Student Flavie Ailhaud enjoys Aalto's flexible course selection and Finnish nature
Communications and Data Science student spent her first year at Grenoble and now she is studying the second year at Aalto University
The expertise gained through the Communications and Data Science Programme features diverse programming skills, good mathematical background, goal-oriented problem solving, as well as efficient project planning and management. Students will advance their knowledge in the broad field of computer networks and cybersecurity, and gain professional experience through tailored industry-relevant projects and entrepreneurship training.
The Programme will empower students to solve industry-relevant problems employing cutting-edge tools of artificial intelligence, automation and control theory, data analytics, wireless systems, and signal processing. Students will acquire competences in a range of techniques covering the broad areas of electronics, data science, distributed systems, modelling and analysis of signals and systems, machine learning models, and communication systems.
During their studies, students will further acquire expertise in other areas, such as teamwork and coordination, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and sustainability.
Aalto University’s tuition fee for master’s programmes taught in English is 15 000 euros per academic year. Tuition fees apply to citizens of countries other than those of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
Aalto University has a scholarship programme to support non-EU/EEA citizens who study in a fee-charging degree programme. The scholarship may cover 100% or 50% of the tuition fee.
More information on tuition fees and scholarships at Aalto University is available at the Scholarships and Tuition Fees webpage.
The Communications and Data Science Programme is a double degree programme offered by the Unite! university network. This means that you will study at two European universities and in two different countries. The programme is a four-semester Master's Programme, 120 ECTS. An integral part of the second year is a Master’s thesis (30 ECTS).
The Programme will be structured into 2 years:
Year 1: basic studies common to all Partners
Year 2: specialization studies, studies specific to all Partners, Project, and Thesis
At the beginning of their studies, students define their Personal Study Plans (PSP) together with an academic advisor. The primary purpose of the PSP is to ensure that the studies support the student’s interests and are completed in a logical order.
More information on the programme content and curriculum can be found in the Student guide.
Communications and Data Science student spent her first year at Grenoble and now she is studying the second year at Aalto University
Miro-Markus is studying Communications and Data Science, and he is looking forward to a year in Lisbon and has already started studying Portuguese.
Amy studies communications and data science in a double degree programme.
The second year (together with the Master's thesis project) takes place at one of the Partner Universities. This Unite! programme is implemented jointly by leading European universities. The students will begin their first year in one university (entry) and continue their second year in another university (exit). Each university has a unique specialisation area, which allows students to select concentrate on their area of interest. By starting their studies at Aalto University, the student will spend their first year of Communications and Data Science in Aalto and then continue to their second year studies in either in Grenoble INP Graduate schools of Engineering and Management at Université Grenoble Alpes or Técnico Lisboa at Universidade de Lisboa.
The Communications and Data Science Programme is a double degree programme offered by the Unite! university network. This means that you will study at two European universities and in two different countries. The study environment in the programme is strongly international and studies are conducted in multicultural groups.
Aalto University is international by nature, welcoming thousands of degree and exchange students from abroad every year. These students join the diverse Aalto community not only through studies but also via multiple free time events, activities and celebrations around the campus. Active tutoring programmes and support services work tirelessly to help international students integrate into Nordic culture and welcome them at home in Finland.
The programme qualifies for doctoral studies (Doctor of Science in an applicable field).
The employability of graduates in these areas is very high at the European level since there is a lack of human resources in the target domains in all European countries and even worldwide.
Besides the companies in the telecommunications sector, such as telecom operators, consultancies, service providers, and encompassing manufacturers, one can envisage other companies and organizations hiring these graduates, in need of technical human resources dealing with networks, Internet of Things, security, data analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence.
Department of Information and Communications Engineering carries out research in the areas of information and communications theory, communications and networking technology, and communications ecosystem. Department combines the research traditions from electrical and communications engineering with computer science and economics. With 11 tenure track professors and 5 other professors, department is well positioned to approach research in communication and networking in a comprehensive fashion covering all the OSI layers from physical to applications.
Aalto University is among the top-ranked universities in the world related to industry collaboration. As a graduate, you can leverage on our connections. Aalto Industrial Internet Campus offers you the possibility to network with students from other engineering disciplines and prestigious industrial partners.
In this master's programme, students study in two different European universities. Professor Sigg reminds that studying in different environments and countries opens many new doors.
Unite! is a network of top technical universities in seven European countries. Unite! connects engineering, science, and technology with the grand challenges of society in co-creation by students, faculty, and staff. Unite! education provides skills for a new generation of European and global citizens who actively contribute to the advancement of knowledge, European competitiveness, and the development of solutions for societal challenges. Unite! programmes focus on multidisciplinary, multicultural, and multilingual education.
More information about Unite! network on the network's page.
Further details on the Universities organizing programme is available in the programme web page (directs out of Aalto.fi pages)
Programme's webpages
The admission for the Communications and Data Science Programme at Aalto University is organised once a year. The application period for studies beginning in the autumn of 2023 runs from 1 February to 21 February 2023 (3 pm, GMT +2).
The accepted students study their first year of studies at Aalto University and second year in one of the partner universities.
1 February 2023 at 9.00 (9 am, GMT +2) | Application period starts and online application form opens |
21 February 2023 at 15.00 (3 pm, GMT +2) | Application period ends and online application form closes |
28 February 2023 at 15.00 (3 pm, GMT +2) | Deadline for application documents to be uploaded to application form |
14 April 2023 | Admissions results are published |
28 April 2023 at 15.00 (3 pm, GMT +3) | Deadline for accepting the offer of admission (study place) |
9 June 2023 | Admission from the waiting list ends |
31 July 2023 | Deadline to graduate for applicants who applied with an incomplete degree |
18 August 2023 at 15.00 (3 pm, GMT +3) |
Deadline for a certified copy of the degree certificate to arrive at School of Electrical Engineering Learning Services (for applicants conditionally admitted with an incomplete degree) Deadline for officially certified study certificates |
August-September 2023 | Studies begin with the orientation week |
You are eligible to apply in master's admissions if you have a bachelor’s degree. The bachelor's degree must be equivalent to 180 ECTS credits or three years of full-time study. The degree must give eligibility to apply for master’s degree studies at university in the awarding country. The awarding higher education institution has to be a recognised part of the official national education system of the country. It has to be accredited as a degree-granting higher education institution by the country where it is located or by a relevant international organisation (such as UNESCO).
You cannot apply to a master’s programme on the basis of a previous master's degree. Only bachelor’s degrees give eligibility for master’s programmes. Exceptions to this are ‘long-cycle’ master's degrees that have been granted without a bachelor’s degree, for instance, degrees awarded in Finland prior to the adoption of the two-cycle degree system in 2008 or licentiate of medicine degrees.
You can apply to the programme with an incomplete bachelor’s degree, provided that you will graduate by 31 July 2023. If you are accepted to the university, you must deliver a certified copy of your degree certificate by 18 August 2023 at 15.00 (3 pm, GMT +3). In case you are not able to graduate or fail to deliver your degree certificate by the deadline, your conditionally granted study right will be cancelled.
If you apply with an incomplete degree, note that it may not be possible to graduate during the summer months. You should look into the graduation schedules and requirements of your own faculty or school in advance.
Only studies included in an official transcript of records submitted with the online application form by the deadline (28 February 2023, 3 pm) can be taken into consideration in the evaluation. Updated transcripts or any studies completed after the deadline cannot be taken into consideration.
At Aalto University, a student may have only one valid study right towards a given degree. If the student accepts a new study right in a master's programme leading to the same degree (for example, Master of Science in Technology) at Aalto, the old study right will be cancelled.
The application period for studies beginning in the autumn of 2023 runs from 1 February to 21 February 2023 at 15.00 (GMT +2).
The application consists of an electronic application form and a set of required application documents. Read the instructions for required application documents carefully.
Fill in the online application form in the Studyinfo.fi system during the application period. You can edit your application form within the application period. Application period ends 21 February 2023 at 15.00 (GMT +2). Late applications are not considered.
All application documents must be uploaded to your application form before 28 February 2023 at 15.00 (GMT +2). The deadline cannot be extended. Documents submitted after the deadline will not be considered in any circumstances; the final deadline is the same for all applicants.
Admission Services reviews your application and the required documents for the general eligibility requirements. Only eligible applications proceed for the academic evaluation. Incomplete applications will be rejected.
The application form and link to it are available only during the application period. One applicant can have only one application form, do not fill in several forms.
Once you have submitted your online application form, you will receive an automatic confirmation email with a request to submit the required application documents. Your application is incomplete until the required documents have been uploaded to the application system.
The deadline for the application documents is 28 February 2023 at 15.00 (GMT +2). All documents have to be uploaded to the online application form before the deadline. Documents received after the deadline are not considered. If an obligatory application document is not submitted as required by the deadline, the application will be rejected as incomplete. We recommend uploading all the documents as early as possible.
Obligatory documents to be uploaded to the application form (in PDF format)
In addition to the compulsory application documents, you are requested to provide the following documents:
The lack of motivation letter and/or curriculum vitae will not lead to rejection of the application, but it will adversely affect the evaluation of the application as the admission is competitive.
In addition, the student may provide the following documents to add value on their application:
The documents must be in Finnish, Swedish or English. If the original degree certificate or transcript of records was written in some other language, you must submit an official translation of the document.
The translation is official if it has been done by the higher education institution that awarded the degree or by a certified translator (authorised translator). The translations must have the certified translator’s stamp and signature.
The Finnish National Agency for Education (www.oph.fi/en) maintains a register of authorised translators who are based in Finland.
A Diploma Supplement issued in English can be accepted as a translation of a degree certificate (issued in a language other than Finnish, Swedish or English), if it contains all the same information as the degree certificate (at least the name of the degree, the name of the institution awarding the degree, the date of awarding the degree, and the name of the student.)
A copy of a valid passport or an official government-issued identification card with photo and information on citizenship is an obligatory application document.
Driver’s license does not have information on citizenship and is therefore not accepted.
If you do not have a Finnish personal identity code, a valid passport or an official government-issued identification card is required.
If you have a Finnish personal identity code, but do not have a valid passport/ID card, you can upload a copy of an expired passport/ID card or driver’s license to the application form. Your information can be checked from the Finnish Population Register with your Finnish personal ID number.
If your name has changed after your studies and your name in the passport does not match your study documents, an official proof of name change is required. Submit a copy of an official document of your name change issued by a governing body. This can be, for example, a marriage certificate if your family name has changed in marriage.
If you have a Finnish personal identity code, it is sufficient to have the same code on the study documents and your passport. If your personal identity code has changed or it does not show for example on your transcript of study records, you need to submit a copy of an official document of your name change issued by a governing body.
If your official identification card is issued in a language other than English, Finnish or Swedish, you must submit a translation of the document. You can translate the document yourself. The translation must be accurate.
Admitted applicants must submit certified (attested) hard copies of the bachelor’s degree certificate, transcript of study records and official translations of these documents (if applicable)by the given deadline. Please note that only admitted applicants need to submit the certified hard copied documents after the admission results have been published.
Please find detailed instructions here.
Copies of study certificates (Bachelor’s degree certificate and transcripts of records) must be certified to be true copies of the original documents by the issuing university or a notary public. Each page must have the certifying official’s original signature, printed name, ink stamp and date. Copies of officially certified copies are not accepted, the certifying official’s ink stamps and signatures must be original. A multiple-page certified copy must be certified on the front side of every page.
The deadline for the officially certified study certificates is 18 August 2022 at 15.00 (GMT +3).
We strongly recommend using a courier service (e.g. DHL, UPS, TNT, FedEx) for shipments from outside the European Union (EU) instead of regular mail. We recommend using a courier service also within the EU to be able to track your shipment.
If you send documents from outside the EU:
If you send the documents by courier service, use the street address:
Aalto University, School of Electrical Engineering
Student Services, room 1151
Maarintie 8
FI-02150 ESPOO
Finland
tel. +358 50 473 6696
Write “Codas Master’s Programme Admission” on the envelope.
If you send the documents by regular mail (not courier service), send them to the postal address:
Aalto University, School of Electrical Engineering
Student Services, room 1151
P.O. Box 15500
FI-00076 AALTO
Finland
You can also deliver the documents in person in a closed envelope to the Student Service Point of School of Electrical Engineering to the above-mentioned address during the opening hours.
Admission is conditional until the certified hard copy documents have been received. Conditionally granted study right will be cancelled if the certified documents; or documents according to the country-specific document requirements; are not received in the required manner by the deadline.
The certified documents will be compared to the electronic documents uploaded to the application system.
No other methods of demonstrating English language skills than those listed below are accepted. Applications without the required proof of language proficiency will be rejected.
Minimum score requirements:
Aalto University accepts also IELTS Indicator (Academic) test and IELTS Online (Academic) test.
Only IELTS Academic tests are accepted. General-level tests are not accepted.
If you have taken several tests, the best official score that is still valid and received by Aalto University by the deadline will be considered in the admissions. You cannot combine scores from different test dates.
IELTS test results are valid for two years from the date of the test. For 2023 admissions, test results are valid if the test was taken on or after 1 February 2021.
The official language test scores must arrive at Aalto University Admission Services by 28 February 2023 15.00 (GMT +2).
The results are verified electronically.
Minimum score requirements:
Aalto University accepts also TOEFL iBT® Home Edition test.
Only TOEFL iBT or PDT tests are accepted, for example TOEFL Essentials or TOEFL ITP tests are not accepted.
If you have taken several tests, the best official score that is still valid and received by Aalto University by the deadline will be considered in the admissions. You cannot combine scores from different test dates, e.g. TOEFL MyBest scores is not accepted.
TOEFL test results are valid for two years from the date of the test.
For 2023 admissions, test results are valid if the test was taken on or after 1 February 2021. Note that the test administrator ETS does not send TOEFL results after they have expired.
The official language test scores must arrive at Aalto University Admission Services by 28 February 2023 15.00 (GMT +2) directly from the test administrator. Only official test scores sent by the test administrator are accepted.
The scores must be received electronically directly from the test administrator by the deadline. Unofficial score reports sent by applicants will not be accepted. The scores are usually available within 1 to 2 weeks of sending the score report request. Contact the test administrator if you have questions about score delivery times.
Aalto University receives the scores via ETS® Data Manager service.
Minimum score requirements:
PTE test results are valid for two years from the date of the test.
For 2023 admissions, these test results are valid if the test was taken on or after 1 February 2021.
If you have taken several tests, the best official score that is still valid and received by Aalto University by the deadline will be considered in the admissions. You cannot combine scores from different test dates.
The official language test scores must arrive at Aalto University Admission Services by 28 February 2023 15.00 (GMT +2).
PTE test scores must be sent via the test administrator’s electronic service.
Minimum score requirements:
No other Cambridge language tests than C1 Advanced (or CAE) and C2 Proficiency (or CPE) are accepted.
For C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency tests, electronically verifiable tests taken after 2005 are accepted.
The official language test scores must arrive at Aalto University Admission Services by 28 February 2023 15.00 (GMT +2).
The results are verified electronically.
An English language test is not required if you have earned a higher education degree taught in Finnish, Swedish or English at a university or university of applied sciences in Finland.
A minimum of one half of the degree must be completed in Finland.
Make sure to note this requirement if your degree includes many transfer credits or if it is an international double or joint degree.
Upload to the application form:
The documents must be uploaded to the online application form by 28 February 2023 15.00 (GMT +2)
If your degree is still incomplete at the application phase, the degree must be completed and you must graduate by 31 July 2023. A copy of the degree certificate must be submitted according to the instructions by 18 August 2023 at 15.00 (3 pm, GMT +3).
English proficiency can be demonstrated with a higher education degree in an English-medium programme completed at a university or university of applied sciences in:
an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or the United States while residing in that country while studying.
A minimum of one half of the degree must be completed in a country and higher education institution that meets the requirements for exempting the student from taking an English language test. Note this requirement if your degree includes many transfer credits or you have an international double or joint degree.
The language of the degree must be stated unambiguously in the degree certificate or its appendix, or in the transcript of records or other official document issued by the awarding institution.
If there are several instruction languages, the document must clearly indicate the amount of studies taken in English. It is not sufficient, if the document states, for example, that the language of instruction is English and French.
Note the requirement of residing in the country while studying. A degree completed at an offshore campus outside the listed countries is not sufficient for proving your language skills even in case the degree is awarded in one of the listed countries.
Upload to the application form:
The documents must be uploaded to the online application form by 28 February 2023 15.00 (GMT +2).
If your degree is still incomplete at the application phase, the degree must be completed and you must graduate by 31 July 2023. A copy of the degree certificate must be submitted according to the instructions by 17 August 2023 at 15.00 (3 pm, GMT +3).
After the publication of admission results, the admitted applicants must submit certified (attested) hard copy documents by the given deadline.
English proficiency can be demonstrated with primary and secondary education in English in:
an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or the United States while residing in that country.
A minimum of one half of the degree must have been completed in English in a country listed above to be exempted from taking an English language test.
Upload to the application form:
The documents must be uploaded to the application form by 28 February 2023 15.00 (GMT +2).
After the publication of admission results, the admitted applicants must submit certified (attested) hard copy documents by the given deadline.
If you demonstrate your English proficiency with exchange studies at Aalto University, upload to the application form:
The program must be an official student exchange program of Aalto University.
The document must be uploaded to the application form by 28 February 2023 15.00 (GMT +2).
Only the applicants who meet the general eligibility criteria for master's studies (see General eligibility) and who have submitted all the obligatory application documents are evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria listed here.
The best applicants will be selected based on the joint evaluation of all the criteria below. The programme does not have a minimum quota to be fulfilled, and not all eligible applicants will necessarily be admitted.
What we look for in an applicant |
A high‐quality Bachelor’s degree in communications engineering, computer science, electrical engineering or software engineering is required. Excellent candidates with degrees in other fields including but not limited to information systems, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics or physics will be considered if they have sufficient studies and proven skills and knowledge in the required areas. In addition, the applicant must have solid knowledge obtained in university level studies in some of the following areas:
|
What is evaluated? | Contents and scope of previous studies compared to demands/ contents of study option applied to |
Method of demonstrating competence | Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s), course descriptions |
What we look for in an applicant |
The programme is looking for applicants with excellent success in their previous studies. This will be evaluated on the basis of the Grade Point Average (GPA) and results in key courses. The grades will be evaluated in relation to how demanding the studies have been. The time spent on the previous studies will also be taken into account. The GPA of the bachelor’s degree must be good/very good. In the Finnish ECTS scale of 1-5, the GPA must be at least 3.00. Meeting the minimum GPA does not guarantee admission to the programme. |
What is evaluated? | Grades of the previous degree(s) |
Method of demonstrating competence | Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s), course descriptions |
What we look for in an applicant? | The applicant’s previous degree will be evaluated based on the international reputation and academic quality of the university and the programme. |
What is evaluated? | Recognition and quality of the applicant's previous institution |
Method of demonstrating competence | International and national rankings of higher education institutions |
What we look for in an applicant? |
The applicant should be motivated to study the chosen subject and committed to full-time studies with a plan to complete the Master’s degree in two years. We are looking for applicants who are able to express clearly the reasons for applying to the study option and describe why they would be good candidates for the study option. The applicant must show commitment to the second-year studies at a partner university. Applicants with a previous Master’s degree of comparable quality and content in the fields of the Master’s Programme in Communications and Data Science or who intend to complete one, or who have a valid study right in this application target will not be accepted to the programme except for special reasons, which the applicant must explain in the application. The Master’s programme should provide genuinely new knowledge and further the career of the applicant. |
What is evaluated? | Applicant’s further applicability to the study option, motivation and commitment for studies |
Method of demonstrating competence | Applications as a whole including motivation letter |
What we look for in an applicant? |
Applicants will benefit of the following:
|
What is evaluated? | Work experience and learning gained otherwise or demonstration of skills such as publications, contests, non-formal learning etc. |
Method of demonstrating competence | Curriculum vitae, letter of recommendation, proof of employment, publications |
The admissions results will be published on 14 April 2023 at the earliest. The applicants will receive an email notification once the results are published. Admitted applicants will receive an official electronic acceptance letter by email.
The admitted applicant must accept the admission offer at the latest by the given deadline. Instructions are sent by email. The admission offer will be cancelled if the applicant does not accept the admission offer by the deadline.
Applicants who do not accept the offer of admission by the deadline are replaced by the applicant highest on the study option’s waiting list. The deadline for admitting applicants off the waiting list is 9 June 2023. Applicants admitted from the waiting list have 7 days to accept the study place.
It is possible to submit a written request to rectify the admission decision within 14 days of the publication of the results. The purpose of the written rectification request procedure is to allow applicants to appeal against the admission decision on the grounds of a possible error in the decision-making, and thereby have an erroneous decision corrected. An admission decision may only be rectified if Aalto University has made an error in the admission procedure and the error in question entitles the applicant to have the admission decision rectified. The procedure is not for requesting feedback or additional information on the admissions results.
Your request for rectification has to contain the following information:
Decisions on scholarships are final and cannot be appealed against.
All requests for rectification of admission decisions must be delivered to the University Registry before 15.00 (GMT +3) on 28 April 2023, either to the Registry’s email address [email protected] or by post to its postal address: Aalto University, Registry, P.O. Box 11000, 00076 Aalto, Finland.
According to the ‘one student place per term in higher education’ policy, applicants who are offered admission to more than one degree programme beginning in the same academic term at a Finnish university or university of applied sciences may only accept one offer of admission. The policy applies to all degree-granting higher education programmes, whether applying through: joint application procedures, separate admissions procedures, or applying to doctoral education (to earn a licentiate or doctoral degree).
If you are offered admission to more than one degree programme in different admissions for studies starting in autumn 2023, you can only accept one of them. It is not possible to switch to another study place. The acceptance of a study place is binding.
Do you want to study in the Nordics in Finland? At Aalto University science and art meet technology and business. We believe in the power of curiosity and encourage our students to explore the unknown as well as to learn and do things in a whole new way.
Finland’s excellent reputation in education, combined with a wide range of courses offered in English, makes Finland and Aalto University an attractive study destination for international students.
School of Electrical Engineering
For enquiries regarding the content of programme, admission and the studies at the School of Electrical Engineering please contact [email protected]