Duration and mode of study

Two years by blended learning.

Entry requirements

A minimum second class honours degree or an approved professional qualification coupled with suitable professional experience.

Fees

These are the annual fees.

2012/13

Home/EU/International: £4,680

Course aims

Embedded processors form a core component of an enormous range of systems, from aircraft, passenger cars and medical equipment, to childrens’ toys, DVD players and washing machines. The growth in the power and features of processors has helped to drive the semiconductor industry from start-up some 50 years ago to more than £150 billion in annual revenue today.

The embedded market is now estimated to be worth around 100x the ‘desktop’ market, and is forecast to grow exponentially over the next decade. As embedded processors become ever more ubiquitous, the new MSc in Reliable Embedded Systems (offered by the University of Leicester in partnership with TTE Systems Ltd) is designed to help ensure that developers of embedded systems have the skill set needed to deal with the challenges involved in the creation of flexible and robust designs which meet the needs of customers both today and in the future.

This advanced MSc programme covers both the development of software for COTS (commercial off the shelf) processors and the development of designs based on FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays), using ‘soft’ processor cores. In addition, pattern-based design techniques are included (with a clear focus on embedded systems): such techniques can help companies to capture and re-use existing design experience.

Course modules

• A1a: Programming techniques for reliable embedded systems (“Embedded C”)
• A2a: Software and system architectures for reliable embedded systems with a focus on DO-178b / ED-12b (‘C’ version)
• A2b: Software and system architectures for reliable embedded systems with a focus on DO-178b / ED-12b (‘Ada’ version)
• A3a: Design patterns for reliable embedded systems
• A3b: Embedded automotive systems using ISO 26262
• B1a: Using FPGAs in reliable embedded systems
• B2a: Using an RTOS in a reliable embedded system
• B3a: Multi-processor and multi-core designs for reliable embedded systems

You are required to complete six of the above modules (with the choice being between the ‘a’ and ‘b’ versions) and an MSc project. 

Teaching and assessment methods

The course is studied by blended learning. This involves six weeks (three weeks per year) of intensive face-to-face teaching in Leicester, plus private study and project work. Assessment is by means of laboratory exercises, written examinations and an MSc project.

Contact

Technical Training Manager
TTE Systems Ltd, 106 New Walk, Leicester LE1 7EA
T: 0116 223 1684
msc@tte-systems.com
www.tte-systems.com/services/training/msc