Dual Bachelor In Data Science & Telecommunications: My Honest Review | #012
A Guide for Future Students and Their Parents
As many students across Spain are now deciding on their studies, I will share my experience as a first graduate in the Dual Bachelor's in Data Science and Engineering and Telecommunication Technologies Engineering1.
What is this degree?
This Dual Bachelor's from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) combines two full degrees into five and a half years. It merges the new, popular world of data science and AI with the well-known telecommunications engineering (known as electrical and electronics engineering in other parts of the world).
Whether you are interested in working on the latest AI advancements, cloud, or developing software, I think this degree is a great starting point. In my opinion, this degree is for people who are curious, ambitious, and eager to understand how things work. Otherwise, you are going to dread studying many different subjects and will find most of them useless.
What do you learn in this degree?
With the new advancements in AI and technology, having a good foundation is essential to being competent2. This degree teaches you everything from how computers, the internet, antennas, and networks function to statistics, machine learning, AI, and data management for these models. In my opinion, it truly gives you the best of both worlds.
Moreover, this degree is practical. For example, I had classes where I learned state-of-the-art ML models and projects such as:
Build a kart and program its microprocessor3.
Implement a binary search tree in C for network routing4.
Partner with companies (in my case, HPE) to develop a data science business project5.
Build an SMD amplifier for a mid-band antenna!
Why choose the UC3M?
Based on my experience and friends from other universities, UC3M is a great public university.
Smaller class sizes make learning easier and allow for closer contact with professors. You can ask more questions and learn directly from them. The professors here are genuinely interested in teaching.
English courses give you an advantage, as English is a critical skill in the workplace. It also makes it easier to go on an exchange year. According to UC3M, 51% of students have studied one year abroad6.
The focus is on learning. In my opinion, the Leganés campus is not pretty, but if you are here to learn, it is the best. For example, you can join university associations to meet amazing friends. I was the ML lead at SAETA7 during 2022-2024.
That said, although UC3M is a fantastic university if you can and want to study abroad, I would encourage you to look at universities with more international prestige (like Delft, Edinburgh, ETH, TUM, and KTH). The main reason is that studying in those universities will allow you to meet more ambitious and motivated people.
My Journey and Results
I will be honest: I was the last one accepted in the degree (the 9th out of 9) and I almost did not go to university. The reason was that when I was in my final year of high school (2º de bachillerato), I had a device repair business and I saw university as a waste of time (I was a big believer that you can learn everything on the internet, as I have done my whole life).
The choice for this degree was that it was new and seemed like a challenge. It combined the world of AI which was getting more traction and telecommunications which I have always liked.
“If you have two decisions and both seem they are very equal, take the path that is more painful in the short term.” - Naval Ravikant
After four and a half years, I finished the dual bachelor's with an 8.3/10, earning 12 honors distinctions. I was the first person to graduate from this program and for now, the only one :). Along the way, I worked as a research assistant building cool drones, participated in university associations where I met great friends, and completed an internship at CERN. It was not as easy as it sounds but you can read more about it below.
FAQs
Is it 5.5 years?
On paper, the program is five and a half years long. However, you can finish it in four and a half if you work hard. You can take on extra subjects from other years and also earn credits through company internships. In my fourth year, I did 102 ECTS, and in my last semester 60 ECTS, whereas a typical year is 60 ECTS. That way, I was able to get two full degrees for half a year more than a usual bachelor’s, a good price to pay if you ask me.
Is it hard?
If you are willing to put in the work and are interested in the subjects, you can do it. You need a strong foundation in math and a good work ethic. For example, in my first year, I failed two subjects (but passed them in the recovery exams). Note, that I was busy fixing phones all day and did not focus on my studies. By my third year, I enjoyed the subjects and earned eight honors mentions out of 12 with an average grade of 9.058.
Why do a dual degree instead of a single degree and a master's?
The truth is, most people do not care that you have two degrees, and they often value a master's more. But if we ignore the Spanish obsession with "titulitis" (collecting degrees for show) and focus on learning; this dual degree gives you an incredible foundation to become an expert in the future. For now, the future looks quite unsure with all the AI and science advancements, but if I have to make a safe bet, it would be in my education.
What does the future look like for graduates?
Studying this dual bachelor's will not set you up for life. But in my opinion, it teaches you how to work hard, which is essential for a fruitful life. The best thing you can do after graduating is to stay open to opportunities and be curious about new areas. For example, I did an internship at CERN, the largest particle physics laboratory, without any prior knowledge of particle physics (now I can explain the CPT Violation or the Pauli Exclusion Principle). I am currently working at a FAANG company, Amazon, and I am going to Zurich next year…
Conclusion
I am grateful for completing this chapter of my life and excited for what is yet to come. If I could summarize the experience, it would be with this quote from Alex Hormozi:
“The work works on you more than you work on it." - Alex Hormozi
The effort you put into a task, whether it is a job, a hobby, or personal development, has a significant impact on your personal growth and development beyond the immediate results you achieve.
A Few Final Words
For Students: I hope this gave you an inside look at this dual bachelor's and encouraged you to push through exams.
For Parents: Please share this with your kids, but let them make the final decision on what they want to study.
For Recruiters: I highly recommend my colleagues Alejo González, Daniel Toribio, Alonso Madroñal, and Irina Vela. I am grateful to have studied alongside them and cannot recommend them enough.
https://www.uc3m.es/bachelor-degree/data-telecommunicaton
https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.02730
https://github.com/andres-nav/stm32-kart
https://github.com/andres-nav/route-lookup-binary-search-with-hash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT5B_cdaGTs
https://www.uc3m.es/studies/international-exchange-students-in-UC3M-/bachelor-degrees
https://youtu.be/sAwH-Zn1SJ8
https://github.com/andres-nav/andres-nav/blob/main/academic/academic_transcripts.pdf