Telecommunication Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Data Science and Engineering
ETSETB is the school of telecommunication engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), located on the North Campus in Barcelona. It is a leading center for education and research in telecommunications, electronics, and ICT.
The Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria de Telecomunicació de Barcelona, ETSETB, is the telecommunications engineering school of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC. It stands on the Campus Nord, on Carrer de Jordi Girona in the Les Corts district of Barcelona, in a group of buildings that also houses the computer science school and several research institutes. It has about 2,000 students and 250 teaching staff, and around one student in five comes from abroad.
The school teaches bachelor’s degrees in telecommunications systems engineering and in telecommunications technologies and services engineering, as well as a master’s degree in telecommunications engineering that is taught in English and qualifies graduates for the profession. Courses cover signal processing, electronics, networks, wireless and optical communications, antennas, photonics and embedded systems. Students learn programming and mathematics from the first year, and they build projects in laboratories and in student teams.
ETSETB is selective. The entry marks required for its degrees are among the highest in Catalonia, so applicants need strong results in the Spanish university entrance exam. The school has a strong reputation with employers, and its graduates work in telecommunications companies, in technology firms, in consulting and in research. Barcelona hosts the Mobile World Congress each year, and the city has a strong cluster of mobile and digital companies.
The Campus Nord neighbours the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and other research centres, and many professors are active in research groups linked to UPC. Research areas include signal theory, communications, radar and remote sensing, quantum communications and wireless networks. The school takes part in European exchange programmes and double-degree agreements with universities abroad.
Public universities in Catalonia set tuition per credit each year, and the prices for non-EU students are higher than for EU students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in Catalan, Spanish and English, depending on the course. Barcelona is expensive for renters, and students often share flats or look for places in residence halls.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Bioengineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Telecommunications
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
As part of UPC, it has extensive international agreements, double degrees, and very strong collaborations with the ICT industry, research centers (e.g., i2CAT, CTTC), and telecommunication operators.
Research:
Cutting-edge research in areas like 5G/6G communications, IoT, optical networks, microelectronics, signal processing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and biomedical applications of ICT.
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
250
Current students***:
2000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
15000
Pros
Highly prestigious school for telecommunication and electronic engineering, excellent research facilities, strong industry demand for graduates. Part of UPC.
Cons
Very competitive admissions. Demanding curriculum.
Best For
Students aiming for a top-tier education in telecommunication, electronic, or data engineering at one of Spain’s leading ICT schools.
In terms of fields, Escola de Enxeñaría de Telecomunicación is the nearest neighbour, with signal processing, computer vision and telecommunications again at the core; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
La Salle Campus Barcelona - Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería La Salle overlaps with this school on bioengineering, computer vision and telecommunications, so the two are easy to compare, and it is private, whereas this school is public, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Facultad de Ciencias Físicas sits close to this school on nanotechnologies, optics and signal processing; it is larger, enrolling about 3,000 students against roughly 2,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Both schools build their programmes around computer vision, data analytics and AI and machine learning, and Facultade de Informática is the one to compare first within the country, since it has almost the same size, at about 1,800 students, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications in China pursues a similar profile in optics, signal processing and computer vision, and it covers process control and statistics as well, and is far larger, with about 30,000 students against roughly 2,000 here.
Seen from abroad, ISTIC (France) is a close relative on subject matter, since optics, signal processing and computer vision are central to both, and it is slightly smaller, at about 1,500 students against roughly 2,000 here, and is also a public institution.
ENSEA offers an international parallel to this school, with optics, signal processing and computer vision as common ground; it does not run the bachelor's programmes found here and covers process control and automation as well.
If this institution is on your list for bioengineering, electrical and electronics and data analytics, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad in India deserves a comparison, because it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers materials as well.
Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics in Ukraine shares the bioengineering, computer vision and telecommunications orientation of this school, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
What is ETSETB?
The telecommunications engineering school of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC.
Where is it?
On Carrer de Jordi Girona 1-3 on the Campus Nord, in Barcelona, Spain.
How large is it?
About 2,000 students and 250 teaching staff.
What does it teach?
Bachelor's degrees in telecommunications systems engineering and in telecommunications technologies and services engineering, and a master's degree in telecommunications engineering.
Is the master's taught in English?
Yes. The master's degree in telecommunications engineering is taught in English.
How selective is it?
The entry marks for its degrees are among the highest in Catalonia, so applicants need strong results in the university entrance exam.
What does it cost?
Public universities in Catalonia set tuition per credit each year, and prices for non-EU students are higher. Check the current tariff.
Which research areas are strong?
Signal theory, communications, radar and remote sensing, quantum communications and wireless networks.
Which centres are nearby?
The Barcelona Supercomputing Center and other research centres on the Campus Nord.
Are there exchange programmes?
Yes. The school takes part in European exchange programmes and double-degree agreements.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), Signal Processing
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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