On the 25th of February, a lecture titled "What is the ideal master's degree for me?" took place at the Taguspark campus, aimed at clarifying the differences between the Master's in Telecommunications and Informatics and the Master's in Computer Science and Engineering. The session featured Matilde Capelo, president of the Telecommunications and Informatics Engineering Students' Association, João Pimentel, representing the Master's in Telecommunications and Informatics Engineering (METI), and João Andrade, from the Master's in Computer Science and Engineering (MEIC).

After the speakers' presentations, a discussion took place between the speakers and the students present, where various topics were addressed, such as master's specializations, available curricular units, research themes for the thesis, choosing a thesis supervisor, and participation in Erasmus programs. Students had the opportunity to ask questions directly to the master's alumni, also learning about their academic journeys.

João Pimentel advised students to define the thesis topic and choose a supervisor as early as possible, considering the experience of the various professors. The alumnus has a special interest in network and system architecture and management, as well as cybersecurity, which was the topic of his thesis, supervised by Professor Rui Valadas. His interest in this field grew through exposure to a curricular unit on the subject during his first year of the master's, and throughout the lecture, he emphasized the importance of research in this area, noting that cyberattacks are constantly evolving.

He also highlighted the need for students to base their choices on research into curricular plans and seek the intersection with their professional interests, as the master's program deepens specialized knowledge that will be useful in the future.

My advice is to research as much as possible and try to understand which curricular units suit your interests.

João Pimentel, alumnus from METI

On the other hand, João Andrade, MEIC alumnus, also emphasized the importance of students doing summer internships to gain professional experience and align their choice of master's program with that experience.

The session ended after all student questions were answered.