Master in Telecommunications Engineering: Advanced Technologies and Services at University of L’Aquila

About the programme

Telecommunications Engineering: Advanced Technologies and Services is a two-year master's degree (laurea magistrale, class LM-27) worth 120 ECTS, run by the Department of Information Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics (DISIM) at the University of L'Aquila. The university lists it as an international course taught in English, with in-person teaching in L'Aquila and double degree agreements with schools in France and Spain.

The 2026/27 regulation aims to train engineers with solid information engineering skills and specific expertise in telecommunications: digital transmission, wireless systems, broadband network architectures and protocols, photonic networks, RFID and the Internet of Things, signal processing and network security. It suits graduates in telecommunications, electronic or computer engineering with a strong maths base.

What you will study

You choose one of two curricula. Technologies for Internet, Aerospace, and Digital Health focuses on transmission and signal processing chains for industrial, vehicle, aerospace and healthcare uses. Networks for Reliable, Secure, and Intelligent Systems covers the design and management of modern networks and services that draw on artificial intelligence, cloud and cybersecurity. Units in the 2026/27 plan include:

• Digital Communications and Digital Electronic Systems (9 ECTS each, both curricula)
• Wireless Communications (9 ECTS) and Wireless Channels, MIMO and Beamforming (6 ECTS)
• Combinatorics and Cryptography, and Advanced ICT Security (6 ECTS each)
• Statistical Signal Processing and Multimedia (6 ECTS)
• Curriculum 1 units such as Antennas and RF Subsystems, RF Design for Internet of Things, Radars and Sensing, and Biomedicine Data Analysis and Processing for Digital Health
• Curriculum 2 units such as Advanced and Software Defined Networks, Network Algorithms, Machine Learning for Smart Cities Automation, Optical Communications, and Design of Access, Metro, and Core Networks
• Further training and internship (6 ECTS in each year) and a 12 ECTS final dissertation

How the programme is taught

Alongside lectures, the regulation points to internships in university laboratories and at partner companies, naming firms in Italy such as Leonardo, Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio, WindTre, TIM and Intel, and abroad such as ABB and Ericsson in Sweden. The thesis is theoretical or experimental work that can be carried out at a company, research centre or university lab.

Selected students can earn a double degree: through the Italy and France STIC&A agreement with schools including CentraleSupélec, ENSEA, ESIEE Paris, Université Paris-Saclay and Université Grenoble Alpes, or by spending the second year at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona for a double degree in Applied Telecommunications and Engineering Management.

Career paths

The regulation prepares graduates to work as telecommunications engineers in research and development labs and in the design, planning and management of complex systems, with access to senior technical roles. Typical employers are:

• Companies that design or manufacture telecommunications systems and equipment
• Network operators running complex telecommunications systems
• Organisations that deliver services over telecommunications networks
• Fields such as mobile radio, optical technologies, remote sensing and applied electromagnetics, and internetworking

The degree also leads on to second-level university masters and PhD programmes.

Fees and scholarships

Tuition at the University of L'Aquila is set by family income. In the 2026/27 fee guide the lowest band (ISEE up to €24,000) pays no annual contribution, and non-EU students not resident in Italy are assigned to it by default, so this degree can be tuition-free for eligible students. Keeping the exemption after the first year depends on earning minimum credits. Every student pays €156 at enrolment (€140 regional tax plus €16 stamp duty), and ADSU L'Aquila runs the regional scholarships.

How to apply from outside the EU

Check your credits first: the degree asks for 36 ECTS in maths, physics and chemistry and 45 ECTS in engineering, with minimums in electronics, computer engineering and telecommunications. Non-EU applicants living abroad then apply through the university's call for master's degrees taught in English on the PICA portal. For 2026/27 it closed on 25 February 2026 at 1:00 pm Italian time and charged a €20 fee.

A committee reviews your CV, transcripts, course descriptions, motivation letter and B2 English certificate, and may call you for an interview. Once admitted, you pre-enrol on Universitaly, apply for a type D study visa and bring a CIMEA statement or declaration of value when you enrol.

How ApplyAZ helps

If this programme fits your goals, ApplyAZ can include it in a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes at Italian public universities. We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose, submit your applications and Universitaly pre-enrolment, file your DSU scholarship application and prepare your visa file, with a named person on each stage. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa. See how ApplyAZ works or check your eligibility.