MSc Telecommunications Engineering degree

This module aims develop your critical understanding of the fundamentals of digital signal processing, as applied to numerous and commonplace digital systems, with the use of computer simulation based tools.

Topics studied may include:

• characterisation and classification of digital signals
• digital processing of continuous-time signals: sampling, aliasing, quantisation and reconstruction
• the z-transform, regions of convergence, inverse and properties
• linear time invariant (LTI) discrete-time systems, input/output convolution, impulse response sequence and transfer function based upon the discrete-time Fourier transform (DTFT), poles and zeros, magnitude and phase characteristics
• digital filter structures, recursive and non-recursive
• methods for digital filter design
• spectral analysis with the DFT and FFT
• digital mulitrate signal processing, decimation and interpolation, polyphase decomposition, applications
• real-time DSP on TI 6713.

This module will develop your understanding of the principles of networked digital communications. You will study the theory and methodologies used in modern computer network and analyse the behaviours of computer network protocols.

Topics studied may include:

• an introduction to computer networks
• the network structure
• the physical layer
• the queuing theory
• the data link layer
• the wireless LAN
• the network layer
• the transport layer
• the efficiency of protocols.

The aim of this module is to develop knowledge and critical understanding of the fundamentals of information theory and its applications to source and channel coding.

Topics studied may include:

• measure of information
• self information
• mutual information
• entropy
• Shannon's source coding theorem
• variable length codewords
• Huffman coding
• speech coding
• image coding
• transform coding
• discrete cosine transform
• channel capacity
• Shannon's channel coding theorem
• MIMO capacity
• linear block codes
• cyclic codes
• convolutional codes
• soft-input soft-output decoding
• Turbo Codes.

This module aims to provide an overview of various personal radio communications systems used around the world today. It examines key features of these systems in the context of channel access methods, guided and radiated waves and explores the interaction between radio waves and the human body.

Topics studied may include:

• global communications networks
• GSM, UMTS, 4G and SATCOMMS
• mobile communications spectrum
• multiple access schemes: FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, SDMA, OFDMA
• DSP of OFDMA
• antenna and radio wave parameters
• guided channels
• free-space RF propagation and multipath
• mobile handset antennas
• onbody antennas
• RF radiation and human health
• specific Absorption Rate due to RF energy
• SAR measurement standards and equipment
• electromagnetic simulations.

This module aims to provide a critical overview of the statistical methods required for analysing data. You will also develop a systematic and practical understanding of regression and classification analysis.

Topics studied may include:

• statistical inferences about central values and variances
• hypothesis testing
• method of moments and maximum likelihood estimation
• confidence intervals
• contingency tables
• analysis of variance
• linear regression modeling
• multiple regression analysis
• logistic regression
• classification
• neural networks
• unsupervised learning and clustering.

This module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of the theory and implementation of digital signal processing for software defined radio.

Topics studied may include:

• an introduction to software defined radio - in particular, key digital signal processing operations with modems
• a review of Fourier analysis and linear time-invariant systems
• digital transmission systems
• sampling and discrete time systems
• multirate signal processing
• random processes and adaptive filtering.

This module will give you a broad view of security issues, threats and challenges, as well as countermeasures developed in networked systems, with a focus on telecommunications networks.

Topics studied may include:

• introduction to telecommunications network security:
  • review of different types of threats and attacks
  • security services and mechanisms in telecommunications systems
• classical cryptography and authentication:
  • the DES and RSA algorithms
  • message authentication
  • secure Hash algorithms
  • digital signatures
  • key distribution and management
• intrusion detection:
  • types of network attacks
  • network anomalies
  • packet inspection
  • honeypot
  • anomaly detection based on signal processing and machine learning techniques
• security protocols: IP SEC, SSL/TLS and VPN
• physical layer security: information-theoretical security and physical-layer key generation.

This module will review telecommunication fundamentals, advanced PHY and MAC techniques, and state-of-the-art networking architectures.

Topics covered may include:

• millimeter wave communications
• massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO)
• non-orthogonal multiple access
• dynamic resource allocation and scheduling
• an introduction to convex optimisation
• an introduction to non-cooperative game theory.

This module will give you the opportunity to conduct a research project in well-equipped facilities for the simulation and analysis of telecommunications technology. It will provide a critical overview of the methods and tools required for the planning and management of a project, and develop your expertise in the planning and execution of extensive research investigation (in the form of a practical, experimental or theoretical project) in some specialised area of telecommunications engineering. The module will also prepare you for future employment in the telecommunications sector at an advanced technical level.

This module aims to give you a comprehensive introduction to antennas and their functioning. It will also provide practical experience in the design and measurement of antennas.

Topics studied may include:

• antenna fundamentals
• transmission lines
• monopole and dipoles
• analytical design of microstrip antennas
• practical design guidelines for microstrip antennas
• antenna arrays
• feeding networks
• use of CAD software to simulate and inform design of antennas
• construction and measurement of antennas.

This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of the techniques used for 2D/3D video processing and the spatial audio and speech signal processing required for efficient communication systems and multimedia networking.

Topics studied may include:

• an introduction to multimedia networks requirements to deliver advanced contents
• multimedia signal representation, processing and compression basics
• error resilience and concealment techniques
• media adaptation to user and network requirements
• measurement and maximisation of quality of experience (QoE).