Certainly one of the most challenging fields in modern electronics is design and fabrication of integrated circuits (ICs, chips), called microelectronics. For many years this technology has been driven by demands of computer industry, space technology, car industry and telecommunications. With both Austrian semiconductor manufacturers, a supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and several design centres located in the south of Austria, microelectronics has also become a key area for education and research at the School of Systems Engineering of Carinthia University of Applied Sciences in Villach.

The master degree program Integrated Systems and Circuits Design ISCD, which has been offered since 2006, is fully dedicated to the design of high performance analog, complex digital as well as mixed-signal integrated circuits. The program offers 15 study places and working language is English. Lecturers are either full-time staff of Carinthia University of Applied Sciences with many years of industry experience or experts from industry.

Education in microelectronics is also offered in several undergraduate courses of the bachelor degree program Systems Engineering. In addition, more detailed topics in microelectronics are also discussed in graduate courses of the master degree program Systems Design.

The School of Systems Engineering actively participates in applied research (R&D) in close cooperation with local and international industry and universities. Examples for R&D projects in microelectronics are the design of an integrated circuit handling the protocol for information transfer in safety critical applications (TTA), the design of a multi-mode analog to digital converter for 3rd generation mobile phones (MMADC) or the design of low-power interfaces for portable audio applications (socPod). For students these projects provide the opportunity to actively participate in research in form of student projects, internships and diploma thesis.