Master on Navigation and Related Applications

A joint initiative of

with the collaboration of

Innovative, added-value services and applications strictly related to user positioning information are acquiring more and more importance due to the potential benefits for the world-wide community.

Nowadays, civil users are able to fix their position on the basis of ranging signals broadcast by GPS satellites, but the problem is that GPS remains a military system and this fact limits the diffusion of potential services (with particular reference to critical and safety of life applications).

For this reason, the Galileo system which represents the European initiative in the field of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) will be a real boost for the introduction of navigation and positioning applications in the worldwide wireless mass-market. Galileo, fully deployed by 2008, is acquiring a large sharing; in fact countries like China and India and Latin America are expressing a strong interest in participating to Galileo definition, deployment and test. In addition, it has to be remarked that terrestrial locating systems based on wireless communication networks and the integration of GNSS signals with communication signals (e.g., WLAN and Galileo) will represent a natural way for the diffusion of navigation-related services. In the next future a substantial amount of skilled personnel will be engaged in production and management of innovative navigation-oriented applications.

At the same time, short time-to-market is becoming a must for companies engaged in the development of navigation hardware, services and applications, which require advanced technical skills as well as a broad vision of the navigation/localization technologies at large.

The II Level Specializing Master in Navigation and Related Applications (MNA) is an effective answer to the work market demands in terms of high level technicians endowed with a broad vision of the navigation/localization world but also with specific skills.

Admission requirements and cultural prerequisities
In order to be admitted into the II Level Specializing Master program, applicants must possess a 5-year (10 semesters) university degree. Applications from students who possess a 4-year (8 semesters) university degree may be possibly evaluated by the selection commission.

The MNA program is addressed to graduate students having completed a Master of Science or an equivalent title in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Enviromental Engeneering, Communication Engineering, Information Technology or related subjects.

Written and spoken English is required (English is the official language of the MNA), together with basic notions in communication theory and electronics.

To profitably follow the Specializing Master program, candidates should have some background in the areas:

• Principles of digital communications
• Principles of digital signal processing
• Basics of electromagnetic wave propagation
• Basics of software tools (e.g. Matlab) and programming languages (e.g. C)

No basic knowledge in navigation is required. A lack of background in one or two areas is considered acceptable.

The MNA provides an extensive background in navigation/localization systems as well as a detailed analysis on NAV/COM integration and environmental monitoring applications or a specific training on timing. The courses range from system aspects, receiver technologies (hardware design) and innovative applications based on the user position.

The teaching staff selected by the Scientific Committee includes many internationally known researcher from Politecnico di Torino, ISMB, IEN and European Universities, but also experts from companies involved in navigation programs.

Courses will cover the following aspects:

• GPS and Galileo systems
• Support systems for GPS and Galileo,
• terrestrial and satellite-based (e.g., EGNOS)
• GNSS regulatory aspects
• Receiver technologies Localization in cellular systems (and WLAN)
• Navigation and communication hybridization (GNSS + wireless networks)
• Applications of GNSS in surveys and mapping
• Added-value navigation-related services and applications
• Timing and time scale generation
• Synchronization

The teaching staff selected by the Scientific Committee includes many internationally known researcher from Politecnico di Torino, ISMB, IEN and European Universities, but also experts from companies involved in navigation programs.

The MNA program usually starts in October and its duration is 12 months including a period ranging from 4 to 6 months for pilot projects (internships).

The program includes 70 educational credits, 50 corresponding to courses, 20 to a internship in a lab or a company operating in the field of navigation (or in the field of production of navigation-related applications) and/or in the technical laboratories of ISMB and IEN.

It should be remarked that students can do the pilot project in a technical lab in their own home country under the supervision of a local tutor and the coordination of a member of the scientific committee of the MNA.

Students will obtain a Specializing master certificate at the end of the course after the dissertation of the specializing master thesis based on the internship activity. A certificate of attendance will be provided to the students with a partial registration.

Internship is a training period offered by major companies operating in the Specializing Master field.
During the internship the student is officially allocated within a company, with full insurance coverage during working hours.
It is compulsory and its duration is about 3 months but (with mutual agreement) can be extended beyond the Specializing Master end date (e.g. up to 12 months totally).
During this period student will be supported by the Specializing Master coordinator and supervised by his tutors (at Politecnico di Torino and in the company); at the end they will acquire 20 educational credits (ECTS) doing a pilot project.

The tuition fee is € 8.000.

A partial registration is also possible for students interested in attending only a limited number of modules.

Compagnia di San Paolo - Politecnico project
Politecnico di Torino, thanks to the support of the Compagnia di San Paolo, offers international students the possibility to receive a scholarship. The gross amount of the scholarship is 6.000 Euro.
Please note that the project covers the tuition fees (8.000 Euro). Therefore the scholarship recipient is exempt from tuition fees.
The amount of the scholarship will not be increased in case the student will have an internship extension.
Payment of the scholarship occurs periodically (12 instalments). The first instalment is dependent upon the possession of the relevant documentation (enrollment certification, residence permit, Italian fiscal code, and bank account in the name of the scholarship recipient), all obtainable upon arrival in Italy; for this reason, the first instalment is not paid at the moment of arrival at the Politecnico di Torino (September 2010), but at the end of October.
Payment of the scholarship will be suspended if the academic performance of the recipient does not meet a satisfactory level.

Scholarship winners will be selected among the students who have successfully completed and submitted the online application form within May 17th 2010 (h 12:00 am, Italian time).

For details please consult the website or call the contact people listed below.

Politecnico di Torino
Ufficio Master e Formazione Permanente - Area Gestione Didattica
Phone: (+39) 011 090 7913/6108/5713/5717
E-mail: master.universitari@polito.it

Prof.ssa Letizia Lo Presti - Master Scientific Coordinator
Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento di Elettronica

Web: didattica.polito.it/master/navigation