Master's structure

Learn to design embedded systems for any application: from tiny parts in devices such as digital watches to MRI and machines in the high-tech industry.

In essence, the Master’s in Embedded Systems is about specialising in software and hardware engineering. You learn to design a system architecture including the software and hardware components. This means you will develop and test not only the software that runs on the embedded system but also the hardware. Moreover, you will investigate if the integrated software and hardware meet the intended use, functionality, and performance. As you will learn by doing, you will use logic analysers, oscilloscopes, vector network analysers, spectrum analysers, soldering irons, computer boards, sensors, and actuators at our labs to design efficient embedded systems.

By the end of the Master’s, you will be able to design an embedded system for any application and domain: for instance, embedded software that maximises the energy efficiency of a power grid. Or think of radar systems on ships that need to meet strict requirements concerning reliability and power consumption. While you can focus on a broad range of topics, we advise you to choose a theme by following a set of elective courses. We recommend you to choose the theme at the beginning of your Master’s. However, you are free to take elective courses that don’t comprise a specific theme.

The five themes are:

Computer Architecture: get a deep understanding of how computer systems are designed and organised and how you can optimise their performance, power consumption, and reliability.
Embedded AI: understand the challenges and opportunities of implementing AI in embedded systems, namely power constraints and real-time processing requirements.
Internet of Things: learn about different types of sensors embedded in IoT systems and how they connect and exchange data.
Dependable Computing: is your embedded system responding in a reliable way? How do you prove the embedded system does what it should do?
Cyber-Physical Systems: model robust embedded systems by integrating physical components, such as sensors and control systems, with computational ones, such as processors and memory.

Co-decide the content of your master’s

Examples of courses you will follow as part of this Master’s:

In the course Embedded Computer Architecture, you will learn to create efficient hardware architectures by combining characteristics such as efficiency (low-power or efficient design methods), cost-effectiveness (high volume or low-development costs), safety, security, small size, and real-time performance.
How do you ensure the optimal functioning of an embedded system? In the course Systems Engineering, you will learn that not only design and manufacturing but also use and disposal affect the functioning of the system. This way, you can optimise a system by considering the whole lifecycle: design, development, production, and application.
What sparks are generated when embedded systems meet artificial intelligence? Immerse yourself in the world of artificial intelligence in the course Embedded Artificial Intelligence. You will learn both predictive and reactive programming and incorporate it into small, low-power devices for consumer electronics and IoT.

Curious about the curriculum and what courses you can choose?
Find out more about the structure of this Master’s!

What will you learn?

As a graduate of this Master’s, you have specific scientific knowledge, skills, and values that will help you in your future career.

Knowledge

After completing this Master’s, you have:

a thorough understanding of techniques for embedded systems design, such as hardware-software integration, performance modelling and analysis, validation, and testing;
in-depth knowledge of the functional and non-functional requirements (for example power consumption or costs) for the performance of an embedded system, and you know how to use the available resources optimally;
extensive knowledge of designing, developing, and deploying embedded systems for a wide range of applications.

Skills

After completing this Master’s, you can:

analyse the functional behaviour of complex embedded systems by removing or generalising physical, spatial, and temporal details or attributes;
describe and study the non-functional aspects of embedded systems, for example, resource boundedness and dependability;
design an embedded system that satisfies the functional and non-functional requirements and monitor its performance throughout its lifetime.

Values

After completing this Master’s, you:

have an all-embracing view of the design and applications of embedded systems of various sizes (from small robots to cyber-physical and networked systems) including their evolution over time;
can collaborate with experts from other industries and work in a multidisciplinary team;
can conduct scientific research and take a scientific approach to complex problems regarding the design of embedded systems.

Want more insights into this Master's?

In this video, students Trethyn and Merijn share their experiences with the Master's in Embedded Systems. Programme Director André Kokkeler offers insights into the courses, themes, and the overall structure of the programme.

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