APPLICATION ON LINE
Deadline: 15th March 2019 (11.59 am Italian Local Time) APPLICATION FORM
Deadline: 1st March 2019 (11.59 am Italian Local Time) APPLICATION FORM
Deadline: 5th April 2019 (11.59 am Italian Local Time) APPLICATION FORM
Deadline: 5th April 2019 (11.59 am Italian Local Time) APPLICATION FORM
The Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and NETworks (PIXNET) Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree is a two-year programme (120 ECTS) aimed at training talented students in the design, creation and assessment of innovative integrated devices based on photonic technologies. The set of learning outcomes include the theoretical design of system/network devices, the design and simulation of a photonic integrated circuit, fabrication in a clean room facility and the packaging and final testing of the prototypes.
PIXNET intends to be an interdisciplinary, multi-national initiative, training young telecommunication and electrical engineers to investigate the adoption of Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) as the central element in the evolution of information and communication devices (e.g. Data Centers, mobile terminals, etc.).
PIXNET exploits a significant complementarity of the expertise of the Consortium partners through well defined mobility paths bringing practical and specific competences to the perspective students. Partners in the PIXNET programme are:
Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy), Coordinator
Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (The Netherlands)
Aston University (Birmingham, UK)
Osaka University (Japan)
All partners have strong expertise in optical communication theory and techniques and extensive system and network experimental facilities. Three of them have fabrication facilities for photonic integrated circuits and networks for device prototyping.
Course target
PIXNET Programme is direct to successful students from any part of the world, who would like to enlarge their knowledge about Photonics by an international Master’s programme. Two kind of candidate can apply:
1) Erasmus Mundus Programme-country candidates
are from: Students from the 28 EU Member States students (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom) or from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey ,The former Yugoslav, Republic of Macedonia.
Third-country students who have been resident in, or carried out their main activities (studies, work, etc.) in, any of these aforementioned countries for more than a total of 12 months over the last five years.
2) Erasmus Mundus Partner-country candidates
are from: Students coming from any country of the world other than those covered by the Programme-country specification defined above.
Training objectives
The PIXNET study programme is divided into four semesters. 30 ECTS can be gained for each semester. The first three semesters are based on traditional courses, lab exercises and laboratory sessions, while the final semester is based on independent work related to the Master’s thesis.
Six different curricula are available depending on the mobility options selected, and each curriculum requires the completion of four modules, each corresponding to one semester. Except for mobility path n. 5, the first year of the Master's (i.e. the first and second semester of the Master's course) will be spent in the same Programme-country institution. The third semester of the Master's will be spent in a different institution, while the Master’s thesis can be done in the same or in another institution.
The six curricula and the relevant degrees awarded are defined as follows (the curricula of mobility 5 and 6 are the same):
Mobility 1: SSSA (1st and 2nd semester), TUE (3rd and 4th semester) defines the “Optical Switching Technologies” curriculum.
The two awarded degrees are: Master's Degree in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and NETworks by SSSA and the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering by TUE.
Mobility 2: ASTON (1st and 2nd semester), TUE (3rd and 4th semester) defines the “Optical Transceiver Technologies” curriculum.
The two awarded degrees are: Master of Science in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and Networks by ASTON and the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering by TUE.
Mobility 3: SSSA (1st and 2nd semester), ASTON (3rd and 4th semester) defines the “Design of Photonic Integrated Devices” curriculum.
The two awarded degrees are: Master in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and NETworks by SSSA and the Master of Science in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and Networks by ASTON.
Mobility 4: ASTON (1st and 2nd semester), SSSA (3rd and 4th semester) defines the “Photonic Integrated Devices Manufacturing” curriculum.
The two awarded degrees are: Master in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and NETworks by SSSA and the Master of Science in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and Networks by ASTON.
Mobility 5: ASTON (1st and 2nd semester), OSAKA (3rd semester), SSSA (4th semester) defines the “Theory and Techniques for Photonic Integrated Devices” curriculum.
The three awarded degrees are: Master in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and NETworks by SSSA, the Master of Science in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and Networks by ASTON and the Master of Engineering by OSAKA.
Mobility 6: SSSA (1st and 2nd semester), ASTON (3rd semester), OSAKA (4th semester) defines the “Theory and Techniques for Photonic Integrated Devices” curriculum.
The two awarded degrees are: Master in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and NETworks by SSSA and the Master of Science in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and Networks by ASTON
Teaching methods
The Master’s Study programme, in both local and international version, consists of four semesters. 30 ECTS can be secured in each semester, amounting to a total of 120 ECTS. The first three semesters are based on traditional courses, laboratory exercise and sessions, while the final semester is based on independent work related to the Master’s thesis.
Participation in courses is compulsory and student attendance is monitored. Students will not be allowed to miss more than 20% of the courses in each of the institutions. At the end of each course, students will undergo an achievement evaluation test, which will lead to the attainment of the corresponding credits. This test will be organised at the discretion of the responsible instructor as a written or oral exam, the submission of a project, practical laboratory tests, or a combination of all of these evaluation methods.
The first year of the Master’s (i.e. the first and second semester of the Master’s course) will cover basic subjects and provide a solid background from which to face the second year. Each institution provides a different selection of courses in the first year in order to allow students to match them to their prior knowledge and preferences. The final year consists of more specialist courses, culminating in a six-month research project. The third semester will cover specialisation courses in view of the independent project developed during the last semester of the project and which will be reported in the Master’s thesis developed in the fourth semester).
Osaka University has semesters which are skewed with respect to the European standard semester schedule (Fall/Spring). Hence students cannot start their Master’s Programme from Osaka University. Students will be able to join Osaka University on the third or fourth semester of the Master’s.
The Master’s study programme and the details of the modules offered in the four participating institutions are available at: http://pixnet.santannapisa.it/study/mobility-paths/. Students will be subject to the local rules of each of the hosting institutions, regarding in particular the local policies on exams and available attempts for students.
The students must express the preference order regarding all of the six available mobility paths (PIXNET curricula) at the time of application. His or her specified preference will be used to assign the best mobility option available for each selected applicant, based on his/her ranking, as specified in Art. 9.
The PIXNET local path takes place entirely at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy) and its classes will be shared with those students following the international path. The first three semesters consists of 900 hours (90 ECTS) of class lectures and lab training and are propaedeutic to the last semester. The objective of this first period is the transmission of competences through front teaching, lab training, stand-alone review of material and specialised seminars by universities and industry-representative researchers. The entire training programme at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna for the first three semesters is available at the following link: http://pixnet.santannapisa.it/pixnet-local-path/local-path-at-scuola-santanna/.
The fourth (and final) semester envisions the original development and relevant preparation of a written dissertation (Master’s thesis) developed in the laboratories of the TeCIP Institute Labs. This period has the scope to complement the in-class training with an operative direct experience, in which the competence acquired during the previous three semesters can be efficiently exercised. The Master’s thesis may also be developed in the laboratories of associated partners. The Master’s thesis has an overall duration of approximately 750 hours and provides up to 30 ECTS. The course portfolio of the PIXNET Master’s local path constitutes the set of courses that can be taken during the sojourn at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna within the framework of the PIXNET Erasmus Mundus international path.
Course fee
Tuition fees differ depending on whether an applicant is considered a “Programme-country” or a “Partner-country” student:
Programme-Country: € 4.500,00 per year
Partner-country: € 9.000,00 per year
Recipients of an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, either as a Programme-country student or a Partner-country student, will have the fees covered and automatically deducted from the Contribution n. 1 of the scholarship (see relevant Scholarship section).
Scholarships
In the framework of the PIXNET Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD), Programme and Partner-country applicants can apply for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship in accordance with the criteria set by the European Commission. The application procedure and scholarships available differ depending on whether an applicant is a “Programme-Country” or a “Partner-country” student [1].
EMJMD student scholarships cover the entire duration of the Master course and are awarded exclusively for a full-time enrolment in the 2018-19 PIXNET first intake. The Erasmus Mundus programme provides for PIXNET different types of scholarships, as follows:
PARTNER COUNTRY Scholarships: full-study scholarship covering all necessary costs during the study course period for “Partner-country” students.
Within this category PIXNET has scholarship reserved for applicants with citizenship of the following targeted regions – geographical window:
ENI South (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia)
Asia – Less Developed Countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal)
Asia – remaining countries (DPR Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam)
Latin America – Lower Middle Income countries (Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay)
Latin America – Brazil and Mexico
Latin America – remaining countries (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela)
PROGRAMME COUNTRY Scholarships: financial contribution to those students that do not fall within the “Partner-country” applicant definition (i.e. 27 EU Member States students, EEA-EFTA States students and third-country students that have been residents of, or carried out their main activities (studies, work, etc.) in, any of the below-mentioned countries for more than a total of 12 months over the last five years.
Regarding the awarding of Erasmus Mundus scholarship, PIXNET will strictly comply with the binding provisions of the European Commission as established in the Erasmus Plus 2014-2020 Programme Guide 2017 available at: http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/resources_en .
The following table summarises the financial provision for EMJMD scholarship holders:
|
Contribution
|
Description
|
Partner-country
|
Programme-country
|
|---|
|
n.1
|
Maximum EC contribution to the Masters participation costs (tuitions, insurance, coverage, …)
|
€9.000,00/year
|
€4.500,00/year
|
|
n.2
|
Contribution to the travel and installation costs
|
€2.000,00/year for travel costs +
€1.000,00 for installation costs
for a scholarship holder, resident
in a Partner Country less than
4000 Km from the EMJMD coordinating HEI.
€3.000,00/year for travel costs +
€1.000,00 for installation costs
for a scholarship holder, resident
in a Partner Country 4000 Km or more from the EMJMD
coordinating HEI.
|
Same as for Partner-country
|
|
n.3
|
Contribution to subsistence cost
|
€1.000,00 / month for the entire duration of the EMJMD study programme (24 months maximum).
Contribution to subsistence costs will not be given to the scholarship holders for the EMJMD periods (study/research/placement/thesis preparation) spent in their country of residence, nor to scholarship holders from a Partner Country for the EMJMD periods exceeding one trimester (i.e. 3 months or the equivalent of 15 ECTS credits) spent in any Partner Country.
|
Same as for Partner-country
|
| |
TOTAL for the 2-year EMJMD
|
Students residence less than 4000 Km from coordinating HEI: maximum € 47.000,00
Students residence more than 4000 Km from coordinating HEI: maximum € 49.000,00
The Consortium will use the "Distance calculator" available on the following Erasmus+ website: http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/tools/distance_en.htm in order to calculate the travel distances from the scholarship holder city of residence to the city of the coordinating HEI, and to decide the distance band (unit cost) applicable to scholarship holders
|
maximum € 40.000,00
|
Attendance certificate
Students completing the PIXNET Erasmus Mundus programme will receive multiple degrees (i.e. two and/or three national diplomas issued by two institutions of the Consortium) depending on the mobility paths chosen.
The following table details the title of the possible degrees awarded within the PIXNET Programme, according to the issuing institution:
Awarded degrees will be accompanied by a single Diploma Supplement, which describes the educational programme followed by the student. The Diploma Supplement will be attached to the degrees awarded. The document is designed in order to provide a full description of the student training experience (from content development and thematic paths followed, to learning results) within the PIXNET programme, giving details on the main features of the courses/paths followed by the student, the exact level of knowledge and results acquired, any information regarding the nature and characteristics of the titles awarded and any other statement relevant to the student scientific curriculum.
Pisa (IT), Istituto TeCIP; Birmingham (UK), Aston University; Eindhoven (NL), Technische Universiteit TuE; Osaka (J), Osaka University
