The Master’s Programme in Electronics and Nanotechnology offers a broad technical knowledge in an internationally recognized engineering field.

The student has an option to choose additional study entities which support their major. These studies can be selected from the wide selection of science, arts and business study portfolios offered at Aalto University.

The student forms an overview of professional practices within the major’s study field.  The student will be able to combine and link acquired knowledge to the relevant research fields. The students will attain a broad and deep understanding of his or her major. The student is able to perform scientific research and industrial R&D tasks, as well as fulfill international assignments in the field of the major.

Scientific practices and way of working

Having completed his or her Master’s studies, the student will have the ability to develop further competencies through scientific doctoral studies and lifelong learning.

The student will have acquired scientific thinking practices and will be able to adapt these in his or her career. The student will also have a basic knowledge about innovation processes and entrepreneurship in the field of technical science.

The student will understand the theories and concepts related to his or her own field. Additionally, he/she will be able to apply those in the research and development tasks in the field of the major.

The student will know the lifespan of products and services related to his or her field. Furthermore, he/she will be able to participate on various engineering tasks related to the development and production processes. 

The student will be able to choose and use appropriate methods and tools for design and performance evaluation. He/she will be able to critically observe the results, processes, and methods in the engineering work.

The student will know the main sources of information within his or her major and can acquire new knowledge to support his/her tasks.

After completing the Master level studies, the student will be able to design and develop complicated technical units belonging to large systems.

The student will be able to identify impact of technology on people, economy, society, and environment. He/she will be able to identify ethical questions and comprehend their significance in his or her work.

Professional competencies

During the Master level studies the student will have many opportunities to develop his/her skills in English. Furthermore, he/she will develop his/her oral and written communication skills.

The student, however, has the right to use Finnish or Swedish in his or her Master level studies according to the Finnish law.

The student will be able to work collaboratively in groups. In addition, the student will be able to contribute within an inter-disciplinary group also in an international environment.

Code: ELEC3036
Credits: 65 ECTS
Responsible Professors: Jussi Ryynänen and Kari Halonen
Pääaine suomeksi: Mikro- ja nanoelektroniikkasuunnittelu
Huvudämne på svenska: Mikro- och nanoelektronikdesign

Integrated circuits are the enablers of the complex functionality embedded in all present day electronic devices. Combining logic, processors, memory, analog and digital signal processing and radio frequency communications electronics have provided miniaturiased implementations of functions that decades ago could not be even dreamed of. In future, it is envisioned that number of integrated circuits per person will continue to increase rapidly simply because the emerging ubiquitous intelligence in all areas of life can not be implemented without them. There is no application that could run without electronic hardware platform.

To be able to design integrated circuits for in embedded devices, the designers needs to handle not only the the theory of electronics,  but also the design flow principles, tools, and understand the various abstraction layers of the design presentations. For example, designing he analog front-end amplifier that directly connects to brain sensor, or the RF front-end connecting to antenna, requires understanding of transistor and transmission line models for analog custom circuit and layout design. On the other hand,  implementing digital digital circuits, such as processors, DSP accelerators and high speed digital interconnects necessitate the knowledge on hardware efficient implementation methods of signal processing algorithms and good coding practices for hardware description languages, added with capability of efficient and highly automated usage of implementation and verification tool chains.

After completing the major the student knows the most common technologies used in the integrated circuit design. He understand the operation and theory of common circuits used in the circuit design. He knows the design tools used in the design flow and can utilize the functionalities of these programs. He understand the analog, RF and digital circuits. The optional courses in the major will complement student knowledge in the chosen field. The student is able to design integrated circuit blocks from specifications to producible layout.

Code: ELEC3051
Credits: 65 ECTS
Responsible Professors: Ville Viikari, Ari Sihvola, Ville Viikari, Sergei Tretyakov, Antti Räisänen, Konstantin Simovski, Keijo Nikoskinen and Katsuyuki Haneda
Pääaine suomeksi: Radiotiede ja -tekniikka
Huvudämne på svenska: Radiovetenskap och –teknik

Radio science and engineering is the basis of everything that transmits or receives electromagnetic waves, such as wireless communications devices, radars, or wireless sensors.

This major provides you with the ability to do high-level scientific research on new electromagnetic phenomena and to develop components and systems, or to invent new wireless gadgets, for the present and future wireless world.

Upon successfully finalizing the Radio Science major you will possess thorough knowledge of fundamental and applied electromagnetics, wireless devices and systems, and the related mathematical tools. This includes thorough understanding of radiowave propagation and interactions of electromagnetic fields and matter.

Furthermore, you will gain the ability to use this understanding for creating new components and systems for future wireless sensing and communications applications that are superior in their operation and have novel functionalities. This includes the ability to use analytical methods and numerical tools in the design of new components and circuits and to measure and evaluate the performance of components, devices and systems. So, you will have the proficiency to translate your expertise into new technological solutions for environmental, well-being, and communications challenges in the industry and academia.

*Year = The year students are expected to study the course

Code: ELEC3052
Credits: 65 ECTS
Responsible professors: Markku Sopanen, Ilkka Tittonen, Harri Lipsanen, Hele Savin, Zhipei Sun
Erkki Ikonen, Esa Kallio
Pääaine suomeksi: Fotoniikka ja nanoteknologia
Huvudämne på svenska:  Fotonik och nanoteknologi

Objectives and learning outcomes

The main goal of this major is to give the student sufficient theoretical and practical skills in physics, electromagnetic radiation, modeling, optics, and in materials-related topics to master the general physical phenomena that can be applied from nanosciences up to space physics. The curriculum can be personalized according to the student’s particular field of interest.

Several course packages are offered to help the students to choose the courses: Micro- and Nanotechnology, Photonics, Advanced Materials and Quantum Technologies. Micro- and Nanotechnology focuses on operational principles and fabrication techniques of devices, e.g., LEDs, diode lasers, solar cells and nanoelectronic devices. Photonics focuses on production, guiding, modulation and detection of light. Advanced Materials focuses especially on nanoscale semiconductors, functional materials , emerging new materials, like graphene and other 2D materials, and their applications. Quantum Technologies gives background for future technologies like quantum computing and cryptography.

The student is expected to gain such a good knowledge in natural sciences that it enables understanding the basic physical and natural processes behind modern high-technology devices and materials. The student can also apply these principles to design and invent novel applications utilizing, e.g., nanotechnology. This major gives also an excellent starting point for doctoral studies by offering a deeper understanding of theory and applications. These skills are also seen important in many leadership positions.Content of the major

*Year = The year students are expected to study the course

Code: ELEC3039
Credits: 65 ECTS
Responsible Professors: Anne Lähteenmäki, Jaan Praks, Esa Kallio
Pääaine suomeksi: Avaruustiede- ja tekniikka
Huvudämne på svenska:  Rymdfysik och -teknik

In the only space science and technology major in Finland you can engage yourself in research challenges ranging from the birth of our universe to the physics of solar system dynamics, or in a rapidly growing number of services such as weather forecasts, navigation and telecommunication services, and environmental monitoring. Nanosatellite technologies have skyrocketing prospects to gain access to space at low cost and short time. Here you can join in high-profile space and science projects, get international experience, and learn team work and project management skills.    

We have four focus areas: space technology, Earth observation, space physics and radio astronomy. These include, for example, building of satellite systems and space instruments, microwave instruments and techniques on airborne and spaceborne platforms for Earth observation, space weather satellite observations and numerical simulations of the Earth and other solar system objects, and r adio astronomical techniques, and the study of active galactic nuclei and galactic objects. The student can choose the study field(s) according to her/his academic or career interests. 

Upon completion of the space science and technology major the student will be prepared for graduate education in one of the focus areas or for work in large space organizations, or for work in the industry or the public sector. The student will be familiar with space as environment for instruments and science, and people and the society, and what are the basic physical principles governing the processes in Earth observation, space physics, and radio astronomy. Furthermore, the student will be able to design and build functional space systems and carry out space research and instrumentation projects, and do science with the results.

*Year = The year students are expected to study the course

Students choose 25 credits of elective studies. As elective studies, students can complete a minor and/or take individual courses. Individual elective courses can also be taken from other programmes at Aalto University or other Finnish universities through Flexible Study Right (JOO).

Entrepreneurial and multidisciplinary Aalto studies are recommended. Foreign students are encouraged to take Finnish courses.

Also studies completed abroad during student exchange can be included in the elective studies (exchange studies can also form an international minor or be included in the major). Work experience completed in Finland or abroad can also be included in Elective Studies.

Compulsory language studies are included as part of the Finnish Bachelor’s degree for students who have studied in Finland and whose language of education is Finnish or Swedish. If the language studies have not been completed in the student’s Bachelor’s degree, the student must take 2 ECTS in the second national language and 3 ECTS in one foreign language, including both oral and written proficiency.

Students who have received their education in a language other than Finnish or Swedish, or received their education abroad, are required to complete only 3 ECTS in one foreign language, including both oral and written proficiency. Relevant courses (marked with ‘o’ and ‘w’) are offered by the Aalto University Language Center. Alternatively, these students can choose 3 ECTS of Finnish courses, hence not covering the requirement of oral/written proficiency but meeting the language requirement of the degree.

Language studies are included in students’ elective studies and are agreed in the personal study plan (HOPS).

Students are required to complete a Master's Thesis, which is a research assignment with a workload corresponding to 30 credits. The thesis is written on a topic usually related to the student's major and agreed upon between the student and a professor who specializes in the topic of the thesis. The supervisor of the thesis must be a professor in the Aalto University. The thesis advisor(s) can be from a company or from another university. Thesis advisor(s) must have at least a Master’s degree.

Master’s Thesis work includes a seminar presentation or equivalent presentation. The student is also required to write a maturity essay related to the Master’s Thesis.

The Master’s Thesis is a public document and cannot be concealed.