Lessons from Ten Years of the International Master's Program in System-on-Chip

Peter Nilsson, Pietro Andreani, KrzysztofKuchcinski, Joachim Rodrigues,

Henrik Sj6land, Markus T6rmanen, Lars-Erik Wernersson, and Viktor OwalL
Abstract-In July 2000 the five-year Swedish national "Socware
Research & Education Program " was started. One of the aims of the program
was to develop an innovative unique educational curriculum in System-on
Chip design. The program was targeted at undergraduate and graduate. In
total the program received USD $15 million funding. In 2005 the program
entered a new phase; more than 500 Master's students were admitted and 30
PhD students were funded. Cooperation between the System-on-Chip
Master's programs in Lund, Linkoping, and Stockholm was already well
established and the program continued in all three locations as an
international Master of Science program in System-on-Chip, with local
funding from the participating universities. Between 2003 and 2013 there
were 3500 applicants to the program in Lund, an average of 350 applicants
per year, of these 250 (8%) were accepted. This paper focuses on the
international Master of Science Program in System-on-Chip at Lund
University,Sweden.
Keywords-ASIC, CMOS, IC, Integrated Circuit, Master of Science,
Master's Program,SoC,System-on-Chip.

I.

INTRODUCTION

A new curriculum in System-on-Chip (SoC) design was,

and still is, the goal of the program. When the program was
introduced only a few similar programs existed. In 1999 de
Man reported on an agenda for the organization of a new
curriculum based on a SoC methodology [1]. Similar ideas
begun to be developed elsewhere but still there was some
time before the new framework had much impact on
curricula. Sweden was at the forefront of these developments
and amongst the first countries to introduce SoC Master's
Programs [2].
The national "Socware Research & Education Program"
lasted from July 2000 until July 2005. After a planning and
course development period, the educational program started
in 2003 in Lund and has now been running for 10 years.

design; all based on complementary metal oxide semI

conductor (CMOS) technologies.
The move away from traditional EE and CS programs
towards SoC was motivated by the widespread predictions of
dramatic changes in ASICs. It was predicted that new silicon
technologies would be able to integrate whole systems on a
single silicon die, a prediction that become a reality. EE and
CE training traditionally specialized in a single area such as
digital, mixed mode or RF design; however, very specialized
knowledge is not sufficient if an entire system is to be placed
on a single die. Different components on the chip will affect
others and they must work together as one unit, making an
understanding of all the parts necessary. A new generation of
engineers would need more interdisciplinary knowledge than
traditional engineers and should be trained accordingly. The
new curriculum was developed to include domains such as
analog/RF, mixed mode, digital circuits and embedded
systems. A typical example of a SoC is shown in Fig. 1. The
complete system includes 3 modules:

filters. The embedded module contains both software and

hardware; the hardware is often in the form of a processor.
r - - - - Embedded System - --- -, r

academic year [4]. The PhD program ended in summer 2005,

when the Socware program entered a new phase. By this time
the three Master's programs in Link6ping, Lund and
Stockholm were well established and these continued as
individual international Master of Science degree programs in
SoC design. In this new phase the programs were funded
locally by each university. This paper focuses on the
experience of running the international Master of Science
Program in System-on-Chip design at Lund University.
II.

THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM IN LUND

The SoC program at Lund University marked a new

direction for education in the fields Electrical Engineering
(EE) and Computer Engineering (CE) in Sweden. Compared
with the other two Swedish Master's degree programs in EE
and CE, the SoC program at Lund University has a larger
emphasis on application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)
design, and a focus on wireless communication. Three areas
were highlighted in the curriculum: radio frequency (RF)
design, high frequency data converters, and digital baseband

978-1-4799-4016-5/14/$31.00 2014 IEEE

- - - - Digital Baseband -

----

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In total the "Socware Research & Education Program"

The program concept was introduced in the year 2000 [3],

and startup activities in Lund began in the 2002/2003

analog/mixed signal

require a lot of computational capacity such as Fast Fourier

Transforms FFT/IFFTs, vector and matrix operations and

received USD $15 million of funding of which one third was

reserved for educational programs. Funding came from two
sources: the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and
Communications and the Knowledge Foundation. The
Socware program paid for faculty members, course
development, the full costs of educating students and the tools
needed in the laboratories.

an

module, a digital module, and an embedded systems module.

Typical components of an analogiRF module are amplifiers,
mixers and filters. Analog-to-Digital and Digital-to-Analog
converters are typical blocks in a mixed mode module. The
digital unit often has dedicated circuitry for operations that

-,

Fig. 1. A typical System-on-Chip, containing three domains, all on the

same CMOS chip. Note that the figure does not describe a particular system.
The illustration is only for the purpose to show the idea of the System-on
Chip methodology.

The SoC illustrated in Fig. 1 contains many blocks that

would not be novel as a single block, the innovation is that
they are all are placed on the same chip and are all using a
silicon-based CMOS technology
The objective of the program is to give students a
comprehensive knowledge of integrated CMOS design. For a
long time CMOS has been, and still is, the leading technology
for the design of large digital systems. This is due to its low
manufacturing cost, reliability and high yield. However,
CMOS technologies are not optimal for analog design. The
technologies used today are, however, so compact that there
is room to include both, but to make a CMOS SoC including
both digital and analog technologies requires a dramatic
change in design methodology. The chosen technology must
be based on CMOS. The SoC curriculum, therefore, focuses
on design for more than one domain. It is a real challenge to
design analog CMOS circuits in a low-voltage CMOS process
just as it is a real challenge to design digital circuitry without
disturbing the analog parts.

187

A. A brief history

3)

When the program was introduced, it included courses

worth a total of 60 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)
credit points, followed by a 30 credit point Master's thesis. It
was thus a three-semester program in which the last semester
was devoted to a SoC project.
The years following, the introduction of the program
discussions about the Bologna process increased and a new
European higher education system was introduced. One of the
changes introduced was that to achieve a Master's degree,
students had to complete a three-year Bachelor degree
followed by a two-year Master's program. These changes
prompted a major reorganization of the SoC program in 2007.
The program became a two-year Master of Science program
consisting of 90 ECTS course credits and a 30-credit thesis.
When the program was introduced there were no tuition
fees, but all Swedish Master's programs introduced tuition
fees in 2011. In Lund the tuition fee is around USD $20,000
per year and the students pay according to the number of
ECTS credits their courses are worth.

B. Program and course development

The new SoC curriculum, introduced in 2003, required a
large amount course development work. Some courses were
entirely new and others were redesigned to fit the program.
An important change was the introduction of a clearly
defined, mandatory curriculum dealing with SoC, which the
EE and CE curricula did not include. Course development
was funded by the Socware program.
C.

Tools and equipment

Most of the SoC courses include a large proportion of

laboratory work and projects. To fulfill the requirements of

modern education a learning environment comprising 16 of
the latest Linux machines, one workstation for a team of two
students, was provided. The Linux machines were, and are,
upgraded frequently. The machines have the most recent
Cadence software and a computer-aided design (CAD) tool
for designing integrated circuits installed; this software is
updated frequently. Modern silicon technologies are
provided. Each year some of the project designs are sent for
fabrication. These fabricated designs are tested using state-of
the-art testing equipment.
m.

MANDATORY COURSES

of the curriculum. The mandatory courses are described

briefly below. These courses are rooted in the courses that
made up the program when it was first introduced.

Analog IC Design

The

course

provides

good

4) Introduction to Structured VLSI Design

The course provides knowledge of digital hardware
realization, particularly fast prototyping on an FPGA
platform. Students should gain the knowledge required to
implement blocks typical of a larger digital system. The basic
concept of VHDL and tool training are taught.

5) Design ofEmbedded Systems

The goal of this course is to give a general introduction to
embedded systems design, which can be implemented by
using a SoC technology. These kinds of embedded systems
contain both hardware and software, i.e. hardware/software
co-design is emphasized.

6) IC project 1 and 2
The IC project can be analoglRF, mixed mode, or digital.
It can also be a SoC combination of these. Students are often
divided into groups to cooperate on a larger design. Some
designs are sent for fabrication and measured when they are
back.

7) Master's Thesis Work

The student must also produce a Master's thesis in the area
of SoC and circuit design. The project work is usually done in
industry or in close association with university research. It
may be done abroad, but the project must still be in the name
of Lund University. The Master's thesis is a 30-credit project
taking I semester, full time.

8) Patent and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)

This is a non-technical course. Students learn about
different IPRs, their sources of legal and conventional
material and the basis and application of these laws. Issues of
intellectual property such as patents, copyright, trademarks,
and design are covered.
System-on-Chip 2013-2015

0
N
,
0
N

When the program started it included only 2 semesters of

courses; it now lasts 3 semesters, but the initial objectives of
the SoC curriculum have not changed. Fig. 2 shows SoC
courses in the current program. These courses form the core

1)

models, design of combinational and sequential logic,

memories and arithmetic circuits. There is also an emphasis
on areas such as parasitics that are important for performance,
power and noise in a SoC environment. Test is also included.

A. Mandatory Course Block

understanding

of

the

possibilities and limitations of implementation of analog

functions on silicon. The focus is on CMOS technologies and
circuits in a SoC environment. Analog circuits with a
sufficiently high performance are vital.

2) Integrated AID and DIA Converters

The course provides a basic knowledge of data converters,
which are placed in the interface between analog and digital
signals. The focus is on speed, dynamic range, area, and
power consumption. Embedded converters in a SoC
environment are taught.

Digital IC Design

The objective is a thorough understanding of transistor

B
Q.)
>-<

I
I

DO'gltaI IC DeSlgn
0

Integrated ND
and D/A Convo

IC Project and

C/O

...

Verification I

ii:

on
0
N
,
-T
0
N

I
I
I
I

Introduction to
Structured VLSI

Analog ICdesign

Intellectual
Property Rights

Ernbedded
Systerns

IC Project and
Verification II

ti
Q.)

>-<

"r::l
"
0
(.)
Q.)
Vl

Master's Thesis
Work

SoC, Mandatory

II
II
II
II
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Modern
Electronics

Cornputer
Architecture

Integrated Radio
ElectrOnics

Advanced ND
and D/A Convo

Ernbedded SYSo
Advo Course

High Speed
Devices

Algo in Signal proco

Project Course

Microsensors

II

II
l

DSP Design

Advanced
Analog Design

I
l
I

SoC, Elective

Fig. 2. SoC courses in the current program, mandatory to the left and
elective to the right.

Course 6, the IC Project, is the flagship component of the

program. It is an entirely project-based course worth 7.5 + 7.5
ECTS credits, taking 1 semester, half time.

188

The aim of Course 6 is to provide knowledge of practical

design of integrated circuits, with an emphasis on Soc.
Analog/digital SoC constructions may be designed. The
course takes the form of project work, in which small groups
of students collaborate in applying knowledge gained from
earlier courses to design a chip. Several groups can
collaborate on a project to create a larger system. The course
provides the students with a rare, valuable opportunity to
design a complete chip in real silicon, and the chance to have
their design submitted for fabrication at the end of the project.
The manufacturing of the designs takes about 3 months,
and they are assessed in the second IC-project course. The
intention is that the project should have a broad focus, with
parts that are analog, mixed mode, and digital. Such a project
is well suited to collaboration involving different groups
designing the different parts.

make themselves available to answer questions, provide

supervision etc. One indication of the close contact between
student courses and research interests is that over 30 student
projects have resulted in papers published in international
peer-reviewed journals or in patents. Another positive effect
of the close contact between student courses and research
interests is that when graduates move into industry the contact
network between the university and industry increases. Both
the university and industry benefit from this, as is evident
from the two-way flow of personnel; industry employees
move back to Lund University and vice versa. There are also
joint workshops and projects and guest lectures by experts
working in industry. The program provides a way for industry
to get in contact with the students and for the students to see
what goes on in industry.
A major part of the courses making up the program is
devoted to laboratory work using the most modem CAD tools
for design work. The hands-on training, which gives students
the opportunity to practice what they learned in the theoretical
part of the course, is very popular among the students.
IV.

ELECTIVE SYSTEM-ON-CHIP COURSES

A. Elective System-on-Chip Courses

The elective SoC courses, shown to the right in Fig. 2,
include other courses based on theory followed by laboratory
work. Courses 9-15 shown below all include a large block of
computer-based training to supplement the theoretical work.
9)

AdvancedAID and DIA Converters

1 0) AdvancedAnalogDesign
(a)

(b)

11) ComputerArchitecture
1 2) DSP-design

Fig. 3. Chip photo of a CMOS image sensor and an FM transmitter.

Fig. 3a shows an example, which was a successful student

project in which a CMOS image sensor was connected to an
FM transmitter and a phase-locked loop [5]. Two groups, 4
students, developed the SoC design. Only the piece of silicon
is shown in the figure. In the middle of the chip, the
processing core and the sensor are shown. At the borders the
pads i.e. 56 connections to the world outside of the chip, can
be seen. The size of the chip is l.75mm by l.75mm; it is
shown life-size in Fig. 3b.
Course I

Course 2

Course 3

13)

High-Speed Devices

1 4) Integrated Radio Electronics

1 5) Modern Electronics
Four of the elective courses, courses 16-19 detailed
below, are project-based, and for these courses the students
work in groups. A special course, "Project in System-on
Chip", can be chosen. This is a 15 ECTS credit course that
can be undertaken in industry or at the university. The project
must be related to SoC and connected to research. It is also
possible to use the project course as an opportunity for a long
thesis project or as a preparation for the thesis project.
1 6) Algorithms in Signal Processors - Project Course
1 7) Embedded Systems Design, Advanced Course

Fig. 4. A typical radio transceiver.

It should be noted that courses 1--4 cover all the parts in a

radio transceiver as shown in Fig. 4. This is also how the
research groups in circuit design are organized. The latest
results from the research are thus filtered down to the
students. Fig. 4 also shows a typical example of a Soc. This
organization of the program is deliberate. Lund is a town with
a very high population of wireless designers and there is
always a need for skilled persons in the wireless field. Around
7000 employees are working on research and development
(R&D) in the local wireless industry.

B. Discussion
Courses 1-5 are based on both theory and practice. The
theory is taught through lectures and exercises. Close contact
between students and teachers is important both for students
and teachers. It brings the students closer to research and the
teachers/researchers get to know the students, which facilitate
the selection of candidates for future research projects and
possible PhD studies. The teachers are, therefore, happy to

1 8) Microsensors
1 9) Project in System-an-Chip
As

can

be

seen,

the

System-on-Chip

part

of

the

curriculum has a large focus on practice, based on theoretical

knowledge. All these courses have practical training. The
goal is that the students should be very skilled on IC-design in
a practical perspective based on a solid theoretical foundation.

B. Other Elective Courses

There are 3 elective courses in radio electronics. These
courses are based on lumped high frequency components.
The reason for including this course block is the program's
strong connections with the local wireless communication
industry.
A block of 3 courses in radio systems is also included in
the curriculum. These courses are theoretical and provide
grounding in wireless communication. They are partly based
on simulation of communication systems. These courses are
also motivated by the program's strong connections with the
local wireless communication industry.

189

Finally, the program includes 3 courses in nano

electronics. These courses comprise theory, laboratory work

also be important that the program changed from being a

Master's program to a Master of Science program. During

and projects. This block is included to provide a deeper

understanding of the physics behind the integrated circuit. In
this block students are introduced to current research on
future technologies, often based on exotic materials.

this period, 6.9% of applicants actually started.

C.

Discussion

With the exception of the radio systems courses, the

elective courses are based on applying the theory that is
learned in the course and/or in preceding courses. This gives
the program a practical focus, which is very much appreciated
by the students. A total of 85% of the available course credits
are at advanced level, the highest level of learning, according
to [6]. Advanced level courses require students to "Theorize,
Generalize, Hypothesize, and Reflect". The courses are
generally at a high level in general owing to the strong
connections with researchers who disseminate the latest
research results to the students. All SoC courses are taught by
researchers: 5 full professors, 4 associate professors, 1
assistant professors and a number of PhD students. The
program thus has very strong connections with current
research. Master's thesis projects are based directly on current
research interests of the teaching staff.
It should also be noted that all courses in the program are
open to both home and international students; home students
work together with the international students and this
interaction is much appreciated by the students. The students
learn a lot about different cultures and improve their English.
V.

From 2011 onwards the program has charged tuition fees

and this change is evident in the number of applications. The
number of applicants has reduced dramatically to around 150
per year. During this period 9.2% of applicants actually
started but the absolute numbers of students enrolling is much
lower than previously. There are not many students who can
afford the tuition fees. Students who are citizens of the
European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA)
or Switzerland are not required to pay tuition fees.

B. Number ofStudents Graduating

Fig. 6 compares the number of graduated students, the
dark bars, with the number of students who started the
program, the light grey numbers, also given in Fig. 5.
It can be seen that all students graduated for enrolment
years 2003 and 2005. In the early years, 2003-2006, the
proportion of students graduating was 92%, a very high
proportion compared with the EE program. The remaining
students from these years will probably not gain a degree.
Tn total, 68% of students from the 2007-20 I 0 enrolment
periods have graduated. There still are students from this
period in the system. Many students find it hard to cover their
living expenses in Sweden and take a break from their studies
to take paid employment and save some more money.
International students postpone graduation whilst they look
for a job or a PhD place because once they have graduated
they cannot extend their visa and have to move back home.

ApPLICANTS AND GRADUATED

Master

40

A. Applicants
Fig. 5 shows the number of applicants together with the
number students who actually started the SoC program. There
have been 3500 applicants, from which 250 students were
accepted and started the program. In total, 8% of the
applicants have come to Lund from elsewhere.

en

-=

v
"""
::l

40
....
OJ
.D

EO
::l
Z

30 130

30
25

36

without tuition

35

24

24

25

25 26

1920

20

23

1
1
1

15

26
22
18

15

with tuition

35

1
1

Master of Science

Master of Science

without
tuition

14

10

1
1
1

2003

2004

2005 2006

2007

2008

2009 20 I 0

20 I I

2012

12

2013

Year
Fig. 6. The number of graduated students,in the dark bars, and the number
of students that actually started,in the light bars.

C. Discussion
2003

2004

2005 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Year
Fig. 5. The number of applicants, in the dark bars, and the number of
students that actually started,in the light bars.

Some trends can be noted:

The number of applicants was stable, at over 300 during
the early years, from 2003 to 2006. This was the period in
which the program was a 90 ECTS credit Master's program.
During this period 7.5% of applicants were accepted and
enrolled on the program. It was thus a fairly popular Master's
program.
Between 2007 and 2010, the program was a 120 credit
Master of Science program; during this period there was a
linear increase of the number of applicants, up to the record
level of 664 applicants. The most likely explanation for the
increase in applications is that former students acted as
ambassadors for the program in their home countries. It may

For financial reasons, only 8% of applicants are offered a

place on the program, indicating that the number of students
who want to take this degree at Lund University is very high.
When the program became a Master of Science program the
number of applicants increased. The introduction of tuition
fees has resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of
students enrolling. A very high proportion of the student
graduates, 92%, and many international students wait to take
their degree in the hope of getting an opportunity to stay in
Lund and Sweden.
VI.

ASSESSMENT

A. Course Experience Questionnaire

For about ten years Lund University has been using a
course experience questionnaire (CEQ) [7] to obtain students'
evaluations of courses. The Faculty of Engineering's annual
report covers 6 items from the evaluation of each course,
given below.

190

1.

Good Teaching.

Very high quality

2.

Clear Goals and Standards.

High quality

3.

Appropriate Assessment.

Inadequate quality

4.

Appropriate Workload.

The SoC program was rated "High quality" in all

5.

Overall, I am satisfied with this course.

6.

The course seems important for my education.

domains.

Table I shows how students graded the mandatory courses

on the 6 items above. The questionnaire is given to both home
and international students and the results cannot be analyzed
by group, but it still gives an indication of student opinion.
The scores for all 6 statements were fairly high. Item 6:
"The course seems important for my education" attracted
very high marks, 82% on average. The course IC project was
obviously very popular with students, attracting a score of
97% for Item 6. Item 5, "Overall, I am satisfied with this
course" were also fairly high, with an average score of 72%.
TABLE I.

SELECTED PARTS OF THE CEQ EVALUATION USING A 0- 100

SCALE WHERE 100 INDICATES COMPLETE SATISFACTION.

Statement

1.

2.

Analog IC Design

60 42 72 27 50 73

Integrated AJD and D/A Converters

62 64 54 30 63 57

Digital IC Design

56 63 64 54 73 90

Introduction to Structured VLSI Design

74 77 77 71 86 94

Design of Embedded Systems

61 64 64 67 72 86

IC project 1 and 2

71 67 80 42 83 97

3.

4.

5.

C. Master's Thesis Work

Lund University administration also investigates student
opinion of the Master's thesis projects. However, Master's
students on the SoC program are grouped with the EE
students in this evaluation so the results are no more than
suggestive. The results for some of the questions are given
below:

1.

65 69 56 65 80 76

Average

64 64 67 51 72 82

Item 4: "Appropriate Workload" received the lowest

scores, with an average of 51%. This suggests that students
think that they have to work hard for the credits on these
courses. Although students value the IC project course, it also
has a high work load, as indicated by the low score, 42%, for
Item 4. The courses "Analog IC Design" and "Integrated AID
and D/A Converters" also have a high work load.

B. Self-evaluation of the Master's Program

The Swedish Government demands that a self-evaluation
of all higher education programs is carried out every four
years. The Swedish Higher Education Authority has the task
of evaluating all higher education programs. Program
Executives prepare a 30--40 page self-evaluation, which is

Not so relevant:4%.

Would you recommend that a friend to do a thesis project

1.

Yes:75%.

2.

No:13%.

3.

Maybe:13%.

Did you collaborate with a company or an organization?

I.

Yes:79%.

2.

No:21%.

Did you get salary for your thesis project work?

1.

Yes:63%.

2.

No:33%.

students did their thesis work in locations other than the

university. There are two main reasons for this, firstly if the
student does decent work he or she has a fairly good chance
of future employment with the same company, secondly
students are very often paid for thesis work undertaken in
industry whereas projects based at the university do not
attract any salary.
As students are working at advanced level they should be
able to "Theorize, Generalize, Hypothesize, and Reflect" [6],
as described in Section IV-C. The evaluation provides data on
students' perceptions of changes in their capabilities:

How has your ability to "Theorize" and "Hypothesize"

improved?

following terms: "Courses and programs have to be evaluated

on the basis of how well they fulfill the requirements laid
down in the Higher Education Act and the qualification
descriptors in the statutes linked to the Act. In other words,
the Swedish Higher Education Authority assesses to what

Relevant:25%

3.

These scores suggest that the thesis project is very much

appreciated by the students. It is notable that many of the

submitted to the Authority, where it is evaluated by experts.

The latest report, was published in October 2013.
The framework for evaluation is summarized in the

Very relevant:71%.

2.

at the same place?

6.

Patent and Intellectual Property Rights

How relevant is your thesis work for your education?

I.

A lot:67%.

2.

A little:29%.

3.

Not at all: I%.

How has your ability to "Reflect" improved?

I.

A lot:58%.

2.

A little:38%.

3.

Not at all:O%.

To a large extent, the thesis work fulfills the requirements

extent the learning outcomes achieved by the students

correspond to the intended learning outcomes.".

for work at an advanced level [6].

Three evaluation domains are specified:

the Master's thesis projects. Eleven theses from the Master's

program were randomly chosen. Using the same assessment
scale as for the complete program each selected Master's
theses was evaluated by six experts, providing a total of 66
judgments. The outcomes of this evaluation were:

Knowledge and understanding

Competence and skills

Judgment and approach

The sub-domains include: knowledge and understand

ding, methodology, critical analytical skills, independence,
oral and written communication in a national and
international context and scientific competence. The
programs are assessed on a three-level scale:

The Swedish Higher Education Authority also evaluated

Very high quality:31%

High quality:63%

Inadequate quality:6%

The Master's theses were overall rated "High quality".

191

D. Continuous assessment
Continuous

assessment

is

method

for

ongoing

evaluation of a course based on the student's progress. It

includes discussions and assessments through the course; the
aim is to correct misunderstandings and improve teaching.
Because the SoC courses are based, to a large extent, on
application of acquired theoretical knowledge, investigating
students' progress with laboratory work offers a natural
method of continuous assessment. Discussions with
individuals quickly establish what the students have grasped
and what they have misunderstood.
Hand-in problems provide an indication of the progress.
Another example of continuous assessment is the use of
white-board

exercises,

in

which

the

student

gives

presentation to the teacher and a small group of the class.

VII.

LESSONS FROM TEN YEARS OF THE SoC PROGRAM

The Swedish industry took the initiative and encouraged

the formation of a national SoC program. The conclusion was
that a new engineering curriculum that would produce highly
educated graduates in the domains of electronics. Fruitful
discussions
with
government
organizations
followed.
Substantial funding for a five-year program was guaranteed.
These generous grants made it possible quickly to develop
courses of international quality. From this it may be
concluded that good economic conditions are vital to a
successful beginning with a program of this type.
As the program was introduced, a worldwide demand for
skilled engineers in the fields of circuit design and wireless
communications and started to increase. The concept of the
program proved successful and it attracted a massive number
of applicants. Selecting the best candidates was one of the
main challenges. There were, and still are applicants trom
many different countries, all using different qualification
systems. A suggestion for future program development is that
the selection process should be prepared before the program
is launched as it takes a while to learn how to handle
applications.

The professors generally have a large network of industry

contacts, which is valued by the students because indirectly it
increases

their

chance

of

getting

thesis

project

employment in a company. Most thesis projects

undertaken in industry, something encouraged by

or
are
the

professors. However, the university also has a fairly large

proportion of the thesis projects; very often the brightest
students who would like to be eligible for a PhD place choose
a university project. Most students do their thesis work in
local industry or elsewhere in Sweden, but not all. Some
students have done their thesis project work abroad, in
companies and research institutes in countries such as
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
India, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland.
Many of the thesis works, both at the university and in the
industry have led to scientific peer-reviewed publications,
which is highly appreciated since, again, a large number of
the students are looking for PhD student positions after the
Master - it is a merit and good training. A large number of
the students also get a PhD position or an employment in
Sweden, Europe, and on the American continent.
VIII.

CONCLUSIONS

The aim of the program was to develop an innovative

curriculum for SoC design. The program was aimed at
undergraduate and graduate students as well as Bachelor's.
The Master of Science program in Lund focuses on SoC
design, with an emphasis on wireless communication. A large
part of the practical work is devoted to circuit design in the
radio field. One reason for this is the high local concentration
of wireless R&D. Around 7000 wireless and circuit designers
work in Lund and its surroundings.
A decade of experiences has resulted in a mature and
well-established program. The program is taught by high
level
professors
who
are
internationally
recognized
researchers. This guarantees that the latest research results are
filtered down to the students. Graduating students thus have
the most up-to-date education that can be conceived.

In the beginning, the program comprised one year of

courses. Experience suggested that one year was too short, the
time passed quickly and there was more important material,
which could be included in the program; the additional
content would give graduates a solid Master of Science
degree. Increasing the duration of the program to cover a year
and a half of courses produced a better organized program.

Student evaluations indicated that the courses and the

program as a whole are very popular and of a high standard.
The program is well-balanced and includes a large block of
SoC courses as well as blocks in radio electronics, radio

The Swedish Government's introduction of expensive

tuition fees has not benefited the program. There has been a
large reduction in the number of students. There is a shortage

rate was 92%.

of well-educated Master's graduates in the SoC field so

systems and nano electronics.

The program has a very high graduate rate. In some years,
all the students graduated. For the first 5 years the graduation

REFERENCES
[I]

Hugo De Man, "System-on-Chip Design: Impact on Education and

Research," IEEE Design & Test of Computers, vol. 13, pp. 11-19,
July-September,1999.

[2]

P. Nilsson, P. Eles, and H. Tenhunen, "Socware: A new Swedish

Design Cluster for System-on-Chip," MSE 'Ol, Las Vegas, USA, pp.
44-45,June 17-18,2001.

[3]

P. Nilsson and V. Owall, "Socware: A new System-on-Chip

Curriculum at Lund University," EWME '2002, Baiona, Spain, pp. 1-2,
May 23-24,2002.

[4]

H. Hedberg, T. Lenart, H. Svensson, P. Nilsson, and V. Owall,

"Teaching Digital HW-Design by Implementing a Complete MP3
Decoder," MSE'03, Anaheim,USA,June 1-2,pp. 31-32,2003.

[5]

Y. Wu, X. Liu, D. Ye, V. Viswam, L. Zhu, P. Lu, D. Radjen, and H.

Sjoland, "A O.13!lm CMOS L1L PLL FM Transmitter," NORCH/P 'll,
Lund,Sweden,pp. 1-4,November 14-15,2011

[6]

1. B. Biggs, "What the Student does: Teaching for Quality Learning at

University," Buckingham: Open University Press, 1999.

[7]

P. Ramsden, "A performance indicator of teaching quality in higher

education: the Course Experience Questionnaire," Studies in Higher
Education, vol. 16,pp.129-150, 1991.

industry does not benefit from the tuition fees either. From
the government's point of view, it would be reasonable to
assume that for an investment in two years of study, the
industry would benefit trom a well-educated Master's
graduate who has already received 15 - 20 years of education
tree of charge.
In general student response to the curriculum has been
very positive. The courses have received high scores in the
evaluations and students are satisfied with the balance
between theory and practice. A high percentage of the
students take their degree. The throughput is thus high.
Students also like the close contact with highly qualified
teachers and professors. Students particularly value the large
project course on which they develop their designs using the
most modem tools, which can result in a real fabricated
design using a modern CMOS technology.

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