Communications and Signal Processing MSc (Eng)

Digital signal processing (DSP) is at the core of the communications revolution. Research is constantly being carried out to develop new DSP algorithms, allowing mobile broadband services, ‘Internet of Things’ applications and other technologies to be delivered to a growing number of users. Statistical signal processing is also fundamental to all aspects of the parallel robotics revolution, including sensing, localisation and the now ubiquitous discipline of machine learning.

This masters degree course will give you a thorough introduction to all the different aspects of DSP as it relates to the communications landscape, as well as specialist knowledge from your choice of optional modules. Our embedded systems/ FPGA lab will give you hands-on experience using the DSP technology that can be found in cars, robots, cellular phones, GPS and other technologies, and you’ll learn from expert researchers at the forefront of their fields.

You’ll also benefit from specialist industrial lectures, allowing you to relate the theoretical and design aspects of communications and signal processing to practical problems and real-world constraints.

Specialist facilities

Our School is an exciting and stimulating environment where you will learn from leading researchers in specialist facilities. These include our Keysight Technologies Electronics Laboratory, as well as laboratories for Embedded Systems, Power Electronics and Drives, Ultrasound and Bioelectronics.

There is also a Terahertz Photonics laboratory, Class 100 Semiconductor Cleanroom, Network Traffic generators and analysers, FPGA development tools, sensor network test beds. We have facilities for electron-beam lithography and ceramic circuit fabrication, and a III-V semiconductor molecular beam epitaxy facility.

Find out more about our facilities.

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Accreditation

The MSc is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on behalf of the Engineering Council as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for registration as a Chartered Engineer. Candidates must hold a CEng accredited BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree to comply with full CEng registration requirements.

Accreditation is the assurance that a university course meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students. For this course, these are the quality standards set by the IET.

Throughout the year you’ll study a set of modules that give you an in-depth understanding of DSP, wireless communications, optical communications networks and complex issues around network security – you could focus on embedded microprocessor systems, high-speed internet architecture or other related topics.

Over the summer months, you’ll work on your major project. This may give you the chance to work as an integral part of one of our active research institutes, focusing on a specialist topic of your choice and using the appropriate research methods.

Want to find out more about your modules?
Take a look at the Communications and Signal Processing module descriptions for more detail on what you will study.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Communications and Signal Processing MSc (Eng) in the course catalogue

Modules

Year 1

Learning and teaching

Our groundbreaking research feeds directly into teaching, and you’ll have regular contact with staff who are at the forefront of their disciplines. You will have regular contact with them through lectures, seminars, tutorials, small group work and project meetings. Independent study is also important to the programme, as you develop your problem-solving and research skills as well as your subject knowledge.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

You will be assessed using a range of techniques including case studies, technical reports, presentations, in-class tests, assignments and exams.

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in electronic/electrical engineering, computing, mathematics or physics. Applicants must have strong marks in relevant modules incuding communications and digital signal processing.

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information please contact the Admissions Team.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Engineering (6 weeks) and Language for Science: Engineering (10 weeks). 

If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.

How to apply

Application deadline

We operate a staged admissions process for this course with selection deadlines throughout the year.

If you do not receive an offer in a particular round, you will either be notified that your application has been unsuccessful, or we will carry your application forward to be considered in the next round.

Please see our How to Apply page for full details and the application deadlines for each stage.

Apply

This link takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences Postgraduate Admissions Policy 2021

Fees

• UK: £11,250 (total)
• International: £24,750 (total)

Read more about paying fees and charges.

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For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

Scholarships are available.

On completing this masters course, you will have obtained the skills that will lead to employment in any area of the communications/signal processing industry including optical networking, DSP design and implementation, cellular mobile, RF planning, broadband systems and general communications research and development.

Graduates have gone on to work for organisations such as the National Grid, Ericsson Telecommunications, ARM, Imagination Technologies, Cisco Systems, AECOM, Deep Sea Electronics, Huawei, Intel Corp., the Technology and Strategy Board and many more.

This masters degree course is also an excellent base from which to pursue a PhD and possibly an academic career.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

You’ll have access to the wide range of careers resources and support from your Careers Service. You’ll have the chance to attend industry presentations, book appointments with qualified careers consultants and take part in employability workshops and webinars.

Our annual STEM Careers Fairs provide further opportunities to explore your career options with some of the UKs leading employers.

Find out more about the range of services we offer on the Careers Service website and visit MyCareer.leeds.ac.uk once you have registered as a student to access one to one support, events and job vacancies.

Working on a project is one of the most satisfying elements of this course. It allows you to apply what you’ve learned to a piece of research focusing on a real-world problem, and it can be used to explore and develop your specific interests.

Recent projects have included:

• Powerline communications for smart grid
• Quantum key distribution over passive optical networks
• Physical layer security using artificial noise
• An energy-saving robot mobility diversity algorithm for wireless communications
• Analysis and processing of physiological data from a smart watch to monitor health
• Evaluation of wireless sensor networks for civil engineering applications
• Cooperative wireless communications over fading channels
• Carrier frequency offset compensation in OFDM for IEEE 802.11
• Underlay spectrum access strategy in cognitive radio
• Compressive sensing for channel estimation in massive MIMO
• Deep learning for intrusion detection in software defined networks
• Device-to-device communications in 5G

The research project is worth 60 credits.