Incoming students may start from any of the three HEI (i.e. ASTON, TSP-TP, UoA), where they will spend the first two semesters of their studies and receive the core part of their training. The third semester will be carried out in a different institution. It will include specialization courses that enhance the interdisciplinarity of the offered degree. The fourth semester can be either in the same or a different institution and it will be devoted to an independent project that will be reported in the Master’s thesis. In some cases the local organization or the teaching objectives might require that the second year is entirely spent in the same institution. In any case, students will be encouraged to carry out their MSc project in close collaboration with the industrial partner organizations and perform short or long term visits at their premises for enriching their educational experience. All six mobility options with the corresponding curricula and relevant degrees awarded can be specified as follows :
- MOBILITY 1: ASTON (1st and 2nd semester), TSP-TP (3rd semester and 4th semester) defines the “5G Broadband Infrastructures” curriculum and the two awarded degrees are : Master Degree on Smart Telecom and Sensing Networks by ASTON, and Master of Engineering, Information Science and Technology, option : Electrical Engineering, by IP Paris (through TSP).
- MOBILITY 2: ASTON (1st and 2nd semester), UoA (3rd semester and 4th semester) defines the “Advanced 5G Network Architectures” curriculum and the two awarded degrees are : Master Degree on Smart Telecom and Sensing Networks by ASTON and Master Degree on Informatics and Telecommunications by UoA.
- MOBILITY 3: TSP-TP (1st and 2nd semester), ASTON (3rd semester and 4th semester) defines the “Energy Efficient Smart Networks” curriculum and the two awarded degrees are: Master of Engineering, Information Science and Technology, option : Electrical Engineering, by IP Paris (through TSP) and Master Degree on Smart Telecom and Sensing Networks by ASTON.
- MOBILITY 4: TSP-TP (1st and 2nd semester), UoA (3rd and 4th semester) defines the “High Capacity 5G Network Systems” curriculum and the two awarded degrees are: Master of Engineering, Information Science and Technology, option : Electrical Engineering, by IP Paris (through TSP) and Master Degree on Informatics and Telecommunications by UoA.
- MOBILITY 5: UoA (1st and 2nd semester), ASTON (3rd and 4th semester) defines the “Connectivity Technologies for Smart Network Systems” curriculum and the two awarded degrees are: Master Degree on Informatics and Telecommunications by UoA and Master Degree on Smart Telecom and Sensing Networks by ASTON.
- MOBILITY 6: UoA (1st and 2nd semester), TSP-TP (3rd and 4th semester) defines the “Big Data Analytics and 5G” curriculum and the two awarded degrees are : Master Degree on Informatics and Telecommunications by UoA and Master of Engineering, Information Science and Technology, option : Electrical Engineering, by IP Paris (through TSP).
The academic calendars of the entry universities are approximately aligned (second half of September or beginning of October). First semester of SMARTNET Masters starts in September at UoA and TSP-TP, October at ASTON. Second semester of SMARTNET Master term starts end of February at UoA and TSP-TP, and at beginning of March at Aston. This scenario may leave short time gaps (e.g. in the transitions from UoA or TSP-TP to ASTON), which can be resolved by the creation of short independent work, while in the second case the exam schedule will be properly organized to allow students to rapidly leave for their subsequent destination.
Effective academic induction: Academic induction of the students will be provided by each partner’s postgraduate office upon their arrival. These are all highly experienced in Master students support.
Aston University has a dedicated Aston Graduate School managed by representatives from each School. The SMARTNET Supervisory Board will liaise with the representative of School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) at Aston University, namely Dr Sotos Generalis, for organisation of the series of the induction lectures for the new SMARTNET Master students. Day-to-day administration of the MSc programmes at SEAS will be provided by a Master’s programme secretary founded by the SEAS. In addition, Aston has an ERASMUS office that will contribute to the SMARTNET students’ induction at Aston.
Télécom SudParis and Télécom Paris have full-time internally-funded staff for student induction, assisted by their International Relations departments for programmes involving foreign students, including ERASMUS. In the case of Master programmes involving the schools participating in SMARTNET, applications are centralised through IP Paris’s online portal.
The Dept. of Informatics and Telecommunications of the UoA has a well-defined multi-section structure for its induction processes and administration of admission procedures. There is a secretarial office with six persons having permanent positions. Two of these people are dedicated to the support of the Master’s program. In addition, there are two people (permanent positions) who are responsible for all non-strictly administrative activities (Lab organisation, resources, organisation of the review processes, etc.) For the financial part, there is a dedicated agency of the University. Finally, for all other issues (housing, any kind of general support) there is a dedicated ERASMUS department in the University.
The SMARTNET website resources with the corresponding links to the partners’ websites will help to address all issues related to the administration of the induction process