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MSc

Mobile and Satellite Communications

Advance your skills and qualifications for a career in Mobile and Satellite Communications. Get hands-on with state-of-the-art facilities at USW.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • International students

    £16,000*

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £1,140*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

A global surge in mobile and satellite communications has boosted industry demand for experts. Our UK-based Masters focuses on digital, mobile, and satellite networking, blending scholarship, teaching, and industry insights. Graduates from our MSc program lead in advancing 5G and future communication technologies, ready to innovate in next-gen applications.

DESIGNED FOR

The MSc course is intended for field-related graduates or those in a closely related discipline who wish to extend their expertise to a higher level in preparation for a professional career prospect. Accredited by N/A

Career Paths

  • Mobile and Communication Engineer
  • Satellite communication Network Engineer
  • Satellite Radio access engineer

Skills taught

  • Satellite communications and network
  • Advanced Mobile and Radio frequency transmissions
  • Optoelectronics in Communications systems

automotive engineering robot with a screen

Course Highlights

Industry-Relevant Curriculum:

The course is designed with significant input from the industry to ensure its relevance and applicability. The curriculum includes advanced studies in antennas and propagation, digital transmission, satellite communications, mobile communications, satellite networks, wireless applications, digital signal processing, and product innovation, providing a comprehensive understanding of the field​.

Career Opportunities:

The program prepares its graduates to fill key positions and play leading roles in the fast-evolving field of communication technologies. The exponential growth in mobile data consumption and advances in technology, such as 4G/5G wireless networks, high throughput satellite, and optical communication systems, create numerous exciting career opportunities for graduates.

Skill Development:

By the end of the program, graduates are expected to be well-equipped to develop new engineering applications for the next generation of communication systems. This is due to the rich blend of scholarship, teaching, industry insights, and research integrated within the course, which aims to produce highly competent graduates​.

Module Overview

Your studies will include advances in antennas and propagation, digital transmission, satellite communications, mobile communications, satellite networks, wireless applications, digital signal processing and product innovation. All this is enriched with seminars by industry experts and a period of supervised major project work which gives you the opportunity to hone your skills in a chosen application area. You will also learn to use the latest engineering design tools, including the Systems ToolKit (STK) used by NASA for planning space missions, and MATLAB/SIMULINK which is widely used in industry.

Product Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Teaches engineers the journey from innovative tech product ideation to commercial success. Covers design, production, and entrepreneurial skills. Knowledge integrates MSc expertise through multi-disciplinary projects.

Applied Digital Signal Processing
Provides deep understanding of digital signal processing, including filters and control systems. Emphasises advanced DSP system design using specialised labs and tools, highlighted by modern applications.

Wireless Communications Systems
Imparts foundational knowledge on radio wave management. Focuses on modern cellular designs from GSM to 6G, highlighting technical and spectral challenges in mobile communications.

Satellite Communications
Offers a thorough introduction to modern satellite systems, focusing on design, planning, and signal processing techniques and technologies crucial for effective communication.

Digital Communication Systems
Provides comprehensive grounding in digital communication essentials. Stresses theoretical concepts, design challenges, simulation techniques, and contemporary applications.

Optoelectronic Devices for Telecommunications
Delves into optoelectronics in telecoms, exploring modern optical fibre systems. Analyses fibre properties and components through detailed modelling and simulation.

Masters Major Individual Project:
The major project will provide students with the opportunity of individually organising and executing a significant engineering study. It will consist of background research, planning and implementation phases, and will be, ideally, industrially based with the student carrying out the project in the company.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

A minimum 2:2 Honours degree in an appropriate discipline (Engineering, Physics, Computer Science or Mathematics), or HND in appropriate discipline plus three years’ experience in relevant industry. Applicants not meeting these qualifications may be considered on an individual basis.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch and we'd to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£10,250

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,000

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,000

per year*
UK Part-time Fee

£1,140

per 20 credits*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.  

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

You will be taught through lectures, tutorials and workshops involving hands-on systems modelling and simulations using state-of-the-art hardware and software facilities. Students will also engage in supervised research supported by full access to world-class online and library facilities.

The full-time route is delivered in three major blocks. Six taught modules are completed during two teaching blocks featuring 12 contact hours per week followed by a 16-week major research project. The course duration is about 14 months.

Each of the six taught modules is typically assessed through 40% coursework and 60% closed-book examination. The major project is assessed through presentation to a panel of examiners, viva and written report.

Teaching staff

Our lecturers are experts in their subject areas, having worked in, or with, industry, conducting research, presenting at conferences, publishing their work, and informing your studies with the latest insights. 

Placements

The course includes a 16-week project, which you may conduct in industry, subject to a suitable placement being obtained by the student and an appropriate project being agreed between the company and the University.

Facilities

Our state-of-the-art University library provides access to major global publications. Facilities include a Cisco Academy networking lab, a Wireless Communications lab with a 1-65 GHz anechoic chamber, a satellite communication station, and a Communication Systems simulation lab with the latest software like MATLAB. 

The Calypto lab, sponsored by Calypto Design Systems Inc, focuses on rapid, cost-effective electronic product development with a £1.9m software grant, exclusive to select universities worldwide. 

Our Embedded Systems lab, designed with top microcontroller vendors, has 32 advanced computers with the newest electronic design tools, ensuring students work with cutting-edge technologies.

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

Our MSc Mobile and Satellite Communications graduates are highly employable and strongly positioned for rewarding opportunities, with well-developed skills in areas such as numeracy, team working, report writing and creativity, graduates from University of South Wales are in demand, the university's high academic standards and excellent teaching attracting many recruiters.

Possible career paths

Exponential growth in mobile data consumption and advances in technology, such as 5G/6G wireless networks and high throughput satellite and optical communication systems, are creating exciting career opportunities for graduates with the right skills. 

Graduates of this Masters award can enter the telecommunications industry in many different roles, conduct research or work towards a PhD. Visit the Wireless and Optoelectronics Research and Innovation web page for current research in this area.

 

Careers support

Our careers service offers a range of advice and guidance to students. We can link you up with industry, we can help you with interview skills and CVs and help you to focus on your own direction of travel.