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Masters in Communication Engineering
Find postgraduate programs in COMMUNICATION ENGINEERINGCommunication engineering is a growth industry, with up-to-date communication systems being crucial to any economy. There is an increasing global demand for postgraduate engineers who have developed an in-depth understanding of both the theory and practise surrounding the various aspects of communication systems.
There are a number of good postgraduate communication engineering programs available for prospective students to choose from and it is worth researching your various options in great detail before deciding which course to apply to. Also investigate the possibilities for funding available to you, since funding specifically tailored towards communication engineering is rare.
Postgraduate Communication Engineering courses
Most postgraduate communication engineering courses are taught full time over a 12-month period, although part-time options are available at some institutes; further, some universities will allow you to study individual modules in isolation as part of your on-going professional development.
The focus of postgraduate communication engineering courses varies from institute to institute, but you can expect to study the various principles of communication systems, in addition to taking a detailed look at optical fibre, satellite and cellular communications as well as computer networks. You are also likely to have to complete a project over the course of the year. Many courses also offer the possibility of combining engineering with a business element, enabling the student to gain management skills equivalent to an MBA but with an industry-specific focus.
Benefits of studying a Masters in Communication Engineering
A Masters in Communication Engineering can help towards Chartered Engineer status if you study with an accredited institute. If you choose an accredited course, you have the reassurance of knowing that the course is recognised as meeting the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC), as laid out by the Engineering Council. This means that you will gain some or even all of the required knowledge and skills should you wish to register as an Incorporated (Ieng) or Chartered Engineer (Ceng). Further, some employers give preferential attention to graduates with accredited degrees and an accredited degree is more likely to be internationally recognised.
Postgraduate Communication Engineering programs study options
Most postgraduate communication engineering programs combine written exams and coursework but some research-only options are available. Which option is better for you will depend very much on your background: MSc Communication Engineering by research may appeal to those who already have industry experience in communications or whose first degree was specifically in communications; if your first degree was not, e.g. physics, computer science or general engineering, you are unlikely be eligible to obtain your MSc by Research.
An MSc by Research may be a good choice if you prefer to set your own timetable and work relatively unsupervised. Your final thesis needs to be of a comparable standard to existing research in your chosen subject and as a consequence, those who choose this route will finish the course with an in-depth understanding of their specific topic, as opposed to the broad tuition a workshop and lecture-based MSc Communication Engineering offers, which gives a more balanced approach across a wide range of modern communications systems. As such, an MSc by Research is a good approach for those interested in further academic research beyond their Masters, since it may be converted to the first year of PhD study if the thesis is well received.
Qualifications needed to study a Masters in Communication Engineering
Entry requirements for MSc Communication Engineering vary across universities, but as a general rule, if you are hoping to be accepted onto a postgraduate communication engineering program, you will usually need at least a 2:1 UK honours degree (or a recognised international equivalent) in an electrical and electronic engineering discipline. Professional experience may also be taken into consideration if you can show an ability to work at postgraduate level and some postgraduate communication engineering courses may accept students from other related disciplines provided they can demonstrate appropriate understandings and aptitudes and are willing to take on extra preparatory work.
You may need to show a familiarity with various mathematical concepts, e.g. calculus, statistics, complex numbers, etc. and be able to demonstrate a good grasp of the fundamentals of communication engineering, with a focus on signal processing and mathematics. Depending on the course, you may also need strong programming skills, for example in C++, Java and MATLAB.
Communication Engineering salaries
Communication engineering is in demand in a number of sectors, meaning that communication engineers may find themselves working in industry, the commercial arena, engaging in scientific research or being employed by the military. There are multiple applications for a communication engineering postgraduate qualification in fields ranging from telecommunications right the way through to acoustics.
As an example of how diverse your career options are after graduation, if we look at a 10 year reunion for telecommunication engineering postgraduates from Middlesex University London , various industries were represented. One was a lecturer of Computer Networks and Telecommunications at the Technological Institute of Larissa, another worked for IBM while a third was the co-founder of Unified Information Technology Services (UIT), which deals with IT infrastructure, Telecommunications and Informatics.
Newly qualified communication engineers can expect to earn £22,000 – £27,000. The more experienced the engineer the greater the remuneration and postgraduate qualifications can also help in attracting better pay. More senior engineers generally earn anything between £40,000 and £55,000, with communication engineering salaries for highly experienced engineers usually in excess of £60,000.
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