Electronic Engineering with Communications BEng (Hons) or MEng

What you'll study

Programme overview

The teaching of electronic engineering at Surrey is excellently placed to keep pace with the rapidly evolving field of modern technology. A specialism in electrical engineering will give you the opportunity to address the great demand for highly skilled electrical (power and control) engineers worldwide. You will be exposed to the latest advances through both up-to-date modules, laboratory experiments and project work, addressing real-world problems in power electronics, power engineering and control.

Year 1 (FHEQ Level 4)

Year 1 is common to all programmes. A typical week in the first year consists of approximately 23 contact hours in total, made up of twelve hours of lectures, six hours of laboratory work, two hours of tutorials and problem classes, two hours of programming experience and one hour of professional skills (including report writing, data presentation and oral presentation). During laboratory classes, experiments are conducted in pairs, allowing you to get to know and learn from each other. Small group tutorials are carried out in groups of four to five students and are held each week in your personal tutor’s office.

Subjects taught  include:

• Analogue Electronics
• Circuit Theory and Analysis
• Computer Systems
• Computers and Programming in C
• Digital Logic and Digital Electronics
• Engineering Science
• Laboratories, Engineering Design and Professional Studies
• Pure Mathematics and Engineering Mathematics
• Signals and Communications

Year 2 (FHEQ Level 5)

Year 2 builds on Year 1, and if you are studying the Electronic Engineering with Computer Systems programmes, you will follow some software-related modules. Similarly, if you are taking any of our other specialist programmes, you will follow modules appropriate to that pathway. Whichever programme you are studying, you will learn about the professional aspects of being a modern engineer, with fundamentals of product design, elements of team building, leadership and problem solving. Taught subjects and laboratories aim to provide the basis for specialisation in Year 3.

Subjects taught include:

• Analogue and Transistor Electronics
• Analogue Electronics for Power Systems
• Communications and Networks
• Computer Vision and Graphics
• Control Systems and Feedback
• Digital Engineering and Integrated Circuits
• Electrical Machines and Power Generation
• Electromagnetic Theory
• Electronic, Photonic and Nanoscale Devices
• Further Engineering Mathematics
• Laboratories, Engineering Design and Professional Studies
• Media Processing
• Microprocessor Organisation and Design
• Networking and the Internet
• Signals and Communications
• Software Analysis and Design
• Space Engineering

Professional Training placement (optional)

The Professional Training year starts at the end of the second academic year, when students have sufficient knowledge and practical experience to join companies as practising ‘junior engineers’.

Well-known companies that have participated in Professional Training include BAE Systems, Sony, Mitsubishi, Intel, Logica, Nokia, Samsung, Microsoft, Sharp, the BBC and Surrey Satellite Technology. In addition, we have contacts with many smaller companies which provide excellent placement opportunities. Many of our students return from their placement with conditional offers of employment and often with financial sponsorship from their placement company.

Year 3 (Final year for BEng, FHEQ Level 6)

In Year 3, a wide range of modules is available (see list below) and students will select those appropriate to their degree title and their own areas of interest. Every student completes a year-long individual project which will include aspects of design, analysis, construction and testing, and may involve joining one of the four research centres. Our strength in both fundamental and applied research will allow you to conduct an innovative project in your chosen area, under the guidance of a member of staff. Projects may be associated with our research centres, allowing you access to state-of-the-art specialist facilities, and are conducted in parallel with taught modules.

Modules include:

• Individual Project
• Engineering Professional Studies

Optional modules include:

• Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
• Control Engineering
• Data and Internet Networking
• Digital Communications
• Digital Signal Processing
• Electrical Machines and Power Systems
• Multimedia Systems and Component Technology
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnolgy
• Object-Oriented Design and C++
• Optoelectronics
• Power Electronics
• RF and Microwave Fundamentals
• Silicon Devices and Technology
• Space Missions
• Spacecraft Bus Subsystems

Year 4 (MEng only, FHEQ Level 7)

In the final year of the MEng programmes, there are many advanced and specialist modules to choose from. Our MEng students will also join with students from other engineering departments in an interdisciplinary design project, sponsored by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Optional modules include:

• Advanced Guidance, Navigation and Control
• Advanced Signal Processing
• Antennas and Propagation
• Artificial Intelligence and AI Programming
• Electrical Power Engineering
• Image and Video Compression
• Launch Vehicles and Propulsion
• Materials for Energy Generation and Storage
• Microwave Engineering Principles
• Mobile and Personal Communications
• Molecular Electronics
• Nanoelectronics and Devices
• Nanofabrication and Advanced Experimental Methods
• Networks and Control
• Operating Systems for Mobile Systems Programming
• Principles of Telecoms and Packet Networks
• RF Systems and Circuit Design
• Satellite Communications
• Satellite Remote Sensing
• Space Robotics
• Spacecraft Systems and Design
• Speaker and Speech Recognition
• Speech and Audio Processing and Coding

Direct entry to the MEng programmes requires higher entry qualifications than the corresponding BEng programmes. Transfer from the BEng to the MEng is possible during the degree programme, depending on academic performance. This transfer would normally happen after the end of the first year, after the end of the second year or after the Professional Training year, if one is taken. Transfer is also possible from a three-year BEng or four-year MEng to the corresponding programme incorporating a Professional Training year.

Professional recognition

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has accredited all our degrees as contributing towards professional registration. Our MEng programmes fully satisfy the educational requirements for professional registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng).

Professional Training

While a university degree in itself opens the door to many careers, the Professional Training that is offered as part of our degree programmes provides a significant extra dimension to the qualification and can dramatically enhance you employability in today’s difficult job market. The industry experience that Professional Training affords gives our students insights into both their subject and their career potential that cannot be gained by academic study alone. We believe that Professional Training is a key element in ensuring that Surrey graduates are consistently at the top in terms of graduate employability.

Professional Training is fully integrated into our sandwich degree programmes and counts towards the final degree mark. In addition, the placement period can subsequently be used in partial fulfilment of the training component for Chartered Engineer status.

You will be assisted during the second year to find appropriate placements in industry, and we endeavour to ensure that the placement matches your interests and aspirations. Over many years, we have established strong relationships with industry and hence there is a great demand for our students. This ensures that there are many interesting and challenging opportunities on offer. In recent years, we have had students in placements with 85 different companies.

During the Professional Training year, you remain a member of the University but are also a paid, full-time company employee. You will be visited by an academic member of staff who monitors your progress and, in discussion with the company, decides on a programme of work that will develop your expertise.

Teaching

Teaching styles vary, from large group lectures to small group tutorials in your personal tutor’s office and practical laboratory sessions. The tutorial system within the Department underpins all our teaching activities and ensures individual attention when needed. In the first year, our students meet once a week with their personal tutor, in small groups (up to five students), to establish an effective but informal working relationship. Regular meetings occur throughout the student’s time at Surrey.

Although the Department is large, our staff are approachable and friendly, and we pride ourselves on the rapport we have with our students.

Assessment

You will study modules worth 120 credits over the academic year, split between two semesters.

Students are assessed through examinations and by coursework. Examinations take place at the end of each semester. Your degree marks are determined on the performance from your second and subsequent years. Students who undertake the Professional Training placement year are also assessed on their performance during this stage of their degree. As well as counting towards the final degree total, your year in industry can enhance your employment prospects.

Facilities

Extensive teaching laboratories with modern equipment and networked computer suites with 24-hour access are available to all undergraduate students in the Department. Access to state-of-the-art research facilities is available in Year 3 for students undertaking a project linked to one of our research centres in electronics, nanotechnology, communications, audiovisual media and space engineering. We actively encourage you to do project work outside of timetabled hours, as long as you follow safe working practices.

Career opportunities

A career in electronic engineering offers variety, challenge and stimulation. Studying for a degree in electronic engineering and our related degrees is not just the pathway to a rewarding career, but also offers an intellectually demanding and exciting opportunity to break through boundaries in research. Many of the most remarkable advancements in the past 60 years have only been possible through the curiosity and ingenuity of engineers.

Graduate electronic engineers are in demand, not only in research and development but also in the City, in technical sales, management, and government and public services. Our graduates have a consistently strong record of gaining employment with leading companies.

Employers value the skills and experience that enable our graduates to make a positive contribution in their jobs from day one. Our graduates are employed by companies across the electronics, information technology and communications industries. Recent employers include BAE Systems, BT, Philips, Hewlett Packard, Logica, Lucent Technologies, the BBC, Motorola, NEC Technologies, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Red Hat and Sony.

Graduate prospects

Recent graduates entered employment in roles such as:

• BAE Systems Avionics Ltd – Electronic Hardware Engineer
• Motorola – Graduate Software Engineer
• QinetiQ – Research Scientist
• Sony – Graduate Engineer
• Thales – Graduate Engineer
• Cable and Wireless – Energy Engineer
• Lockheed Martin UK – Systems Engineer

• Come to an Open Day
• Build your own prospectus

Come to one of our Open Days, when you can tour the campus, speak to students and academic staff, see our student accommodation and ask as many questions as you like. In the meantime, order a personal prospectus – tailored to only include the subjects that interest you.