Professor Stephan Sigg: Communications and Data Science offers a good mix of relevant topics

Professor Stephan Sigg is the Head of the new double degree programme, Communications and Data Science. Aalto's bachelor students can apply for studies starting in autumn 2021 on 1 July - 16 August 2021.

Professor Sigg, what is the Master’s Programme in Communications and Data Science about?

The Master's Programme in Communications and Data Science is a double degree programme offered by the Unite! university network. It’s a two-year programme carried out jointly with three European universities: Aalto University, Grenoble Institute of Technology at Université Grenoble Alpes, and Técnico Lisboa at Universidade de Lisboa in Portugal. Students start their studies in one of these universities and after one year, they will change their study place. In the first year, all universities have a comparable programme. In the second year, they’ll choose their area of specialisation, which is different in each university.

At Aalto, a student can specialise in Communications, Automation and Machine Learning. At Grenoble, a student can specialise in Communications, Data Science, and Security and at Técnico Lisboa in Communications and Data Science.

Students can collaborate with fellow students from the other universities as well. Great examples are hybrid courses and project courses where students from different universities do a project together. Every year, we will also organise a supported summer school for students.

Why should I choose the Communications and Data Science programme?

For a student, the programme has lots of personal benefits. It’s a richness to have the opportunity to study in different environments and countries. In this programme, you will enlarge your network and get to know more teachers, students, and systems.

What will I learn during my studies?

The programme is composed of courses in mathematics and programming. The first year’s general studies are mostly related to communication and AI and they are similar in all three universities. Students can also choose many courses freely depending on their interests. In the second year, students will focus more on their area of specialisation, such as communication, AI, automation and cybersecurity.

What kinds of solutions can I provide for society’s needs after my education?

There are lots of good opportunities for students who graduate from this master’s programme. Companies are interested in people who are open to new things, who challenge themselves, and who don’t only focus on small areas of expertise.

The programme offers a good mix of topics that will be relevant in the near future, and that’s something that makes this programme unique. For example, machine learning, AI, and automation are all hot topics right now. The students have a great opportunity for an international career as well, because their network is bigger, and they might have some extra language competence.

For all of these three universities, students usually don’t experience problems in finding jobs after they’ve graduated.