The Bristol region has traditionally played host to a world-leading semiconductor design industry which continues to thrive today. The MSc in Advanced Microelectronic Systems Engineering has been designed to meet the needs of the UK strength in this industry Internationally, there is a shortfall in graduates with the qualifications and skills expected from professional semiconductor design engineers. We work closely with the National Microelectronics Institute and our industrial advisory board to keep the topics covered in this programme directly relevant to industry needs.

The programme is run in collaboration with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and spans the topics from both disciplines required for rapid professional advancement in the Microelectronics design industry. A range of taught core subjects such as Computer Architecture, Design Verification, and both analogue and digital design before progressing into more specialised areas, including System Design using FPGA and ASIC Platforms, Hardware/Software Co-Design and Verification, Integrated Sensors and Actuators and Mixed Signal Design.

This collaboration offers you a great opportunity to learn from experts in the fields of both Computer Science and Electronic Engineering - an invaluable experience whether you intend to start working straight after your degree or continue your studies via a PhD. In addition to this wide range of expertise, the programme benefits from continual input from the national semiconductor industry.

Special emphasis is put on providing you not only with theoretical knowledge but also with a range of contemporary design flow skills. Lectures are supplemented by lab exercises run on state-of-the-art industrial-standard EDA software to give you experience working in a professional environment.

The MSc in Advanced Microelectronics System Engineering is aimed at graduates with at least an upper second class bachelors degree (or international equivalent) in a physical sciences or engineering discipline. To cater for students with different backgrounds, the programme is split into two streams; an experienced stream for those who are already proficient in programming and have appropriate prior learning, and a foundation stream for those who are new to programming or are a little rusty. These options will be discussed at the start of the programme.