University of Bradford
School of Engineering, Design and Technology
Awarding and teaching institution: / University of BradfordFinal award: / PGDip, MSc [National Qualifications Framework level M]
Programme titles: / Electrical Engineering with Power Electronics (EEPE)
Personal, Mobile and Satellite Communications (PMSC)
Radio Frequency Communications Engineering (RFCE)
Programme accredited by:
Duration: / 1 year full time or 2 years full time
UCAS code:
Subject benchmark statement:
Date produced: / original: 28 March 2003; updated 15 May 2006, October 2006
Engineering is fundamental to the economic and social prosperity of the global market. It is a “people serving” profession whose activities not only manage humankind’s environment but also create that environment itself. Your studies at Bradford will be a foundation for life aimed at developing your knowledge in areas of advanced applied engineering and of improving your technical competence in their application using a wide range of personal and professional skills.
The School places emphasis on both teaching and research, believing them to be mutually dependent. With reference to teaching and learning, the School aims to produce graduates who aspire to challenging careers in industry, commerce and the public sector or to developing their own enterprises in the potentially lucrative global telecommunications-related markets. Graduates will be able to move directly into responsible roles in employment with a minimum of additional training. It achieves this aim by:
· Providing a supportive, structured environment in which students are encouraged to develop independent learning skills;
· Developing subject knowledge and understanding, developing discipline skills and developing personal transferable skills, to enable graduates to pursue programmes of further study, or to move directly into responsible employment.
· Promoting educational opportunities for ethnic minority, mature and alternatively qualified students, as well as for traditionally qualified students.
Learning outcomes indicate what a graduate should know and understand, and be able to do on successful completion of one of the programmes. Engineering is an interactive process usually involving data collection, planning, analysis, design, economic evaluation, construction, operation and maintenance and decommissioning with a view to minimising environmental impact. As such, you will develop the following:
· Knowledge and Understanding of: the advanced concepts, principles and theories underpinning modern real-time Electronic and Telecommunication systems; analytical and computer simulation methods to model these systems and solve design and performance characterisation problems; principles and practice of advanced engineering design; planning and management of electronic or telecommunication systems (particularly mobile networks) plus the associated business, legislative, safety and commercial issues; future technological advances and the way these will impact on the engineering product enterprise process.
· Discipline Specific Skills in the selection of mathematical methods for analysing and modelling complex Electronic and Telecommunication systems; selection and application of principles and data collection and manipulation methods to support problem solving; skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation to support the design of advanced electronic and telecommunication systems; critical ability to reconcile a diverse range of requirement specifications in the design of these systems; comprehensively plan, undertake, manage and report investigation of aspects of an advanced electronic or telecommunication system.
· Personal and Transferable Skills in Data management and presentation; Interpretation of information; IT and communication skills; Creative and systematic problem solving; Scientific method; Life long learning; Teamwork and leadership; and personal management.
The curriculum
The course structures are shown in the table on the page after next.
Taught postgraduate courses cover a broad spectrum of specialist topics, leading to a variety of qualifications up to Master's degree. Typically, a taught Master's course lasts for twelve months of full-time study. Three terms (or two semesters) of instruction are followed by a dissertation written over the summer. However, many courses may be studied part-time (one or two days per week) over two or more years.
Electrical Engineering with Power Electronics (EEPE)
Personal, Mobile and Satellite Communications (PMSC)
Radio Frequency Communications Engineering (RCFE)
EEPE: The primary objective of this course is to provide knowledge and introductory practical training in the analysis and implementation of power electronics and control systems. The course covers the current advanced tools and techniques in hardware, software and digital signal processing, and combines with it emerging industrial applications including robotics, real-time imaging and power converters. Hands-on experience in the design and implementation of power electronics and control systems is an integral core feature of the course, through group laboratory sessions and individual projects.
PMSC: The exciting new developments in the mobile communications sector are creating exceptional career opportunities for the graduate engineer with the necessary skills. Our MSc course in Personal, Mobile and Satellite Communications is designed for graduate engineers who are interested in joining this challenging and innovative sector of the telecommunications industry.
RFCE: The primary objective of this course is to give a good grounding in the theory and techniques of design and implementation of radio frequency communication systems. Hands-on experience in the design and implementation of communications systems is an attractive feature of this course.
All courses have two stages: the taught course stage (which takes up most of the first two semesters) and the project/dissertation stage. These courses are available as two programmes: the Master's degree (MSc) and the Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip). Applicants for either programme, will be expected to have a first degree in a relevant subject.
If you are following the course full-time, then the taught course stage occupies two semesters (late September to late January, and January to June). Some of the modules in the second semester will be direct preparation for the research project you will undertake over the summer, and which will form the basis of your Master's dissertation. Courses are organised on a modular basis. Modules are usually examined or assessed at the end of the semester in which they are taught. Master's students and PGDip students all follow identical modules, and sit the same examinations.
Candidates admitted to the PGDip may continue to Master's by proceeding to the dissertation stage. Conversely, candidates admitted to the MSc, may stop at the PGDip, by not completing the MSc project. If you do proceed to Master's level, you spend the summer writing a dissertation (sometimes described as a project report, a management project, or a long essay), usually between 10,000 and 15,000 words. The dissertation is written on a topic, which you have to agree with your Department, and is usually based on a project, which you undertake in the second semester or over the summer. It is usually submitted by mid-September, a year after starting the course.
Two-Year MSc Programmes
In exceptional circumstances any of the taught postgraduate MSc programmes in Electronics and Telecommunications may be taken over a two-year period. This applies specifically to students from overseas academic institutions with which the University has a formal twinning arrangement, students sponsored by corporate organisations with whom formal arrangements have been established and individuals, particularly mature students, who in the opinion of the Course Tutor, would benefit from the additional year of study.
In the first year of study students undertake a 2-semester, 120 credit programme of study (including the U/G Final Year Project) defined by the programme specification for the Certificate of Postgraduate foundation studies. In addition it may be a requirement for students to undertake additional special courses (for example in English language, Computer Literacy) to support the taught curriculum.
Students will be allowed to progress to the second year of study if they satisfy the assessment requirements for the first year, specifically:
Meet the normal undergraduate ‘Honours Route’ progression requirements i.e. 100 credits at 40% with 120 credits at 35%: or 100 credits at 40% with 120 credits at 25%, with an average in 120 credits of 45% or above. (Supplementary work would be allowed in order to meet the above requirements).
Completing this first year of study to a satisfactory level will also result in the student being awarded a Certificate of Postgraduate Foundation Studies.
Students who fail to achieve entry to the second year may be awarded a Certificate of Attendance.
The second year programme and degree award regulations follow the PGDip/MSc pattern as shown in the table below.
Assessment regulations: a summary (the text of the progression regulations is maintained on the Web - http://www.brad.ac.uk/admin/acsec/QA_Hbk/Postgrad_Taught_Regs.html)
To be eligible for a Masters Degree,
· You must achieve at least 40% in 160 credits and 35% in the other 20 credits.
If you attain an overall weighted average of at least 60.0% at the initial attempt, including at least 60.0% at the initial attempt in any dissertation, you will be eligible for the award of the Degree of Master with Merit.
If you attain an overall weighted average of at least 70.0% at the initial attempt, including at least 70.0% at the initial attempt in your dissertation, you will be eligible for the award of the Degree of Master with Distinction.
To be eligible for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma,
· You must achieve at least 40.0% in 100 Credits and at least 35.0% in the other 20 Credits.
If you attain an overall weighted average of at least 60.0% in the initial attempt in the assessments for the units concerned you shall be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma with Merit. Similarly for an overall weighted average of at least 70.0% in the initial attempt in the assessments for the units concerned you will be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction.
To be eligible for the award of the Postgraduate Certificate,
· you must achieve at least 40.0% in 100 Credits and at least 35.0% in the other 20 Credits.
If you attain an overall weighted average of at least 60.0% in the initial attempt in the assessments for the units concerned you shall be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Certificate with Merit. Similarly for an overall weighted average of at least 70.0% in the initial attempt in the assessments for the units concerned you will be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Certificate with Distinction.
Course Structure
Unit code / Credits / Level / Semester / Unit title / PMSC / RFCE / EEPEENG4002M / 10 / M / 1 / Antennas: Principles and Practice / ●
ENG4011M / 10 / M / 1 / Signals and Systems Theory / ● / ● / ●
ENG4030M / 10 / M / 1 / Signal Transmission / ●
ENG4000M / 10 / M / 1 / Satellite Communications / ● / ●
ENG4007M / 10 / M / 1 / Digital Signal Processing / ● / ●
ENG4056L / 10+10 / M / 1&2 / Mobile Communications & the Internet / ●
ENG4049L / 10+10 / M / 1&2 / Control System Design / ●
ENG4028D / 20 / M / 1 / RF Circuit CAD / ●
ENG4054L / 10+10 / M / 1&2 / PGDip Project / ● / ● / ●
ENG4052M / 10 / M / 1 / Power Devices and Applications / ●
ENG4051L / 10+10 / M / 1&2 / Mobile Robotics / ●
ENG4016M / 10 / M / 2 / Radio Transmission and Reception / ● / ●
ENG4034M / 10 / M / 2 / RF and Microwave Design / ●
ENG4006M / 10 / M / 2 / Digital Communication Systems / ● / ●
ENG4018M / 10 / M / 2 / Terminal Technologies / ● / ●
ENG4064M / 10 / M / 2 / Energy Studies / ●
ENG4008M / 10 / M / 2 / Power Converters and Applications / ●
ENG4019M / 10 / M / 2 / Research Seminar Series / ● / ● / ●
ENG4013Z / 60 / M / 3 / MSc Project / ● / ● / ●
All modules are core and must be studied.
The modules in the table below are substitution modules. These are only available to students graduating from Bradford BEng courses who may have already studied one or more of the modules shown in the table above. The final selection of modules (ie: programme) for a student would be made on an individual basis in consultation with the course tutor.
ENG4029M / 10 / M / 1 / Design Optimisation / S / S / SENG4031M / 10 / M / 1 / Advanced Numerical Methods / S / S
ENG4037M / 10 / M / 2 / Computer Applications of Numerical Methods / S
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies
You will experience a wide range of teaching and learning environments. Concepts, principles and theories are generally explored in formal lectures, practised in associated tutorials and demonstrated in laboratory classes. Practical skills are developed in laboratory and workshop sessions. Cognitive and personal skills are developed in more open-ended problem solving and design exercises, often tackled by working in small groups supported by members of academic staff. Project work is used to bring various aspects of your course together so that you may develop an holistic appreciation of engineering.
Methods of Assessment are varied and your progress will be assessed using a mix of formal examinations, various technical reports, essays, oral presentations and a dissertation.