Internet of Things - a track in MS from the Engineering Science, CS, ECE department

The Internet of Things- IoT, refers to the countless physical devices that are connected to the internet, all collecting and sharing data. Connecting all these different objects and adding sensors to them adds a level of digital intelligence to devices, enabling them to communicate real-time data without involving a human being. Internet of Things (IoT) can be defined as the network of physical objects - be it devices, vehicles, buildings and others - embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity that enables these objects to collect and exchange data. Advent of super-cheap computer chips and the ubiquity of wireless networks, has made it possible to turn anything into a part of the IoT. Industry forecasts project that by 2025, IoT market revenue will grow to US$1.6 trillion and there will be over 50 billion smart devices connected to IoT, helping to engineer new solutions to societal-scale problems such as healthcare, energy conservation, transportation, etc. These smart devices (networked embedded systems) exist everywhere around us - in everything from small devices such as biomedical implants, networked sensors, and smart cards, to larger devices such as personal computing devices and home electronics/appliances, and even in very large systems such as automobiles, aircraft avionics, and missile flight control systems. IoT is making the fabric of the world around us more smarter and more responsive, merging the digital and physical universes. Some larger objects may be filled with many smaller IoT components, such as a jet engine that are filled with thousands of sensors collecting and transmitting data to ensure efficient operations. Smart cities projects are filling entire regions with sensors to help understand and control the environment.

Masters with a focus on Internet of Things

This new age Masters program is either part of the Engineering Sciences department, CS or ECE (Electrical and Computer Engg) department. The degree is flexible and allows options of electives. Designing and deploying an IoT-based solution requires deep technical competence and expertise in hardware design (for printed circuit boards as well as chips), embedded software, wireless networking, mobile computing, and cloud computing. Along with faculty advisors, each student will design his or her Plan of Study. Students are encouraged to pick courses that give them an overall view of considerations involved in architecting end-to-end IoT solutions (hardware design, embedded software, computer networking, cloud computing). In addition, students should ensure that their course selection includes courses that strengthen their hands-on hardware and software implementation skills. Students can obtain breadth by taking courses that give them an improved understanding of VLSI circuits and semiconductor devices as well as courses that focus on emerging application domains such as machine learning, video processing, etc.

This specialization develops theoretical knowledge and practical skills to design and engineer the next generation of connected devices and systems. Students learn about key hardware and software components, tools and methods to protect and optimise them.

Knowledge and practical skills honed include; how to design and build embedded programming and IoT hardware components such as microprocessors, microsensors and energy harvesters; how data moves between devices, apps and the cloud; system vulnerabilities, securing networks against malicious attack. The curriculum trains to manage and analyse the data produced by IoT systems, architecture of embedded processors, and how to design and build them, design and optimisation of wireless communications systems using machine learning techniques the applications of modern cryptography signal processing and computer vision.

Entrance Requirements/Eligibility

Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or a closely related field. Undergraduate Grade Point Average should be equivalent to 3.0 (on a US scale) or better from a regionally accredited institution. GRE is recommended, TOEFL/IELTS is mandatory.

Course Curriculum/Subjects

Students have to take about 10 courses in this 30 credit program that is usually of three semester duration. IoT is considered to have mainly two parts: the Internet and the Things:
- For the Internet, students focus on courses in communications and networking.
- For the Things, students become familiar with hardware (courses in sensors, embedded systems, antennas/RF, power systems).
The course includes a combination of these courses:
System-on-Chip Design, MOS VLSI Design
Computer Design and Prototyping
Mobile Computing Systems, Computer Network Systems
Introduction to Operating Systems
Primer on Semiconductor Fundamentals
Essentials of MOSFETs
Primer on Analysis of Experimental Data & Design of Experiments
Applied Algorithms
Computational Models and Methods
Microfabrication Fundamentals
RF Design
Object-Oriented Programming in C++ and Java, Python
Programming Parallel Machines
Modern Digital Communications & System Design
Principles of Networking
Wearable and Implantable Sensors
Fundamentals of Solid State Devices
RF & Microwave Circuits
MIMO Wireless Communications
Microelectronic Fabrication Laboratory
Analog Integrated Circuits Layout
Networked Systems Design
Cellular Communications Networks
Introduction to Digital Signal Processing
Power Electronics
Realtime & Embedded Systems
Pattern Recognition
Computer Security, Wireless Networks Security
Parallel and Distributed Processing
Data Mining
Techniques of Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, ML

Careers after IoT

This STEM based Masters program is designed to meet high demand for experts that can engineer new interactive services, acquire, fuse, and process the data collected from sensors, actuators, controllers, and other devices, and develop architectures to interconnect these elements as part of larger, more diverse systems. Potential careers in this rapidly evolving area encompass industry sectors ranging from energy, healthcare, transportation, infrastructure, to manufacturing. Students will be trained in a wide range of IoT technologies, architectures, and solutions applicable to different domains, and will have the opportunity to develop skills and advanced knowledge in areas such as data analytics, IoT architecture, and distributed application development. Potential employers include not only the traditional semiconductor and hardware companies, such as Intel, ARM, Cisco, Qualcomm, Broadcom, TI, NVIDIA, NXP, AMD, etc., but also vertically-integrated system design houses (Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung, IBM) and a range of startups.