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Satellite Systems Engineering

MSc

Scholarships of £10,000 are available to eligible full-time UK/international students of this course.

Duration
Start date
Location

Suitable for applications.

Overview

The University of Bradford is offering an exciting opportunity to those who wish to start or further their career in the space, satellite, telecoms, and RF sectors.

This programme is unique in covering not only the three pillars of space/satellite systems: communications, earth observation and navigation, but also artificial intelligence (AI), radio frequency (RF) engineering, and digital signal processing (DSP), all of which are foundational to future satellite and telecommunications systems.

The benefits of this innovative MSc-level programme include:

  • being taught by a team of world-renowned technical experts
  • access to state-of-the-art laboratory facilities
  • opportunity to gain industry-ready skills and competence, and a complete understanding of key concepts delivered through a blend of peer-commended scholarship, inspirational teaching, industrial collaboration, and cutting-edge research

You will acquire important theoretical knowledge, gain hands-on experience using industry-standard hardware equipment and software platforms, and benefit from interactions with the UK industry through industrial seminars, visits and/or collaborative projects. In addition, you will be supported by state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, including a cleanroom for the construction of miniaturised satellites, a small-scale Telemetry, Tracking, and Contol (TTC) Centre, an anechoic chamber, electronics lab, and RF and Wireless lab.

Placement opportunities

Both short-term and long-term placement opportunities, either in industry or in an academic institution, are open, providing a career gateway to students studying on this programme.

There are potential placement opportunities with Satellite Applications Catapult and Airbus. Satellite Applications Catapult will co-supervise up to two 3-6 month student placements per annum. Students accepted for the placement will receive a stipend directly from Catapult. In addition, Catapult has an internship programme that offers MSc graduates the opportunity to apply for a graduate placement at Catapult for up to 18 months.

The SENSE Earth Observation Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Leeds also offers summer internship opportunities to suitably qualified students choosing MSc projects co-supervised by SENSE academics.

In addition, the Space Placements in Industry (SPIN) scheme managed by the UK Space Agency and supported by the Satellite Application Catapult provides placement opportunities for those considering employment in the space sector. It connects space sector organisations who want to find the most talented and enthusiastic people to ensure the future success of their business. Students who hope to work in the space sector and are keen to develop new skills, applying and building on the knowledge they've acquired in their studies to date, are welcomed to apply through the Catapult website.

Find out about our recently-opened Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI.

Entry requirements

2:2 or above in electrical and electronics engineering, telecommunications engineering, computer science, physics, or mathematics, from an approved degree awarding body.

Candidates who do not fulfil the normal entry requirements but have extensive industrial experience in a related area, for example: communications and RF engineers, satellite engineers, computer scientists/software programmers, physicists, will be considered on an individual basis.

English language requirements

Minimum IELTS 6.0 or equivalent, with at least 5.5 in each subtest or GCSE English Language at grade C/4.

Teaching, learning and assessment

This programme will be taught at our campus in Bradford.

Each 20-credit module will be delivered through 2-hour weekly lectures, scheduled seminars (including delivery by industry experts), project supervision, tutorials, and in a laboratory (where applicable).

You will be assessed through a group project (including an oral presentation), individual reports, and open-book examinations.

Fees, finance and scholarships

Tuition fee 2025

  • Home: £9,698
  • International: £25,389

Additional costs

There may be additional costs that you may incur as a student. Though these are not essential to your programme of study you need to be aware of them as a student of the University. A list of the sort of costs you might expect can be found on our fees and finance section.

Financial support

See our fees and financial support section.

Postgraduate Master's Loan

If you live in England you may be able to apply for a special Government-funded Master's Loan to help pay your tuition fees and living costs.
You don't have to pay the loan back until you're earning a certain amount of money.

Scholarships

Every year we award numerous non-repayable scholarships to UK, EU and international students on the basis of academic excellence, personal circumstances or economic hardship. For full details, visit our scholarships section.

External experts

This programme benefits from the expert input of a number of external contributors, including:

Dr Hector Fenech

Independent consultant, module leader - Satellite Communications Systems.
Former Director of Future Satellite Systems in Eutelsat. Responsible for module design and delivery.

Professor Marco Lisi

Module leader - Satellite Navigation Systems.
Former European Space Agency special advisor in the Navigation Directorate, and Chief Technical Advisor to the Executive Director of the European GNSS Agency. Responsible for module design and delivery.

Dr Franco Saverio Rubertone

Independent consultant, module leader - Satellite Earth Observation Systems.
Former Director at Thales Alenia Space Italia in earth observation satellite design and delivery. Responsible for module design and delivery.

Career prospects

Graduates of this course will be able to pursue a range of job roles and career paths, including:

  • Satellite Systems Technician
  • Satellite Systems Engineer in communications, earth observation and/or navigation
  • Systems Analyst
  • Telecommunications Engineer
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technologist
  • Researcher 

Career support

The programme team will work closely with the University's Career and Employability Services team to help you find a part-time or graduate job, and explore options for gaining work experience during your studies.

Career workshops will be organised covering employability topics, with guest speakers from a range of industries invited to share insights into careers, job roles and recruitment.

Study support

You will benefit from a suite of digital teaching and collaborative platforms supported by the University including CANVAS, Horizon, and Teams. You will be taught by a team of top industrial experts, who have ample experience in space engineering.

You will be assigned a personal tutor - a member of the teaching staff, to help maximise your success and sense of belonging among the academic community at Bradford. Personal tutors will provide academic guidance, support your professional and personal development, provide initial advice, and signpost to career guidance and other services offered by the Faculty and University.

Research

The programme team enjoys a long research track record in satellite systems engineering, and strong, well-established collaborations with space agencies and satellite key operators.

The team has been a part of the Satellite Network of Excellence (SatNEx) since 2004, funded first by the European Union and currently by the European Space Agency.

In the 1980s, research initially focused on communications, most notably satellite-earth propagation and antennae design. Since the 1990s, integration of satellites into terrestrial mobile networks and their application into the transport infrastructure, including air traffic management and railways, has continued to be the main focus of research up to the present day.

During the 2000s, space research at the University has expanded to include satellite imaging and remote sensing to study, for example, space weather, and observation. The University satellite imaging and AI research activities resulted in the development of the Automated Solar Activity Prediction (ASAP) system, in collaboration with NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). ASAP works with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, and is among the UK's space weather assets. It is integrated into NASA's space weather portal, and is used as a decision-making tool for NASA's robotic missions and radiation effects on NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory orbit, and is acknowledged as an international benchmark.

Research opportunities

Potential short-term research opportunities will be available to work alongside our post-doctoral researchers or PhD students on externally funded research projects.

Terms and conditions of study

The University has a set of terms and conditions for all students accepting an offer to study on a course here at Bradford. This is called The Student Contract. This document sets out the Terms and Conditions which apply when you accept an offer of a place on a programme of study at the University of Bradford.

View our Student Contract for further details.

Transparency statement

Information about this programme and its modules has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publication, but changes may occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of teaching. Any change which impacts the terms and conditions of an applicant’s offer will be communicated to them.