Uni /course comparison

Msc: Bristol Advanced microelectronics vs Southampton Electronics engineering

Reply 1

Hi there,

I've had a quick look at both courses and gotten the key info to compare them both!

Entry requirements
Southampton -

•

2:1 degree in electronic engineering or a closely related subject

•

need scores of 65% or more in one advanced maths module and a broad range of electronics modules

Bristol - slightly more detailed requirements:

•

2:1 in electrical and electronic engineering, computer systems engineering or related engineering subjects

•

need scores of 55% or above in the following modules: analogue electronics, digital electronics, programming, signals and systems

•

applicants with degree backgrounds in computer science, software engineering, physics, materials engineering etc won't be considered suitable for the programme

Focus areas for modules
Southampton - research project, 1 core module in research methods, choose 7 options - with optionals, you can concentrate on certain topics like:

•

micro/nano electronics

•

micro/nano technology

•

communications

•

optoelectronics

Bristol - capstone project, 6 core modules with no optionals, topics include:

•

digital signal processing

•

embedded computing systems

•

analogue integrated circuits

•

VLSI design and emerging technologies

Tuition fees
Southampton - UK = £10,400, international = £35,000

Bristol - UK = £16,200, international = £36,900

Overall, the scope of the Southampton course is more broad, covering more topics and gives you more options to tailor the course to your interests with the optional modules, while the scope of the Bristol course is more narrow and highly specialised. The Bristol course also has stricter eligibility in terms of degree course background, however the Southampton course has slightly higher module grade requirements to be considered.

The Southampton course is accredited by the IET and so supports CEng registration, whilst the Bristol course isn't accredited - this may or may not be an issue depending on what your career goals are :smile:

It is also worth keeping in mind that if you are a UK student and will be applying for a postgraduate student loan, you will only be awarded up to roughly £12,800 for the programme, which is to cover both tuition fees and living costs. The Southampton course would be fully covered by this and have a little left over too, however the Bristol course would not be fully covered by the loan you would be getting. If you are an alumni of Bristol uni, you would be eligible for a 25% alumni discount - so it depends where you studied at undergraduate level too! Southampton also offers an alumni discount of 10% if you studied there previously.

Course webpages
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/electronic-engineering-masters-msc#about
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/msc-advanced-microelectronic-systems-engineering/#overview

I hope that was helpful? Good luck making your decision :smile:

Jorja (LJMU Student Rep)