Catalogo dei Corsi di studio

The Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering (Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in Sustainable Transportation and Electrical Power Systems) aims to provide students with an in-depth and advanced theoretical-scientific and professional knowledge. This knowledge is then combined with more specific skills, specifically engineering ones, that allow students to interpret and describe the complex problems which are related to electrical Engineering that may require an interdisciplinary approach and the use of innovative methods, tools and techniques.

The education, which provides students with the skills to create, plan, designing and managing complex systems, enables students to solve plant safety issues and the environmental impact of the areas in which the plants are built. These skills are achievable thanks to an in-depth study of the subjects which students have already tackled during their Degrees. The two-year Degree programme deepens the students’ knowledge also in terms of methodologies and of the practical aspects of the subjects that they have learned. This way they are able to face the most complex problems related to the development, design and management of modern plants, as well as to actively contribute to the innovation and to the scientific and technological advancement of the sector. The total amount of time that students must devote to their personal study or to other individual educational activities, corresponds to at least 60% of the hours required to achieve the Degree. The Programme is taught entirely in English and requires students to move between a consortium of four universities: University of Oviedo (Spain), University of Nottingham (UK), Polytechnic University of Coimbra (Portugal), "La Sapienza" University of Rome (Italy). The Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering (Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in Sustainable Transportation and Electrical Power Systems) is a joint Degree that is provided and recognized by four partner Universities. The Programme provides three curricula: the first one - "Sustainable Transportation" - trains professionals providing them with advanced professional skills in all the areas of transposition and focusing on the technologies used in electric and hybrid vehicles. The second curriculum- "Electrical Power Systems" – provides students with the necessary skills to tackle the complex challenges of electrical systems. These challenges  depend from the ongoing and deep changes of electrical systems which are caused by the growing use of electronic power converters and by the creation of micro-grids and smart-grids. The third curriculum- "Electrical Power Systems" - trains professionals who are able to face the complex challenges of electrical systems that depend from the development of distributed generation and smart grids and the development of the electricity market.

Knowledge required for admission (Ministerial Decree 270/04, article 6, paragraph 1 and 2)

To be admitted to the "Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in Sustainable Transportation and Electrical Power Systems (EMJMD STEPS)", students must hold a Degree in the L-7, L-8, L-9 classes. More specifically, students must have achieved a minimum of 90 credits in the disciplinary fields listed below:

• At least 45 credits in the scientific disciplinary sectors of the Industrial Engineering class related to the fields of Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, Physics and Chemistry;

•At least 45 credits in the scientific disciplinary sectors that characterize the Industrial Engineering, Information Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering degree classes, of which at least 6 credits in the ING-IND / 31 scientific disciplinary sector.

Students must also possess a certification that attests an adequate level of written and spoken English language (minimum level required: C1). Since the admission to the Programme is limited, to be admitted students will also have to undertake a specific selection procedure. Further information on the selection procedure is available at: www.emjmdsteps.eu

Description of the Programme

The Programme includes training activities that allow the students to develop in the workplace the skills that are necessary to analyse complex problems, to find solutions, to plan actions, and to design innovative solutions.

The study Programme provides three curricula.

Curriculum “Sustainable Transportation”
The curriculum includes the mandatory subjects indicated in table I.
The programme is completed by 6 ETCS of elective subjects that must be chosen among the related subjects indicated in table II.

Table I

Table II

Curriculum “Electrical Power Systems” Curriculum (Technologies for the More Electronic Grid).
The curriculum includes other mandatory subjects which are indicated in table III.
The Programme is completed by 15 ECTS of elective subjects. Of these 6 ECTS must be chosen among the characterizing subjects indicated in table IV and 9 ECTS must be chosen among the related subjects in table V.

Table III

Table IV

Table V

Curriculum "Electrical Power Systems” Curriculum (Design, Analysis and Operation for the More Efficient and Resilient Grid).
The curriculum provides the mandatory educational activities that are indicated in table VI.
The Programme is completed by 6 ECTS of related subjects that are indicated in table VII.

Table: VI

Table VII

All the curricula are completed by

• 12 ETCS, as established by art.10, comma 5, letter A of the Ministerial Decree of the 22^nd of October 2004, n. 270,
• 15 ECTS devoted to internship activities

• 18 ECTS devoted to thesis activities. These activities are planning or analysis activities that are established by the Area Committee.

Taking into account the students’ availability and the general organization of the Programme, the Area Committee will create a synergy and a constant link with the job market.

The graduation thesis allows the Committee to verify the level of preparation achieved by the students, their technical-scientific maturity, and their ability to participate in a work environment.

Students acquire the ECTS for each module after passing an exam that includes an oral test and usually also a written test. During the classes the teacher may also decide to hold tests that are taken into account during the final evaluation of the students.

Features of the Final Project

The final exam consists of the development of a theoretical, experimental or project thesis on topics which are related to the subjects of the Masters Degree. The thesis must be developed under the guidance of a Professor who belongs to the consortium of the four Universities, and in collaboration with public and private institutions, manufacturing and services companies and research centres that operate in the sector in which the students are interested in. During the preparation of the thesis, the student must first of all analyse the technical literature related to the tackled subject, and then proceed to making a synthesis of the knowledge already acquired. After this phase the graduating student must, in an independent manner and depending on the type of thesis: For a project thesis, identify solutions to the presented problem. He/she must create a model to analyse the system's response to changes made to the system itself, and analyse the significant technological, economic, safety, environmental impact and control aspects. For an experimental thesis, students must plan an experiment that allows them to achieve the desired results and to present a model of the achieved results, so to be able apply them even in conditions that are different from the studied ones. The results of the students’ work are documented through a paper that is submitted to the Graduation Committee. The Committee’s evaluation of the paper contributes to the establishing the final grade. The evaluation of the graduation thesis is based on the current topics addressed, on the modernity and innovation of the study techniques proposed, and the level of importance of the achieved results. Particular attention is given to the candidates’ ability to synthesize, to how they tackle the topic addressed and to the quality of the presentation. By the way, 18 credits are devotes to the preparation of the thesis

Professional opportunities

The broad culture that graduates from the Electrical Engineering Degree (Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in Sustainable Transportation and Electrical Power Systems) acquire, provides them with a lot of flexibility and opportunities to work in electromechanical and manufacturing companies, engineering businesses and firms, public and private bodies that work in the energy supply and use sectors, energy marketing, etc. The main career opportunities for Masters Degree graduates in Electrical Engineering (Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in Sustainable Transportation and Electrical Power Systems) are summarized below:

- In companies that produce, generate, transmit and distribute electricity;

- In companies that deal with energy marketing;

- In public and private bodies that work in the energy supply and use sector;

- In industries that produce electrical equipment and machinery;

- In manufacturing companies that use a lot of energy that is not only electrical (chemical, mechanical, electronic, ...)

-In companies that deal with management and maintenance services for plants and electrical and electronic equipment;

- In public and private hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and health care companies;

- In mobility and general cargo-handling companies (rail transport and local transport: buses, trolleybuses, tramways, subways), in management bodies of airports, ports, road and motorway tunnels, car parks and roads;

- In public bodies (municipalities, districts, regions ...);

- In private companies as system engineers;

- In institutions which require an energy and environmental planning manager (energy manager);

- In institution which require a head of security, prevention and protection, a company, plant and work manager;

- In ASLs (public healthcare) as inspectors that deal with security issues;

- As freelance professionals in large engineering companies and firms;

- In large public and / or private Italian or international companies dealing with research and development activities (for example: Alenia, Ansaldo, Enel, Fiat, STM, RFI, Trenitalia, ABB, Bombardier, Daimler-Benz, Ford, General Electric, Intel, Siemens, ...), as well as in the public sector ( high schools, universities, CNR, ENEA, INFN, CERN).