Information, Communication and Multimedia Technologies

Descri​ption

The Master’s degree in Information, Communication and Multimedia Technologies is taught using a blended learning system and has an evening timetable. It has three specialisations that cover different and complementary areas, which means students must choose a specialisation when they register for the course. It focuses heavily on qualifying its students for professional work and aims to provide theoretical and practical knowledge with particularly emphasis on practical expertise; it includes a project rather than a dissertation. The course is especially designed for students who intend to improve their vocational qualifications, although they can also pursue an academic career.

Student profiles vary according to the specialisation chosen and range from Bachelor’s degrees in communication and multimedia fields to degrees in computer science or telecommunications.

The central theme of the Master’s course are next-generation networks (fibre optic, Wi-Fi, mobile networks and the internet of things) and, depending on mologythe specialisation chosen, covers digital content production (multimedia and audiovisuals), the creation of advanced computer services (mobile and cloud computing), the management, monitoring and use of next-generation telecommunications networks, including sensor networks, and security and privacy protection.

This type of Master’s course requires access to laboratories and places where content, products and services can be developed and tested. Partnerships and agreements have been established with the Porto Digital Association, which manages the fibre optic and Wi-Fi networks for the city of Porto, the Porto Metropolitan Area, OPOLAB (a co-working and 3D printing space), Alcatel-Lucent Canada, and the Regional Health Administration for the North in order to ensure that students can carry out their project work in real settings and implement digital content and services for infrastructure and next-generation networks.

The agreement concluded with OPOLAB in 2013 allows students interested in this field to carry out their first business experiments in co-working and pre-incubation spaces.

People who​ have a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Multimedia, Communication Sciences, Computer Science for Business Management, Public Relations, Communication and Telecommunications Networks, Information Systems and Software, Multimedia Communication Technologies, a similar subject, or a legal equivalent.

UMAIA is linked by fibre optic cable to Tecmaia (the Maia Science and Technology Park) and to the metropolitan telecommunications network managed by the Digital Porto Association, which connects Maia, Matosinhos, Porto and Santa Maria da Feira. This network connects primary schools, museums, parish councils, health centres, the Casa da Música concert hall, OPOLAB, Exponor, the port of Leixões, science and technology parks, etc., and reaches more than 200 sites. It is complemented by a television network that covers almost 5,500 locations in 15 social housing areas in the city of Porto, a Wi-Fi network and a sensor network. The network includes a range of data centres and an advanced MPLS telecommunications laboratory set up at UMAIA in partnership with the Porto Digital Association and AlcatelLucent. For students of the telecommunications specialisation, the syllabus includes specialised training that gives them access to Network Routing Specialist industry certification (NRS1 and NRS2).

As well as general-interest television channels, the television network includes an IPTV channel, which enables multimedia and audiovisual content created by students of the course’s multimedia production specialisation to be broadcast and seen. The partnerships with the Porto Metropolitan Area and the Regional Health Administration allow students to work with audiovisual solutions for a diverse range of themes, ranging from ethnographic and tourist topics to telemedicine. For example, previous students on the course were involved in a project to collect immaterial heritage in the Porto Metropolitan Area, for which 34 films were made on themes chosen by the municipalities.

Students of the computer science specialisation will have the opportunity to develop and use APIs, databases and content created in recent years for the Porto Metropolitan Area. With the transformation of Porto into a smart city, the combination of sensor networks, Wi-Fi networks and mobile devices raises a number of security and privacy issues. Students specialising in security and privacy will be involved in solving current and urgent problems.​

Areas of Specialisation

The Master’s degree in Information, Communication and Multimedia Technologies offers three areas of specialisation:

• ​Multimedia Production;
• Computer Science and Information Security;
• Telecommunications.

Career Opportunities in the Multimedia Specialisation Area

All aspects of multimedia and audiovisual production in the fields of creation, production and distribution of corporate videos, documentary videos or fictional videos, and digital marketing.

Career Opportunities in the Computer Science and Information Security Specialisation Area

Senior professional roles in information systems; analysis and programming of systems and applications, including mobile devices; IT project management; cloud computing, data mining and big data; management of the security aspects of IT systems; detection and resolution of issues relating to the privacy of users of networks and smart systems.

Career Opportunities in Telecommunications

Management and administration of computer networks and systems; programming, monitoring and configuration of computer networks and systems; network and system security; telecommunications services for businesses and telecommunications operators.

Registry​

​Publication in the Official Gazette

Notice n.º 12080/2020 - 2nd series, no. 161 of August

Accreditation of the Study Program

Study Program Evaluation