Semiconductors are the foundation of the modern digital economy. From medical equipment, communication systems and industrial sensors to electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and advanced computing, semiconductor chips enable many of the technologies on which contemporary society depends.
At the same time, Europe faces a substantial shortage of the expertise required to design, manufacture, integrate and apply these increasingly complex components. Building new semiconductor facilities and expanding production capacity will not be sufficient unless Europe also educates the engineers and researchers needed to develop and operate them.
A newly approved European master’s programme aims to help address this challenge.
The Joint International Master in Semiconductor ChipS Integration and Innovation, known as SSI2, has been selected for Erasmus Mundus status and funding from the European Union. The programme will educate a new generation of international specialists in semiconductor technology, with a particular emphasis on semiconductor chip integration and innovation.
The first SSI2 student cohort is scheduled to begin in autumn 2027 and the admission will be open from October 2026.
Three universities combining complementary expertise
SSI2 will be coordinated by the University of South-Eastern Norway, in collaboration with Aalto University in Finland and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary. The three institutions contribute complementary expertise covering several important parts of the semiconductor value chain. Through the programme, students will receive an international education combining theoretical knowledge, advanced engineering methods, practical laboratory experience and exposure to European research and industry.
Students will study at all three universities during the two-year programme. This mobility structure will allow them to work in distinct academic environments and gain access to different technological infrastructures, laboratories and areas of specialization.
Aalto University contributes expertise in areas such as integrated circuit design, digital systems, computing architectures and system-on-chip engineering. At the University of South-Eastern Norway, students will encounter microsystems technology, microfabrication, multiphysics modelling, wafer processing, thin-film technologies, packaging and semiconductor integration. The Budapest University of Technology and Economics will strengthen the system-level dimension through areas including embedded systems, electronic assembly, reliability, testing and hardware-oriented applications.
Together, these areas will give students a broad understanding of how semiconductor technologies move from materials, devices and circuit designs to integrated systems and real-world applications.
Connecting design, fabrication and system integration
Semiconductor education is often divided into separate disciplines. Chip designers may have limited exposure to fabrication and packaging, while engineers working with embedded systems may have little direct experience of the physical processes used to manufacture semiconductor devices.
SSI2 seeks to bridge these disciplinary boundaries.
The programme will introduce students to the interconnected stages of semiconductor development, including circuit and system design, modelling, fabrication, packaging, testing, reliability and system integration. The objective is not only to teach students how semiconductor components function, but also to provide a wider understanding of how chips are designed, manufactured, integrated and deployed.
Practical learning will be an important part of this educational model. Access to cleanrooms, advanced laboratories, design environments and testing infrastructure will allow students to connect theoretical concepts with physical processes and engineering challenges.
In the final semester, students will complete an individual master’s thesis. Thesis projects are expected to be connected to relevant academic or industrial research environments, giving students an opportunity to apply their knowledge to current technological problems.
Developed in collaboration with academia and industry
Cooperation with external partners from academia and industry will form an important part of SSI2. These partners will contribute specialist knowledge and provide feedback on academic quality, industrial relevance and the programme’s future development.
The collaboration is intended to keep the curriculum closely connected to technological developments and the changing competence requirements of the semiconductor sector. Industrial participation may also create opportunities for student projects, master’s theses, research activities and future employment.
This connection is particularly important in a field developing as rapidly as semiconductor technology. New architectures, materials, fabrication processes, packaging methods and application areas are continually changing the expertise expected of engineers.
By maintaining a continuous dialogue with external stakeholders, SSI2 intends to educate graduates who understand both the scientific foundations of semiconductor technology and the practical expectations of European industry.
An educational response to Europe’s semiconductor ambitions
The programme arrives as Europe is making major investments in semiconductor research, production and innovation.
Through the European Chips Act and related initiatives, Europe aims to strengthen its semiconductor ecosystem, reduce strategic dependencies and increase resilience against future disruptions in global supply chains. The European ambition includes expanding research and manufacturing capacity and increasing Europe’s share of the global semiconductor market.
However, infrastructure alone cannot achieve these objectives. New fabrication plants, pilot lines and research facilities require highly qualified professionals with interdisciplinary knowledge and practical experience. The limited availability of such specialists has therefore become a potential constraint on Europe’s technological ambitions.
SSI2 addresses this challenge by developing an international talent pipeline across three European educational and technological environments. Graduates will be prepared to contribute in areas extending from semiconductor and integrated-circuit design to microfabrication, packaging, testing, system integration and advanced applications.
The programme may consequently support Europe not only by educating specialists, but also by promoting knowledge transfer between institutions, countries and industrial regions.
Attracting international talent to Europe
As an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master, SSI2 will recruit students internationally through a competitive selection process. Erasmus Mundus scholarships are expected to make the
programme accessible to highly qualified candidates from different parts of the world by supporting participation, mobility and living costs.
The international composition of the student cohorts will be central to the programme. Students will study, collaborate and complete projects in multicultural teams while moving between Finland, Norway and Hungary.
This approach is intended to prepare graduates for a semiconductor sector in which research, production and supply chains operate across national boundaries. It can also help Europe attract highly qualified international students and create opportunities for graduates to establish long-term connections with European universities, research institutes and companies.
Building on the experience of the SSIs programme
SSI2 builds on the experience gained through the Erasmus Mundus programme Smart Systems Integrated Solutions, or SSIs.
The preceding programme brought together international students and academic environments within integrated smart systems. Its final cohort completed the programme in 2026. SSI2 continues the established collaboration among the three universities while introducing a more dedicated focus on semiconductor chips and the technologies required to design, fabricate and integrate them.
This transition reflects the increasing importance of semiconductor competence for Europe’s industrial competitiveness and technological development.
Preparing talent for Europe’s technological future
Applications for the new programme are expected to open in autumn 2026, with the first SSI2 cohort beginning its studies in autumn 2027. The two-year programme will comprise four semesters and include mandatory mobility across the partner universities.
SSI2 represents more than the establishment of a new degree. The programme connects education, research, international mobility and industrial collaboration around a strategically important technological field.
By educating engineers who can work across traditional disciplinary boundaries, SSI2 aims to strengthen Europe’s capacity to transform semiconductor research into manufacturable components, integrated systems and innovative applications.
Europe’s semiconductor ambitions will ultimately depend not only on investments in facilities and equipment, but also on the people capable of turning those investments into lasting technological capability. SSI2 is designed to help educate those people.