The Master of Science in Embedded Systems Design is offered by Advanced Learning and Research Institute (ALaRI), in coordination with the Faculty of Informatics of the University of Lugano and in collaboration with ETH Zurich and Politecnico di Milano.

Professors from renowned European and US universities and research centres assure top-quality teaching. Experts from industry contribute with their know-how as tutors or advisors to the research projects.
Il Master scientifico in Design di Sistemi Integrati è coordinato da ALaRI (Advanced Learning and Research Institute) presso l´Università di Lugano.
Consapevole della reale necessità di un approccio interdisciplinare alla formazione, ALaRI fornisce agli studenti un corpo di conoscenze unico, combinando tecnologie e gestione di progetti complessi, oltre a sviluppare abilità interpersonali come quelle necessarie per il lavoro di squadra e la sensibilità al mercato.
Su queste basi ALaRI offre stimolanti opportunità, sottolineando gli elementi di valore aggiunto più rilevanti nei sistemi integrati, e basando le proprie linee di ricerca su problemi di design del mondo reale, come sicurezza e crittografia, pervasive computing, design di sistemi ad alto livello, comunicazioni system-on-chip.
Il programma di laurea specialistica spazia su due anni, con quattro semestri di studio organizzati tra corsi obbligatori e a scelta. Un progetto di ricerca è parte integrante del corso di studi e introduce alla tesi finale del Master. I laboratori di design offrono un approccio interdisciplinare, in cui gli studenti apprendono la disciplina del design, applicando in modo integrato le competenze acquisite nei diversi corsi. Inoltre, gli studenti possono personalizzare il loro piano di studi in base ai propri interessi.
Il secondo anno propone due diversi percorsi di studio:
Design e ricerca: orientato a carriere di ricerca e progettazione, in università o in azienda.
Business Projects: orientato alla gestione, commercializzazione e marketing di sistemi integrati.
Il programma fornisce 120 crediti ECTS e qualifica i laureati per l´ammissione agli studi di dottorato.
Il programma di insegnamento è caratterizzato dalla collaborazione tra università e azienda e dall´approccio interdisciplinare realizzato attraverso i laboratori di design e i progetti.
Docenti da prestigiose università e centri di ricerca europei e americani assicurano un´eccellente qualità dell´insegnamento, mentre esperti dal mondo dell´industria contribuiscono con il proprio know-how, fungendo da tutor e consulenti per i progetti di ricerca.
Tutti i corsi sono tenuti in inglese.
Grazie alla sua fitta rete di collaborazioni, ALaRI può aiutare i propri laureati a trovare opportunità di lavoro per impieghi a tempo pieno, stage, o dottorato.

Obiettivi
Embedded systems pervade all aspects of our daily life, at home, at work and on travel. These “hidden computer systems” control vehicles, buildings and manufacturing plants, are at the heart of cell phones and games, provide critical life support and monitor the physical environment. Embedded system design offers challenging opportunities to designers and system developers, both by integrating such different technologies as microelectronics, cyber-physical systems, computer science and telecommunication, and by focusing on the most advanced applications. Meeting the real need for an interdisciplinary approach to education, the teaching plan equips talented students with a unique body of knowledge in the area of embedded systems. Education includes interpersonal skills indispensable in today’s industry, such as team work, and offers training in the basic marketing and management as well. ALaRI research activities focus on topics of great scientific interest and industrial applicability, based on real-life design issues taking into account system properties such as performance, dependability, security and energy efficiency.
Three distinct features also profoundly characterise the ALaRI teaching programme: cooperation between university and industry, interdisciplinary work at design laboratories and projects participation.

Destinatari
The formal requirement for admission to the Master’s degrees in Embedded Systems Design is a Bachelor’s degree granted by a recognised university in the field of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Communication, Information Science or related disciplines.
Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree of a recognised University of Applied Sciences may be admitted with 30-60 additional ECTS to be earned during or before the beginning of the programme, with Bachelor courses according to a study program defined by the scientific director. Admissions will be treated on a case by case basis.
The Master in Informatics is entirely taught in English. Applicants whose first degree was not taught in English, are required to at least have earned a B2 certificate according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or an equivalent level of another proficiency certificate – e.g. TOEFL, IELTS.
Whilst it is an important requisite to be fluent in English, candidates do not need to know or learn Italian in order to successfully participate in the programmes.
As Lugano is located in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, students might be interested in acquiring the basics in Italian, in order to be able to get around in everyday life.
The University of Lugano offers an Italian language study programme organized in various modules. All its non Italian-speaking students, researchers and professors are invited to participate free of charge.

Sbocchi occupazionali
After graduation the ALaRI students have a number of career opportunities ranging from joining research institutes, industrial practice, starting their own company or joining our research team and continuing towards a doctoral degree.
The Master of science in Embedded systems design prepares for a career in research and design of complex embedded systems, creating the ideal scientific competence background for a technical area characterized by continued innovation. Graduates can find a rewarding perspective in industrial environments as well as continue their academic involvement.
The curriculum is completed with business courses, allowing their students to accede to professional careers in industry and business. They adds to a solid technical competence in Embedded System Design elements of management and economics.
The professional roles it is inferred to are, for example, client project manager, technical consultant, advisor, planning and quality control.

Contenuti
The study programme of the Master of Science in Embedded Systems Design requires 120 ECTS and stretches over two years. In the first semester students attend introductory courses and five mandatory foundation courses that run through the whole semester. The second and third semesters are dedicated to specialised courses and electives, where professors from renowned European and US universities are invited to teach during the year. This is one of a kind experience where students are immersed completely for a week or two in a given topic and finish with a rewarding project. The fourth and last semester is dedicated to the writing of a master thesis.

First Semester

• Introductory course
• Basic Math
• Logic Design
• C/C++
• Linux
• Java
• System C
• VHDL
• MatLab
• Fundamental courses
• Advanced Computer Architecture
• Compilers
• Mathematics
• Parallel and Distributed-Computing
• Software Enirneering

Second Semester

• Specialised courses
• Dependable Systems
• Design technologies
• Dgital Signal Processing
• Low-Power Design
• Real Time Opearating Systems (RTOS) and scheduling

Third Semester

• Specialised courses
• Algorithms for Wireless communication
• Embedded Processors Design and Programming
• Micorelectronics
• Performance Evaluation
• Re-programmable Systems
• Specification Languages

Fourth Semester

• Specialised courses
• Hardware/Software Codesign
• Validation and Verification
• Electives courses
• Cryptography
• Entrepreneurship: Creating new Organisations
• Future Trends in PRocessor Architecture
• Implementation of Digital Controllers
• Introduction to Management
• Network on Chip
• Pervasive Information Systems and Embedded Databases
• Databases
• Master Thesis/Project.

Note

Durata The academic year runs from September until June. Courses are held from September until December and from February until the end of May. The academic year also includes 3 exam sessions (January, June and September). Costo Tuition fees for the Master's degrees amount to CHF 4,000 per semester. Applicants whose official residence was in Switzerland (including Liechtenstein and Campione d'Italia) at the time of the final high school exam (Maturità) pay a reduced semester fee of CHF 2,000. Tuition fees are payable at the beginning of each term, by the deadline indicated on the invoice; fee payment is an essential condition for matriculating or renewing one's enrolment. Borse di studio e finanziamenti The Foundation for the Lugano Faculties of USI will award a total of 60 one-off study grants of the amount of 4'000 CHF each. The merit based grants are given to first year students admitted to a USI Master program starting in September 2013. USI Università della Svizzera italiana organises a contest for 5 bursaries for the first year Bachelor or Master students enrolled at the Faculty of Informatics. Other study grants are available. For more details, please, visit the following link: http://www.usi.ch/en/formazione-borse_studio.htm