Electronics & Electrical Engineering with Communications

(in Partnership with the University of Electronic Science and Technology China (UESTC))

Electronics and Electrical Engineering touches all aspects of contemporary life, having spawned the electric power generation and transmission systems, the computer revolution, global telecommunications, the fields of robotics and automation, and the modern entertainment industries. It is also key to the design of systems to improve health care, to the creation of energy efficient systems that reduce our need for fossil fuel-based energy sources, and to regulate renewable power sources such as wind, wave and solar. Electronic and Electrical Engineers design optimal systems that sense, transmit and process information; generate, control and distribute power and energy, or even control the operation of safety critical features in a wide diversity of real life applications such as air traffic control, navigation and manufacturing.

Introducing the School of Engineering, University of Glasgow

As the oldest and one of the most prestigious Schools of Engineering in the UK, we have been delivering a world-class engineering education for more than 160 years. The education we provide is informed and supported by our portfolio of fundamental and industry-relevant research at the cutting edge of technology.

Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Glasgow has a truly international reputation. Over the past 30 years we have built a formidable track record in physical electronics, nanoscience and nanotechnology. The University is a recognised pioneer in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology and has developed outstanding experimental laboratory facilities, which include the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre, one of Europe’s premier research clean rooms.

Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Glasgow College, UESTC

The University of Glasgow has a long tradition of welcoming students from China and building partnerships with prestigious Chinese universities, such as UESTC. The relationship between the University of Glasgow and UESTC dates back to 2009, when we first signed an agreement to promote joint research and student mobility. The collaboration then entered a new and exciting phase of development in 2013, with the joint delivery of a four year undergraduate dual-degree programme in Electronics and Electrical Engineering at UESTC’s Qingshuihe Campus in Chengdu. In January 2016, a Joint Educational Institute application was approved by the Ministry of Education and a second programme, Electronics and Electrical Engineering with Communications, was launched in September 2016. A third programme, Electronics and Electrical Engineering with Microelectronics will launch in September 2019.

Glasgow College, UESTC offers programmes at a standard commensurate with the highest quality of education available internationally. With teaching delivered equally by staff from both universities, the joint programmes aim to combine the best features of the UK and Chinese university systems to provide students with the scholarship and skills that will equip them for lifetime careers as leaders in industry and academia. Students will be awarded with degrees from both Universities on meeting graduation requirements.

Programme structure

Our degree programmes equip graduates for a wide range of opportunities in industry, by concentrating on the following aims:

  • to develop in students a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles on which electronic and electrical devices, circuits and systems are based (including a thorough grounding in relevant mathematics in the early years of the degree)
  • to build experience in the analysis and solution of practical engineering problems, and the design and test of novel electronic and electrical devices, circuits and systems
  • to provide experience of engineering practice including the use of standard tools and software
  • to provide opportunities for the student to study specialist topics, chosen by students in their Honours year such as high frequency integrated circuits, telecommunication systems and transceivers, optimal coding algorithms, digital signal processing components, optoelectronic devices, and multi-antenna systems
  • to inculcate the skills and creativity required to perform both team and individual projects successfully
  • to build some appreciation of the non-technical aspects of the environment in which engineers are employed, ranging from communication skills to economic, management and ethical issues

The majority of these aims will be accomplished through lecture courses and associated laboratories, supported by a strand of creative project work that develops throughout the degree. Distinctive features of the degree include: a 3rd year project where small teams of students design and test a complex autonomous electronic system from scratch, working to an engineering design brief; and an individual project in 4th year which may be in industry where students rise to the challenge of working in an unfamiliar environment on a substantial and novel engineering problem.

An outline of the courses that you will study in each year of the programme is given below. In addition to these courses, all students enrolled in the Joint Educational Programme will study the various non-technical and training courses that are required by UESTC.

Year 1

  • Calculus I
  • Introductory Programming
  • English for Engineering I
  • Calculus II
  • Physics I
  • Physical Experiments I
  • Microelectronic Systems
  • English for Engineering II
  • Linear Algebra and Space Analytic Geometry I

Year 2

  • Circuit Analysis and Design
  • Physics II
  • Physical Experiment II
  • Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics
  • English for Engineering III
  • Signals and Systems
  • Engineering Career Skills
  • Embedded Processors
  • Numerical Analysis
  • Communication Networks

Year 3

  • Team Design Project and Skills
  • Engineering Project Management & Finance
  • Electromagnetic Field and Microwave Technology
  • Engineering and the Law-New Product Creation & Business Plan
  • Digital Signal Processing
  • Digital Circuit Design
  • Elements of Information Theory
  • Communication Principles and Systems
  • Communications Circuit Design
  • Stochastic Signal Analysis

Year 4

  • Individual Project
  • Digital Communication
  • Wireless & Optical Transmission Systems
  • Wireless Sensor Networks
  • Mobile Communications

The curriculum outlined may be subject to change as deemed necessary.

2+2 Programme

The Glasgow College, UESTC provides students in Chengdu with a fantastic opportunity to be taught by two world-class Universities and graduate with dual degrees.

For students who are interested in this culturally diverse educational programme there are two options. You can be taught by experts in their field from the University of Glasgow and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) without having to leave Chengdu, completing all four years of study in China. Alternatively you can travel overseas and join Glasgow’s School of Engineering for years 3 and 4, immerse yourself in Scottish culture and gain a truly unique academic experience of being taught in two different countries.

Students will benefit from both options of study, allowing them to tailor their undergraduate environment depending on what academic and social experiences they are seeking.

Career prospects

Electronics and Electrical Engineering graduates from the University of Glasgow are highly sought after by employers across the world. Graduates may choose from a broad range of employment options: for example, constructing nanoscale electronic circuits for future medical devices or hand-held computing equipment; planning wide area telecommunications networks using wireless, fibre optic and satellite links; or designing the electronics and electrical systems for energy harvesting or comfortable human transportation.

The Electronics and Electrical Engineering discipline at Glasgow has very strong links to UK, EU and international industry including companies such as:  AMD; Philips; Siemens; BAE systems; Jaguar Land Rover and QinetiQ.

According to the statistics updated on 20th May 2019, 74.9% of students at Glasgow College, UESTC will undertake further study abroad, and 14.3% of students will pursue a master’s degree in Mainland China. Currently, our first graduates have received offers from most world-famous universities, including MIT, Cornell University, Columbia University, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at San Diego, Carnegie Mellon University, Imperial College London, University College London, Melbourne University and University of Glasgow. Graduates from Glasgow College, UESTC are highly sought after by employers in China. Those in employment have found jobs in HUAWEI, China Unicom, Air China and other institutions.

Accreditation

All current University of Glasgow single and joint honours degrees with Electronics are accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated Engineer and partly meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer. For the Glasgow College UESTC, BEng (Hons) Electronics and Electrical Engineering title is accredited, and all the other titles are pathways of this.