The Communication Systems master's program offers a broad curriculum in communications systems focusing on the fundamental principles of systems engineering and the design of digital and wireless communications systems. This master program is highly competitive and requires a high amount of effort and dedication from the students.

The Communication Systems master's programme prepares the students for a continued career as engineers working in the telecommunications industry or as Ph.D. students. It is coordinated by the Communication Systems division at Linköping University and students will have access to a world-class research infrastructure. Current projects at the division focus on the design and optimization of wireless communications networks, and signal processing for communications.

Specifically the program offers a range of courses with a solid theoretical nucleus in communication systems engineering. Topics covered include: communication theory, coding, modulation, signal processing, and design and optimization of communication systems and networks. The program is given in close association with the industry and students will have access both to an extensive network of industry contacts and opportunities to complete their master's thesis work.

Most courses in the program are given by the Communication Systems, Information Coding, and Automatic Control divisions of the EE (ISY) department at LiU.

Graduates from the Master's programme in Communication Systems should in

Knowledge and reasoning in mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering

• have a solid knowledge of signal theory, telecommunication theory, and modern wireless communication systems.
• have specialized knowledge in modern radio communications and baseband signal processing techniques
• be able to carry out modeling, simulation, and design of modern communication links and networks.

Personal and professional skills and attributes:

• be able to formulate a model for a relevant problem and critically evaluate its validity.
• be creative, enterprising and take responsibility for their own contribution to the solution of a problem.

Interpersonal skills: Teamwork and communication:

• be capable of teamwork and active collaboration within a group by sharing tasks and responsibilities
• be able to initialize, plan, carry out and evaluate scientific and engineering projects
• be able to communicate and to give presentations in English, orally and in writing

Conceiving, designing, implementing, and operating systems in the enterprise and social context:

• shave a deep insight into the broad field of science and engineering, from initial concepts to implementation aspects

The program is two years long (120 ECTS).

• The first 3 semesters consist of coursework
• The final (4th) semester is dedicated to the master thesis project. The thesis project can be carried out either in the university, at a company, or abroad (the academic requirements are the same).

• The first year comprises a set of compulsory courses in communication systems engineering, for example: digital communications, wireless systems, information networks, and image and audio coding.
• The second year consists of elective courses from the general area of electrical and computer engineering, mathematics and physics, and ends with a master4s thesis.
• In addition, the second year includes a compulsory project course that teaches the students project management skills and gives them the opportunity to apply their knowledge in practice in a team environment.

Certain PhD courses can be taken by master students. Please contact the directors of graduate studies:

• Department of Electrical Engineering, forskarstudierektor@isy.liu.se
• Department of Computer and Information Science, forskarstudierektor@ida.liu.se

In order to include graduate course in the degree the student must apply to the Board of Studies

The thesis should be based on the high quality scientific content and carried out in close contact with the research groups involved in the programme.

The requirements are the following:

• a Bachelor's degree as specified in the entrance requirements
• course requirements for a total of 120 ECTS credits from courses from the curriculum for the programme or after special decision from the programme board and thesis work
• passed the requirements for all compulsory courses
• courses on advancement level A (advanced) 90 ECTS credits including:
  • at least 30 ECTS credits courses from the major subject
  • a 30 ECTS credits Master's Thesis in the major subject
• at least 45 ECTS credits from courses in mathematics or applications of mathematics from the Bachelor level (basic) or Master level (advanced), see list of specific courses
• a Master's thesis presented and passed as per Linköping Institute of Technology degree regulations.

Courses overlapping each other regarding contents are not allowed to be included in the degree. Courses used for the Bachelor's degree can never be included in the Master's degree

Entrance requirements

See general rules and regulations for master programmes at LiTH.