Electronic Engineering

Program Overview

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Electronic Engineering

The MSc in Electronic Engineering will give you the necessary engineering knowledge to be able to play a key role in the creation of a resilient and renewable future for global energy.

Course Details

Our MSc in the vital field of Electronic Engineering provides you with a solid foundation of knowledge and experience that you can apply to the global challenges of creating sustainable and resilient energy management systems.

Through a combination of theoretical and practical education and using cutting-edge tools and technologies, you will develop valuable engineering insight and apply a range of innovative solutions to help meet challenges in electronic engineering areas.

Course Structure

Year 1 Modules

Core Modules:

• Research and Development Project: offers a stimulating challenge designed to develop your electronic engineering knowledge. With the support of a supervisor, you will identify and apply the specific methods needed to investigate your chosen area of study. You will then create a report of your findings which will include your background data, analysis and your recommendations.
• Group Design Project: sees your participation in a complex engineering system design task which will develop your knowledge of system design, introduce the concept of interdisciplinary design teams and will enable you to apply the knowledge gained in lectures to a complex engineering problem.
• Photonics: provides an overview of electromagnetic waves propagation and the underlying Maxwell equations. It will enhance your knowledge and understanding of advanced semiconductor photonic devices including the photon-matter interaction.
• Radio and Digital Communications: offers an overview and description of pulse analogue modulation schemes. It also explains the principles of digital communication systems and the technical aspects of cellular networks. You will also become familiar with analytical methods of radio propagation.
• Advanced Electronics: sets out the characteristics of electronic devices at nanometre scale and their principles of operation, and explains the technical and economic constraints for the miniaturisation and design of electronic devices and solutions. You will also become familiar with application-based device design and analysis and acquire the technical knowledge of VLSI/MEMs system in order to understand their functionality and applications.
• Advanced Electronics Measurement: explains the methods for measuring, characterising and assessing communication systems and semiconducting devices and sets out the working principles of various metrology and characterisation procedures for semiconductor devices and communication systems. You will be introduced to measurement techniques for radio channel characterisation, and wideband propagation models in various frequency bands and become familiar with solid-state device reliability tests and applications.
• Communications Networks: sets out the challenges that designing communications networks can present. You will develop an understanding of key networking technologies used in modern communication networks and the principles of communications networks design.

Optional Modules:

• In recent years, optional modules have included:
  • Internet of Everything
  • Optimisation
  • Environmental Engineering

Learning

This course with its mix of taught modules, a group design project and an individual research and development project provides you with an exciting and challenging learning experience covering electronic engineering in depth.

Core modules involve 38 hours of lectures on the topics that are at the heart of electronic engineering. A key module is the group design project, which offers the opportunity to learn a wide range of skills and develop technical expertise in the application of system design ideas, with content including energy systems and sustainability. The make-up of this module will also enhance your presentation skills, your ability to project manage and to work in a team with colleagues. It will also help boost your research skills.

You will complete an individual research and development project with the support of a supervisor who will hold regular meetings to check on your progress and to discuss any planning issues. This will include 12 hours of quality contact time with your supervisor and more than 500 hours of research work and preparation, during which you will be supported by the Department's technicians and other research workers.

As well as the core modules, you will also select one of three optional modules that fits with your interests.

Assessment

Course assessment is thorough and includes a combination of project work, written exams, a competency portfolio and presentations.

A mid-term assessment is carried out to ensure your research and development project is on track and following the completion of the project, you will be required to submit a report on your work, in the style and format of a research paper. You will also have an oral examination centering on the technical aspects of your project.

Finally, you will be required to create and deliver a presentation of your project in poster form to staff and colleagues.

Entry Requirements

A UK first or upper second-class honours degree or equivalent in engineering, sciences (physics) or a relevant related subject. Plus the usual language requirement.

Durham University Band E English requirement.

Alternative Qualifications

• Other UK qualifications
• EU qualifications
• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year. Home students who do not meet our direct entry requirements, may be eligible for our Foundation Programme which offers multidisciplinary programmes to prepare you for a range of specified degree programmes.

Fees and Funding

Full Time Fees

• Tuition fees:
  • Home students: £14,500 per year
  • EU students: £33,000 per year
  • Island students: £14,500 per year
  • International students: £33,000 per year

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase and are expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only.

Career Opportunities

We take great pride in our reputation for producing engineers who make a successful and significant contribution in a wide range of professional career roles around the world.

We have strong links with industrial partners and our postgraduates have achieved rewarding and stimulating positions in civil, mechanical, electronic, electrical, manufacturing, design, aeronautics and systems engineering. They work as consultants, technology analysts, and software developers and as entrepreneurs, and also gain prestigious positions in banking and finance.

The Department has a dedicated careers contact who is available to offer advice and carry out mock interviews.

Our Industrial Partnership Committee of around 20 local, national and international companies will ensure you have access to the best employment opportunities.

Department Information

Engineering

Engineering at Durham combines dynamic teaching led by subject experts with opportunities to carry out cutting-edge engineering research. Our courses provide the skills to plan, design and analyse innovative and forward-thinking projects that will meet the demands of industry.

The Department of Engineering is a general engineering department that works on the principle that engineering is an integrated subject rather than a series of unconnected topics. The world-leading teaching and the research opportunities that we offer underline this academic positioning.

We guide postgraduate researchers so that they are able to make a significant contribution in the Department’s key areas of engineering focus. These topics range from the development of energy systems of the future, through next generation materials and microsystems to creating sustainable infrastructures. All reflect the challenges now facing the modern world.

Taught courses include MSc qualifications in Advanced Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering and Renewable and Sustainable Energy. We also offer the Doctor of Philosophy and the Master of Science by Research, which involve individualised training and require an extensive research project or thesis to be completed.

Teaching and supervision are provided by the Department’s subject specialists, who have an outstanding reputation for their expertise. An extensive range of facilities is available to support research work and we have strong and productive links with industry partners, ensuring that the research is relevant and applicable at this challenging yet exciting time to be in engineering.

Facilities

The Department of Engineering features a number of modern dedicated teaching laboratories including the newly refurbished electrical laboratory. Other facilities include a wind tunnel, state-of-the-art clean rooms for experiments in very controlled environments and a geotechnical engineering laboratory.

An investment of more than £4 million has boosted the computing resources available, providing large memory and high-end processor machines for projects requiring major computer capacity.

Our students benefit from the Engineering Open Access area, which was built to facilitate both group work and individual projects.

The Department is located on the main campus at Lower Mountjoy, close to the centre of Durham and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Similar Courses

• Advanced Mechanical Engineering - MSc
• Biomedical Engineering - MSc
• Civil Engineering - MSc
• Electrical Engineering - MSc
• Renewable and Sustainable Energy - MSc

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

The program emphasizes the importance of collaborative work, complex design, advanced analysis tools, and independent research.

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Students will develop innovative solutions to key electrical engineering challenges and gain a deep understanding of the industry's issues and potential solutions.

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Outline:

The MSc program in Electronic Engineering comprises various components:

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Core modules:

• Research and Development Project:
Students choose a specific area of study, conduct research, develop a report, and deliver a presentation. This project allows for independent research and application of knowledge.
• Group Design Project:
Students work in teams to design complex engineering systems, developing system knowledge, interdisciplinary collaboration skills, and applying theoretical knowledge to practical problems.
• Photonics 4:
Provides an overview of electromagnetic wave propagation, advanced semiconductor photonic devices, photon-matter interaction, and underlying Maxwell's equations.
• Radio and Digital Communications 4:
Covers pulse analogue modulation, principles of digital communication systems, analytical methods for radio propagation, and technical aspects of cellular networks.
• Advanced Electronics 4:
Introduces nanometer-scale electronic device characteristics, operation principles, economic and technical design constraints, application-based device design and analysis, VLSI/MEMs systems functionalities and applications.
• Advanced Electronics Measurement 4:
Explains measurement techniques for analyzing communication systems and semiconductors. Covers working principles of metrology, characterization procedures, solid-state device reliability tests and applications, radio channel measurements, wideband propagation models in various frequencies.
• Communications Networks 4:
Addresses communication network design challenges, explores modern network technologies, and introduces communication networks design principles.

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Optional Modules (in recent years):

• Internet of Everything 4
• Optimization 4
• Environmental Engineering 4

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Assessment:

Assessment combines various methods:

• Project work
• Written exams
• Competency portfolio
• Presentations
A mid-term project assessment is conducted to ensure project progress. Upon project completion, students submit a research paper style report, sit an oral examination focusing on technical aspects, and present their project to staff and peers in poster format.

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Teaching:

• 38 hours of lectures
• group design project
• research and development project
• optional module

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Careers:

• Graduates typically excel in various engineering roles globally.
• Program alumni have secured rewarding and stimulating positions in diverse fields like civil, mechanical, electronic, electrical, manufacturing, design, aeronautics, systems engineering, consulting, technology analysis, software development, entrepreneurship, banking, and finance.

• The program's tuition fee for international students is £30,250 per year.

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Full Time Fees

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Tuition fees

Home students £13,500 per year EU students £30,250 per year Island students £13,500 per year International students £30,250 per year The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).