This programme provides a challenging range of advanced topics drawn from optical communications systems and devices, and optics-related signal processing, including associated enabling technologies. It offers an excellent opportunity to acquire the skills needed for a career in the most dynamic fields in optical communications. Optical fibre communications form the backbone of all land-based communications and are the only viable means to support today's global information systems. Research at Bristol is contributing to the ever-increasing requirement for bandwidth and flexibility through research into optical switching technology, wavelength conversion, high-speed modulation, data regeneration and novel semiconductor lasers. As well as units on the fundamentals of electromagnetics, optical fibres and optical devices, there are two units related to optical networks: Optical Networks and Data Centre Networks. Optical Networks focuses on wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks, time division multiplexed (TDM) networks including SDH/SONET and OTN, optical frequency division multiplexed networks, and optical sub-wavelength switched networks. Data Centre Networks focuses on networks for cloud computing, cloud-based networking, grid computing and e-science.