Study options

Communications Engineering - Computer, Communication and Information Sciences, Master of Science (Technology)

Our world is digitally revolutionised, highlighting the importance of networks that allow technologies to work together seamlessly. The Communications Engineering major covers both theoretical fundamentals and the hottest hands-on applications of communications technology – 5G and beyond, IoT, machine learning, ambient intelligence, and wearable computing.
Two Aalto University students working on a laptop together / photo by Unto Rautio
Get a Master’s Degree in Communications Engineering at Aalto University – the leading international and multidisciplinary university in the Nordics and Europe.

Degree:

Master of Science (Technology)

Application period:

30 Nov 2023 – 2 Jan 2024

Language of instruction:

English

Duration:

2 years, full-time

Eligibility:

Relevant Bachelor's degree

Field of study:

Technology and Engineering

Credits:

120 ECTS

Organising school:

School of Electrical Engineering

Tuition fees:

For non-EU/EEA citizens, €15000/y (Master’s studies) Read more

Applying to master’s programmes

Webinar | Communications Engineering

In this webinar, the programme representatives introduce Aalto University, give a programme overview, explain the programme structure and content, discuss career opportunities, and answer questions from the audience.

Watch the webinar recording
Aalto University students doing a group work with mobile phone and laptops on campus

Description

The world comprises networks that connect people and devices that are a prerequisite for all other technologies to work successfully. Developing, building, and maintaining networks is crucial for our future as new technologies keep emerging. At the same time, ICT technology is one of the key enablers of sustainable development. For example, by connecting autonomous vehicles together and allowing them to share data, emissions can be reduced as traffic becomes smoother and more efficient.

Thanks to the large number of chip manufacturers, mobile network vendors, and network operators, Finland offers the perfect, rare ecosystem for engineering modern networks. Here, you get to actually design and build future solutions that will be used by millions.

The Communications Engineering major is part of the Master’s Programme in Computer, Communication, and Information Sciences (CCIS). The major prepares students to respond to the global need for modern and better networks. It consists of a strong technological core surrounded by human-centric behavioural sciences.

Upon graduating from the Communications engineering major, you have:

  • Excellent knowledge of technology fundamentals. Graduates are experts in the fields of networked systems and wireless communications.
  • Solid understanding of behavioural sciences. Graduates have strong knowledge of human-centric ubiquitous computing. They know what makes communications technology usable and how to improve user experience.
  • In-depth programming skills. Graduates possess exceptional skills in programming and can work in demanding fields like machine learning and network protocols.
  • Practical experience in the field. During their studies, students work closely with the industry. Upon graduation, they have both practical know-how and good connections to leading companies.
  • Capability to shape the world. Graduates have the necessary knowledge and tools to influence technological advancements and the future.

Language of instruction

In the Communications Engineering major, the language of instruction is English.

Tuition fees and scholarships

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 about tuition fees and scholarships at Aalto University is available here.

Structure of studies

Two-year studies in the Communications Engineering major comprise a total of 120 ECTS credits:

  • Major studies (60 ECTS)
  • Elective studies (30 ECTS)
  • Master’s thesis (30 ECTS)

All the compulsory and optional major courses are intended to be completed during the first year. The second year is dedicated to elective studies and the Master’s thesis. You can choose practically any combination of elective courses – from Aalto as well as other universities in Finland and abroad – that supports your studies and suits your interests. Aalto University Learning Services offer students help in planning their studies.

More information on the programme content and curriculum can be found in the Student guide.

In this major, teaching methods consist mainly of lectures, individual and group projects as well as hands-on experiments. Aalto University has its own Aalto nextG infrastructure that supports research on the development of future mobile networks – especially when it comes to advanced radio communication systems and Internet technologies for 5th generation mobile communication systems and beyond. This infrastructure allows students to experiment with, for example, a 5G test network.

Master's Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences
Communications Engineering student Niki Aarnio in the winter.

Student Niki Aarnio: The Communications Engineering study option combines commercial and technical expertise

Niki Aarnio has especially liked the internationality and concrete nature of his studies

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Communications Engineering students

Aalto's students' project work utilises LEDs and smartphones for indoor navigation

Project supervisor Alexis Dowhuszko thinks that the project covered all the phases needed to create a start-up

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Specialisations

Depending on their interests and aspirations, students can choose one of the following specialisations:

1. Networked Systems

Students learn to design data networks, cloud systems, IoT systems, and services for large enterprises and operators (fixed and mobile) while taking efficiency, scalability, security, and reliability into account. They learn to virtualize networks and manage them on cloud systems, reducing operational costs and easing remote management. A further central topic is environmentally sustainable ICT: how we can build more sustainable digital services, networks, and cloud platforms.
 

Courses at Aalto give an excellent basis for understanding and developing advanced and sustainable networking and cloud technologies for 5G networks and beyond, data centres, and e-commerce – impacting both private and public sectors. The main objective is to give our students the ability to empower the society with innovative mobile services, and help Finland retain its competitive edge in the field of mobile communication systems.

2. Ubiquitous Computing

This specialisation area combines human-centric communications, mobile computing, and ambient intelligence. Students learn to develop new user friendly services and applications. The topics of this area vary from human factors engineering (HFE) and AI-based methods for interaction to wearable computing and user research and interfaces.

In addition, students learn about key information technologies and operation strategies needed for humans to access data ubiquitously while being mobile. They also get to focus on the utilisation of various sensor technologies and artificial intelligence techniques to make the everyday environment sensitive to the user needs.

3. Wireless Communications

In this specialisation area, modern wireless communication system architectures, fundamentals of communications theory, signal processing, resource control as well as the related spectrum management issues are studied. Students learn to understand and develop new technologies for radio access networks beyond 5G.

Internationalisation

The learning environment in this major – and the entire Aalto University – is strongly international, and studies are conducted in multicultural groups. The School of Electrical Engineering offers diverse possibilities for student exchange all over the world. Exchange studies can be easily included in the degree e.g. as an international minor.

Communications Engineering students also have the opportunity to take their second-year studies at EURECOM in France, UPC Barcelona Tech in Spain, or Grenoble INP in France and complete a double degree graduating from both Aalto University and one of the three partner universities.

Other possibilities for developing one’s global competence include conducting practical training or the Master’s thesis abroad, taking a summer course abroad, acting as a tutor for first-year students, or learning foreign languages.

Further study opportunities

The Communications Engineering major provides a great foundation for doctoral studies in Finland or abroad (Doctor of Science or Doctor of Philosophy in an applicable field). Students are able to tailor their study plan towards a research career by applying for a PhD. The selection is based on excellent study progress and potential shown in the form of a special assignment done in a department research group.

Aalto University’s PhD alumni are appreciated in top universities around the globe as well as in companies seeking senior R&D personnel.

Career opportunities

In the digitalised world, communications engineering expertise has an ever-growing importance – almost all our students are already in the working life upon graduation. They work not only at ICT companies, but also at companies from various industries that apply ICT in their operations. Some of the employers are:

  • Telecommunications equipment vendors
  • Chip manufacturers and radio modem developers
  • Network operators
  • Large corporations and governmental organisations

The demand for communications engineering experts is high especially in Finland and the other Nordic countries. In this area, there is a strong ICT industry consisting of a large cluster of equipment and infrastructure vendors as well as mobile network operators. In Finland, the biggest employer is Nokia that designs, for example, next generation communications systems.

Aalto University and the Communications Engineering major work closely with the industry, guaranteeing excellent employment opportunities. Students’ career paths usually start in the form of an internship, industry project work, or a Master’s thesis written for a company. The most successful students are offered the possibility to work in a research group during their studies.

Bhavya Omkarappa / Aalto University / School of Electrical Engineering / Master's Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences - Communications Engineering

Communications Engineering student Bhavya Omkarappa found her dream job at Ericsson

Bhavya Omkarappa thinks courses in Aalto University are very effective in simulating real working life scenarios

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Unto Rautio

School of Electrical Engineering graduates in working life

School of Electrical Engineering Master's graduates are successful in finding jobs corresponding to their education. On this page you can find information on job titles, job sectors and career development of our graduates.

School of Electrical Engineering

Research focus

The Department of Information and Communications Engineering combines different research fields from ICT technology to core electrical engineering. Research is carried out in close cooperation with industry. The research areas include:

  • Human-centric technology. This area focuses on technology that boosts human capabilities and assists people in their daily activities. Topics studied include, for instance, ambient intelligence, human-computer interaction (HCI), and mobile cloud computing.
  • Communications and networked systems. In this research area, the goal is to develop and validate overall systems so that the research results can be eventually deployed to real systems. The research groups working in this area cover all protocol stack levels, including ground-breaking work on physical layer, media access, and Internet scale technologies. The area takes particular pride in that we also deploy and develop hardware and software implementations.
  • Fundamentals of information and communications engineering. This research area contributes to the specifications of several generations of wireless communication systems. The topics of interest vary from wireless and mobile communications and signal processing to information and communication theory.

You can read more about the research at the Department of Information and Communications Engineering here.

Co-operation with other parties

Aalto University is well-known for bridging different disciplines – students may choose their elective study modules so that their degree is a combination of science, technology, business, and arts. They can supplement their studies with courses from other Aalto schools and programmes as well as courses offered by other universities, including international. This multidisciplinary environment sparks new ideas, friendships, networks, and every so often, startups.

The Communications Engineering major also has deep industry-academia relationships both in research and teaching. For example, some of the courses have guest lecturers from companies and almost all of the Master’s theses are written at a company.

Get to know us

 Äänen viivettä on tutkittu Suomen hiljaisimmassa huoneessa Otaniemessä sijaitsevassa kaiuttomassa huoneessa.  Kuva: Aalto-yliopisto / Mikko Raskinen

Department of Information and Communications Engineering

The department of Information and Communications Engineering has a strong focus in the ICT area varying from ICT technology to core electrical engineering and its basic phenomena.

Graphic Illustration of 5G network with symbols. Graphic design: Safa Hovinen

More speed for the research of robotic transportation and the Internet of Things – The 5G network has opened in Otaniemi

The new high-speed mobile network will give students, researchers and companies new opportunities to test and develop future technologies.

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Aalto University / IoThon Comnet prize winners / photo: Linda Koskinen

5G enabled IoT innovations created at IoThon 

Students and developers all over Europe took part in the 48-hour hackathon

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4 student ambassafors taking a selfie

Chat with Aalto students

Are you wondering what it is like to study at Aalto? Come chat with our students about all things Aalto on Unibuddy chat platform.

Study at Aalto

Study-option-specific application instructions 

Applicants to the programme must meet the general eligibility and language requirements that are common to all Master's programmes in Aalto University. Applicants meeting Aalto’s general eligibility criteria for master's studies are evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria decided in advance for each study option. 

The applications to Communications Engineering, Master’s Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences (CCIS) are evaluated based on the following criteria:
 

Evaluation criteria

Evaluation process and requested documents

The evaluation process is described under Applicant evaluation process. In addition to obligatory application documents, this study option asks the applicants to submit also the documents listed under Requested documents.
 

Contact information

School of Electrical Engineering

General application documents and language tests, please contact [email protected]. For enquiries regarding the content of programme, the studies at the School of Electrical Engineering and the study option specific application documents please contact [email protected].

[email protected]

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