Study Programme Structure

The overall objective of the Study Programme Communications and Information Technologies at the Master Academic Studies is to ensure students acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills, offering them big opportunities of employment and/or further education in the field of Communications and Information Technologies, and more, in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The teaching process at Master studies at the study programme Communications and Information Technologies lasts one academic school year (two terms – total of 30 weeks).

Students’ work load at courses is expressed by ECTS credits, following the recommendations of the Bologna declaration. The structure of the study programme enables the equal distribution of 30 ECTS in each term.

Total number of credits necessary for obtaining the academic title Master in Electrical Engineering and Computing (M.E.Eng.Comp.) - Communications and Information Technologies is at least 300 ECTS.

The condition for enrollment in the study programme is at least 240 ECTS.

Within this Study Programme, there are two modules (starting of the first term), as follows:

• Communications and Information Processing, CIP
• System Engineering and Radio Communications, SERC.

Education at the study programme is realized through:

• Mandatory and elective courses (each lasts one term),
• Professional practice or team project (3 ECTS), through which students get introduced with the latest professional and technological knowledge and elements of team work.
• Research work (in each term, 7 ECTS), to achieve independence in research and enable students to work on the master thesis,
• Master thesis (15 ECTS).

Both modules offer elective courses from other study programmes of Master Academic Studies at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering in Niš.

Teaching activities are performed as lectures, practice work and other forms of teaching, with three or four classes of active teaching a week, with the exception of elective courses DSP algorithms and programming and Embedded systems design that are carried out with five classes of active teaching a week. In addition, in order to better adopt the material, it is envisaged to produce domestic tasks, seminar papers or projects.At lectures, the lecturer orally presents the course content by using modern computer and projection equipment. At practice classes (auditory and/or computer based), which follow lectures, there are concrete tasks solved and examples presented which additionally illustrate the course content. For the better learning of the content, students are obliged to do homework, seminar work, or projects. Every activity of a student during the teaching process is followed and valuated according to the rules, adopted at the Faculty, of which the students know in advance. The total number of active teaching classes for the study-research work is 14 a year, as counted on a week level.

Student chooses the topic for master thesis at the beginning of the second term, and defends it after having passed all exams.

Studies are considered finished when student has completed all duties prescribed by the study programme and has gained at least 60 ECTS.

Structure of courses at the study programme is:

• Theoretical-methodological 27.25%
• Scientific-professional 38.82%
• Professional-applicative 33.93%

Module Communications and Information Processing offers elaborate theoretical and practical knowledge on contemporary information and communications technologies and systems applied in the field of mobile, satellite and optical communications, as well as M2M and internet connected devices. Students are enabled to solve concrete engineering problems relating to up-to-date communication technologies, including sensor and optical networks, machine learning, coding and compression, data protection, sound based technologies, programming of communication platforms and software-hardware interface.

Module System Engineering and Radio Communications offers necessary knowledge related to system engineering of contemporary communication-information systems (mobile networks, satellite, broadcast, cable and optical systems, smart systems, access networks, local area networks, etc.). Students are trained to develop networks and services in telecommunications industry, to design the communication networks, computer networks, audio and video systems, to use of up-to-date information and communications technologies in the realization of various services, as well as to follow successfully the development trends.

Pupose of the Study Programme

Development of telecommunications, together with the development of computer science, is the core of modern information and communications technology, shown to be the actuator of the entire industry and better standard in many developing countries. For that reason, this study programme is designed in a way to ensure highly proficient, research-oriented engineers, competitive on European and world level, ready to actively participate in regional development and to take part in the high technological and research potential of Serbia.

Students who choose this study programme are given the opportunity to:

• acquire professional and scientific knowledge through studying scientific-professional, theoretical-methodological and professional-applicative subjects
• be qualified for application of theoretical knowledge in solving professional and practical problems
• develop capacities for independent work and acquiring new knowledge by using scientific methods
• develop capacities for team work and cooperation with different profile experts
• have critical approach to professional issues
• have initiative and be independent in decision making and complex project leading.

Goals of the Study Programme

The Study Programme has clearly defined goals. The overall objectives outlined in this study programme include education of master engineers, highly competent for the development and design of complex communication-information systems, who possess all necessary knowledge and skills for further schooling in doctoral studies and for following rapid technological development in the field of communications and information technologies.

Profiles of engineers demanded by modern communications today imply those who possess knowledge for development, design, and maintenance of communication and information systems and devices on the up-to-date development level, as well as who will be able to understand and apply new technologies and modern trends in telecommunications.

Particular goals of the study programme Communications and Information Technologies cover additional education in the field of design of communication circuits and devices, smart systems, cable, optical and wireless technologies, audio and video technologies, computer networks, sensor networks, optical networks, programming of communication platforms, machine learning, information processing, etc. Students will gain the necessary knowledge in using scientific methods and research techniques in a specific research field in order to be qualified to solve complex problems in practice in a creative way, that is, to be qualified for further scientific and research work.

The goal of the study programme is also to develop creative capacities in problems consideration and critical thinking, development of team work skills, gaining of skills and knowledge for scientific and research work and development capacities for presenting his/her own results to professional and wider public.

One of the specific goals, in accordance with goals of educating professionals at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering, is raising students awareness about the need of permanent education, upgrading, and advancement in a very perspective field of electrical engineering and computer science.