MSc Telecommunication and Information Systems

Introduction

Telecommunication systems pervade modern society, providing the communication infrastructure for the telephony and data services seen around us, and are now expanding into areas normally associated with broadcasting. Furthermore, the range of technologies employed in these systems is evolving rapidly; rather than traditional copper, telecommunication networks are now a hybrid mix of optical, wired and wireless networks, and employ both circuit-switched and packet-switched protocols. This MSc in Telecommunication and Information Systems provides a sound theoretical underpinning to the technologies employed in both legacy and modern telecommunication systems, at the levels of hardware, protocols and applications.

Structure of the Scheme

This MSc in Telecommunication and Information Systems is designed for people with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electronic Engineering or a related discipline who wish to follow a career in telecommunications. The degree encompasses lectures, where you learn the principles of different types of telecommunications systems and explore mechanisms for designing and implementing them; supervised laboratory sessions, where you put the principles learnt in lectures into practice on laboratory telecommunication experiments; and a significant individual project, where you explore a telecommunications topic in depth.

The course consists of eight taught modules plus an individual project and associated dissertation. It is taught over 12 months (full-time) or 24 months (part-time).

Further Course Details

including offer levels, module structure, syllabus content details

MSc INDUSTRY-BASED PROJECT AND DISSERTATION

With the School's approval, a student may take the MSc Industry-based Project and Dissertation (CE911-7-SU) as an alternative to CE901-7-SU. This is designed to cater for students who are either taking the MSc whilst in employment, or who have secured industrial sponsorship in connection with their studies.

Preparation

Both the Telecommunication and Information Systems and Computer Information Networks MSc degrees have the mathematical content that would be expected for subjects at this level.  A first degree in any science or engineering discipline should provide the necessary background knowledge and skills, but in the weeks before you join the course at Essex it will be useful to revise relevant topics, for example Laplace and Fourier Transforms, and Probability.  Confidence in a programming language like C or C++ will also be very helpful, especially for project work.

Networking research at Essex

When you come to study at the University of Essex, you will be taught by internationally respected experts, who are carrying out high-quality research related to the topics they are teaching. The Future Networks Research Group in the department is known worldwide for its leading-edge research in the subject area of this MSc.

MSc Telecommunication and Information Systems: Student Profiles

Student profile - Zhang HongYi

Zheng wrote this profile in the summer of 2008 while working on his MSc project: "After graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in China, I worked for a year, then came here in October 2007 to study for an MSc in Telecommunication and Information Systems. Before starting my degree, I attended the pre-sessional English course at the International Academy here - this has helped me with my MSc and has given me an appreciation of British culture.

I chose the School because of its excellent reputation, and I was also aware of its research in robotics, artificial intelligence, and telecommunication.

In my project, I am working under the supervision of Dr Martin Fleury on technology called Zigbee which has great potential for future deployment. One major application will be in surveillance, so I am studying its performance when used for video streaming. The picture shows me working on computer simulations of Zigbee, using the NS2 simulator."

Student profile - Rouzbeh Razavi

Rouzbeh wrote this profile in September 2008: "I graduated from the Kahjeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology in Tehran before coming here in 2004 to study for an MSc in Telecommunication and Information Systems. I chose Essex because I was interested in networking and data communication networks, and was aware that Essex is unusual because it has many research groups working in this area.

My MSc project was supervised by Dr Sean Monaghan and was a study of the performance of wireless LANs. Out of a class of 88 students, my project was judged to be the best. I graduated with distinction in 2005 and have now finished a PhD in the School under the supervision of Dr Martin Fleury, having published 11 journal papers and 24 conference papers on the subject of video communication over wireless networks. In addition to my PhD work, I worked on a number of research contracts, and the picture shows me working in our Access Networks Laboratory."

Student profile - Xu Dong

Xu wrote this profile during the summer of 2008, while he was working on his MSc project: "I have been studying here for an MSc in Telecommunication and Information Systems since October 2007. I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from Shanghai University in 2005, before working in a telecommunication technology company in the research and development department.

I chose Essex because I feel that it is one of the best departments in the UK for telecommunications. I also enjoy the pleasant environment here, which I think makes it easier for me to study. I would like to find a job in the UK after graduation, and possibly start a PhD after a few years.

In my MSc project, I am working under the supervision of Dr Ken Guild on real-time services such as voice and video when implemented on packet-switched networks. I am studying techniques to ensure bandwidth efficiency and Quality of Service. The picture shows me working with a network data analyser as part of my project."