Professor Jonathan Chambers, Examiner
The MSc programme in Communications Systems and Signal Processing within the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Bristol is a leader in the UK.
It is particularly well designed and students have a unique learning experience supported by caring and supportive staff. Students begin by studying a common module in communications systems to ensure uniformity across the cohort. Several compulsory and elective courses are then followed to ensure that the students gain the required fundamentals whilst providing the opportunity to specialise in particular aspects of communications and signal processing.
Many of the staff members are internationally recognised in their research areas and this is reflected in the up-to-date nature of the courses related to wireless communications and multimedia systems. The facilities available within the department for individual projects and in the associated Toshiba Laboratories are outstanding. Many of the students, moreover, benefit from working with local industry and thereby attain skills which maximise their employability on graduation. Students have, for example, this year worked with Motorola, ST Bristol and with state-of-the-art equipment provided by Texas Instruments. New research directions are also being embraced within the programme - a particularly interesting trans-scientific individual project is the investigation of the use of polarization in the detection of breast cancer which is a perfect example to capture this spirit.
The level of the examinations and the expectations in terms of the individual projects is commensurate with one of the foremost MSc programmes in the area in the UK, and clearly satisfies the institutional programme specifications. Undoubtedly, a graduate holding an MSc in Communications & Signal Processing from the University of Bristol will be regarded as a Gold Standard, and will be very well equipped for embarking upon either an industrial or academic research career.
Mr Arthur Mason, Thales Research Technology
There are very few universities in the country that offer specialised training in radio frequency and communication engineering. There is a national shortage of qualified RF Engineers in the UK, and the Bristol MSc course in communications is one of the best in the UK for such training.
Mr Morgan David, Manager, Sony
This MSc course is very attractive in its focus on communications and signal processing technologies, and its balance in addressing established and emerging areas of supporting development and research roles. Our company is very active in the areas covered by the course, i.e. mobile telecommunications, advanced networks, video coding and speech processing.
Professor Mike Dean, DERA, Malvern
There has been recent concern at the growing shortage of high quality graduates in the fields of communications and signal processing, which are required in the current markets. I have always been impressed by the quality of the MSc course content and the high level of achievement of the course members.
Dr David Burrows, Micron Europe Ltd
Right now, we are experiencing real challenges in recruiting enough top quality graduates to fill our growth requirements. Communications and multimedia processing are key application areas for new technology. The course combines the experience and reputation of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Bristol as an international centre of excellence in communications research.
Dr William Hodgkiss, Algotron Ltd
The course is of a very high standard and fully deserves the benefit of enhanced funding. The course has been created very much with the needs of industry in mind, and is currently being enhanced to include the latest developments in communication, signal processing techniques, and optical communications technology. It generates the qualified engineers that modern industry requires.
