Satellite Communications Engineering MSc - 2026/7
Awarding body
University of Surrey
Teaching institute
University of Surrey
Framework
FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Final award and programme/pathway title
MSc Satellite Communications Engineering
Subsidiary award(s)
| Award | Title |
|---|---|
| PGDip | Satellite Communications Engineering |
| PGCert | Electronic Engineering |
Professional recognition
Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
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 partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer.
Modes of study
| Route code | Credits and ECTS Credits | |
| Full-time | PFA61015 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
| Part-time | PFA61016 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
QAA Subject benchmark statement (if applicable)
Engineering (Master)
Other internal and / or external reference points
EC document Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes in Engineering; IET Handbook (on the interpretation of EC documents in the context of electronic engineering programmes)
Faculty and Department / School
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences - Computer Science and Electronic Eng
Programme Leader
BROWN Tim (CS & EE)
Date of production/revision of spec
18/12/2024
Educational aims of the programme
- To provide opportunities for masters students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and application of mathematical, scientific, and engineering principles.
- To produce graduates equipped with subject specific knowledge and transferable skills aligned to the Surrey Pillars of graduate attributes and graduates capable of planning and managing their own life-long learning to equip them for roles in industry, in research, in development, in the professions, and/or in public service.
- To provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and application of satellite communication principles including the radio technology, satellite orbits and global networks.
- To provide opportunities for masters students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and application of design principles in the creation and development of innovative products to meet a defined need.
- To provide opportunities for masters students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and application of engineering practice including the importance of project management, teamwork, and communication within an engineering context.
- To provide opportunities for masters students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and application of engineering concepts and tools in analysis of engineering problems.
- To ensure that our MSc programmes completely satisfy the educational requirements for Chartered Engineer status thereby allowing our graduates to obtain professional recognition.
- The overarching aim of the MSc in Satellite Communications Engineering is to provide students with an understanding of how satellite engineering can provide a route to global communications. The course will give students an in-depth understanding of the engineering aspects of this important technology and provide a pathway either into research, manufacturing industry or service provision. Students on the MSc in Satellite Communications Engineering have an opportunity to learn about satellite communications, radio and spacecraft engineering. Optional modules in the areas of communications networks, space avionics, network security and satellite remote sensing enable the student to develop their own specialisation. The project dissertation will be chosen by the student allowing them to assist with professional career development within industry or to serve as a precursor to academic research.
- To provide opportunities for masters students to enhance their global and cultural intelligence through working with students from around the world and working on a rich variety of assignments and projects appropriate to their programme.
- To provide opportunities for masters students to enhance their digital capabilities through the use of assignments and projects making various use of programming languages as well as enhancing their general transferable information technology skills in the analysis of data, and via the preparation of assignments, reports and presentations.
- To provide opportunities for masters students to enhance their employability skills via use of a training needs analysis which students complete for their individual project to understand how they need to build both their technical and transferable skills.
- To provide opportunities for masters students to enhance their resourcefulness and resilience skills via use of authentic style coursework and assignments, working in teams and undertaking a major individual project. This will build up a student's personal confidence as they advance from well-structured problems to open-ended problems and their individual project.
- To provide opportunities for masters students to enhance their knowledge and awareness of sustainability via consideration of sustainability issues such as the UN's Sustainability Development Goals appropriate to their programme.
Programme learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | Awards | Ref. | |
| Apply a comprehensive knowledge of mathematics, statistics, natural science and engineering principles to the solution of complex problems in satellite communications engineering | KC | PGDip, MSc | M1 |
| Formulate and analyse complex problems in satellite communications engineering to reach substantiated conclusions | KC | PGDip, MSc | M2 |
| Select and apply appropriate computational and analytical techniques to model complex problems in satellite communications, discussing the limitations of the techniques employed | KCT | PGDip, MSc | M3 |
| Select and critically evaluate technical literature and other sources of information to solve complex problems in satellite communications engineering | CT | PGDip, MSc | M4 |
| Design solutions for complex problems in satellite communications engineering that evidence some originality and meet a combination of societal, user, business and customer needs as appropriate to include consideration of applicable health + safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental and commercial matters, codes of practice and industry standards | CP | PGDip, MSc | M5 |
| Evaluate the environmental and societal impact of solutions to complex problems in satellite communications engineering (to include the entire life-cycle of a product or process) and minimise adverse impacts | CP | PGDip, MSc | M7 |
| Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or leader of a team. Evaluate effectiveness of own and team performance | PT | MSc | M16 |
| Communicate effectively on complex engineering matters with technical and non-technical audiences, evaluating the effectiveness of the methods used | PT | MSc | M17 |
| Apply knowledge of mathematics, statistics, natural science and engineering principles to the solution of complex problems in electronic engineering | KC | PGCert | |
| Formulate and analyse problems in electronic engineering to reach substantiated conclusions. | KC | PGCert | |
| Select and apply appropriate computational and analytical techniques to model problems in electronic engineering | KCT | PGCert | |
| Select and evaluate technical literature and other sources of information to solve problems in electronic engineering | CT | PGCert | |
| Design solutions for problems in electronic engineering that evidence some originality and meet a combination of societal, user, business and customer needs as appropriate to include consideration of applicable health + safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental and commercial matters, codes of practice and industry standards | CP | PGCert |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Programme structure
Full-time
This Master's Degree programme is studied full-time over one academic year, consisting of 180 credits at FHEQ level 7*. All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
*some programmes may contain up to 30 credits at FHEQ level 6.
Part-time
This Master's Degree programme is studied part-time over three to five years, consisting of 180 credits at FHEQ level 7*. All modules are worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
*some programmes may contain up to 30 credits at FHEQ level 6.
Programme Adjustments (if applicable)
N/A
Modules
Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
FOUR in total
A full-time student must choose:
TWO in Semester 1
TWO in Semester 2
A part-time student must complete study of four optional modules within 60 months.
Unstructured (3-5 years) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Module Selection for Unstructured (3-5 years) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Four optional modules in total
Opportunities for placements / work related learning / collaborative activity
| Associate Tutor(s) / Guest Speakers / Visiting Academics | Y | |
| Professional Training Year (PTY) | N | |
| Placement(s) (study or work that are not part of PTY) | N | |
| Clinical Placement(s) (that are not part of the PTY scheme) | N | |
| Study exchange (Level 5) | N | |
| Dual degree | N |
Other information
This programme supports the Surrey Pillars as follows:
Sustainability - The requirement for space communications including remote sensing and navigation are important to monitoring and caring for the environment in our world. Furthermore the ability to communicate via satellite provides a sustained energy solution that can develop global connectivity to locations which would otherwise be costly and energy inefficient.
Resourcefulness and Resilience - This course teaches about the challenges of enabling satellite and space based communications with complex reach to space from ground stations and the ability to track, control and utilise the payload on board satellites to transfer information to and from space reqiring skilled engineers.
Digital Capabilities - Students will have substantial capability in coding for modelling and calculation of satellite link budgets that are crucial to such communication. Furthermore there will be broadened skill in non terrestrial network connectivity that would reach a global solution.
Employability - Engeineering skills in the areas of radio frequency, communication systems, signal processing internet protocol networking are all part of the key components to form a graduate workforce with the necessary capabilities to develop the enabling technologies for satellite.
Quality assurance
The Regulations and Codes of Practice for taught programmes can be found at:
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2026/7 academic year.