. The Internet of Things (IoT), 5G/6G mobile communication networks, and sensing/radar systems are the three most important application domains.
Tampere University offers a unique learning environment for Wireless Communications.
Wireless Communications and RF Systems (MSc Tech) is one of the engineering specializations in the Master’s Programme in Computing Sciences and Electrical Engineering.
Study contents
The specialization of Wireless Communications and RF Systems in the Master's Programme in Electrical Engineering includes courses with a strong emphasis on the underlying fundamental concepts, practical problem-solving, hands-on projects, and state-of-the-art simulation, design, and measurement tools used in industry. Depending on your choice of specialization, you will gain in-depth knowledge of wireless communications systems, high-frequency/RF circuits, and techniques of navigation and positioning as follows:
- the focus area in Wireless Systems provides you with a comprehensive understanding of fundamental digital communication techniques and the operating principles of all modern and emerging wireless systems as well as associated transmitter and receiver modules and signal processing methods. The studies may be further tailored and deepened towards profound communication theoretic aspects and methods (modulation, coding and detection schemes, radio interface design), mobile cellular systems and associated planning and optimization solutions, analog and digital signal processing in radio communications devices, radio transceiver solutions, or digital computing platforms.
- the focus area in Navigation and Positioning provides you with a thorough understanding of and competencies related to positioning systems and devices, including not only satellite-based positioning but also other modern positioning techniques. Performance optimization, device-level signal processing, computing platforms, and circuit structures, and navigation calculus are some of the central elements of this focus area.
- the focus area in Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits provides you with in-depth knowledge of radio transceiver circuits and systems and, in particular, radiofrequency application-specific integrated circuits (RF-ASICs) in wireless communications devices. Special emphasis is placed on modern computer-aided design, analysis, measurement tools, and silicon processes.
- the focus area in High-Frequency Techniques provides students with a comprehensive understanding of high-frequency electronics, circuits, and techniques and has a strong focus on relevant electromagnetic phenomena and characteristics. Central elements include high-frequency circuit and antenna design and the fundamentals of radio frequency measurements.
You can also tailor your degree to suit your interests by selecting two or more focus areas.
Tampere University offers students the opportunity for a broad, cross-disciplinary education. A rich variety of minor studies and supplementary courses are available as well as the opportunity to concentrate purely on major studies.
Structure of studies
The program is comprised of 120 ECTS. Courses are worth 90 ECTS and the remaining 30 ECTS are awarded for successfully completing a Master's thesis. Each ECTS is equal to an average workload of 27 hours, including lectures, exercises, assignments, independent study, and an examination. The duration of the program is two years. Students spend three semesters completing courses and one semester preparing the final project (Master's thesis). They start their studies in late August, and the academic year ends in late May.
Tampere University offers a limited number of partial scholarships as well as an early bird discount to support fee-paying students.
Tampere University tuition fee scholarships
The Tampere University tuition fee scholarship is an exclusive opportunity awarded to a select number of the best-performing applicants. It is a highly selective scholarship; in total, only individual Tampere University scholarships are awarded to exceptionally qualified applicants. Scholarships are not awarded in all programmes.
Tampere University tuition fee scholarships awarded at admission cover 50% of the tuition fees for the programme duration.
Early bird offer
The early bird offer is available to all fee-paying students who have not been awarded a Tampere University tuition fee scholarship upon admission. The early bird offer gives a €2,000 reduction on the programme tuition fee during the first year of studies.
Students may take advantage of the early bird offer by accepting the offered study place and paying the reduced first-year tuition fee within two weeks after receiving information on admission.
This offer is valid only for the first year of studies.
In addition to these offers available at admission, students who complete a Bachelor's degree at Tampere University will be eligible to receive a €2,000 reduction on their tuition fee for the first year of Master's degree studies at Tampere University, provided they graduate from their Bachelor's programme within three academic years.
How to apply for scholarships?
To be considered for Tampere University Scholarships, you must apply for the scholarship as part of your application for admission during the application period for admission. You will apply for Tampere University Scholarships with the same online application you use to apply for admission at Studyinfo.fi.
All application information you submit in your application for admission at Studyinfo.fi, including your educational documents, is available for the admissions committee evaluating your scholarship application. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of overall academic assessment, in which all application information and educational documents, as well as the scholarship application letter (if applicable), are taken into consideration and can be decisive. The decision on the scholarship will be communicated to you together with information on admission.
The early bird offer is available without a separate application to all fee-paying students who have not been awarded a Tampere University tuition fee scholarship.
Our graduates are typically employed by mobile communication network operators, R&D houses, wireless chipsets, device and network vendors, consulting companies, and research institutes. Overall, the global mobile communications industry is a massive employer with an annual volume of close to 900 billion USD. The field offers excellent career prospects worldwide. With the utilization of the communications infrastructure penetrating all industry sectors as a result of digitalization, experts in communications engineering also have a broad range of career prospects, for example, in the smart energy, transportation, and automotive industries as well as in different production and manufacturing industries which are outside the basic ICT field. Following the successful completion of the program, our graduates are also eligible to apply for admission to doctoral programs in Finland or abroad.
Co-operation with other parties
Tampere University is a well-known institute among the companies in the Tampere area, Finland, and abroad. The university has a good reputation and has had a lot of co-operation with the companies during the years. This certainly helps the students to find valuable thesis-work opportunities in the companies, and most often, those students are employed by these companies once graduate.
In addition to studies in one’s program, students may take full advantage of the teaching offered by the Tampere higher education community ranging from technical to vocational studies in various fields.