Academics & Curriculum

The Master of Engineering in Autonomy & Robotics is an intensive professional degree program that can be completed in one year while on campus.

The program is designed as a unique discovery experience, offering greater technical depth than is possible in an undergraduate program, while providing the tools you'll need to successfully work within multidisciplinary teams. The coursework provides opportunities to become proficient within your technical discipline at the graduate level, and the background to become an effective manager or supervisor in an autonomy and robotics field.

Students need to complete the following coursework requirements:

  • Minimum of 32 credit hours comprised of 16 hours of core Autonomy and Robotics coursework
  • 12 hours elective coursework
  • 4 hours of professional development (capstone project)

Autonomy and Robotics Curriculum

Program Component Hours
Core Coursework 16
    ME 445 - Introduction to Robotics 4
    ECE 484 - Principles of Safe Autonomy 4
    CS 588 - Autonomous Vehicle System Engineering 4

    Select one of the following:
        Control and Dynamics
        ECE 486 - Control Systems
        SE 422 - Robot Dynamics and Control

        Optimization
        AE 504 - Optimal Aerospace Systems
        ECE 490 - Introduction to Optimization 

        Hardware Systems
        ME 451 Computer-Aided Mfg Systems

        Artificial Intelligence & Perception
        CS 440 - Artificial Intelligence
        CS 543 - Computer Vision
        ECE 544 - Topics in Signal Processing

        Design & Applications
        CS 465 - User Interface Design 

4
Professional Development Course
Select one of the following:
ENG 573 - Capstone Project
ENG 572 - Professional Practicum
Other advisor-approved courses
4
Additional Coursework
Electives may be selected from the course list (see below), with advisor approval. This list includes courses in Control and Dynamics, Optimization, Hardware Systems, Artificial Intelligence & Perception, and Design & Applications.
12

Total Hours

  • A minimum of 20 credit hours must be taken from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.
  • A minimum of 12 500-level credit hours.
  • No courses used to fulfill any degree requirement may be taken using the "Credit/No Credit" option. 
32

Course List

Autonomy & Robotics M.Eng. Elective Course List (12 credits - pick 3 courses)

# indicates that the course was not offered in 2020
* indicates that the course is also on the list of specialized core courses

Enrollment in these courses may depend on course availability.

CONTROL & DYNAMICS

Course Code Course Name Credit Hours
AE 554 Dynamical Systems Theory 4
AE 555 Multivariable Control Design 4
AE 556 Robust Control 4
ECE 515 Control System Theory & Design 4
ECE 486 Control Systems 4
ECE 489 Robot Dynamics & Control 4
ECE 517 Nonlinear & Adaptive Control 4
ECE 528 Analysis of Nonlinear Systems

4

ECE 553 Optimum Control Systems

4

ECE 555 Control of Stochastic Systems

4

ECE 557 Geometric Control Theory

4

ECE 568 Modeling & Control of Electromechanical Systems

4

ECE 573 Power System Control

4

ME 440 Kinematics & Dynamics of Mechanical Systems

3 or 4

ME 446 Robot Dynamics & Control

4

ME 460 Industrial Control Systems

4

ME 540 Control System Theory & Design

4

ME 561 Convex Methods in Control

4

ME 562 Robust Adaptive Control

4

SE 424 State Space Design for Control

3

SE 521 Multivariable Control Design

4

SE 525 Control of Complex Systems

4

TAM 412 Intermediate Dynamics

4

TAM 516 Dynamical Systems Theory

4

OPTIMIZATION

Course Code Course Name Credit Hours
AE 504 Optimal Aerospace Systems 4
ECE 490 Introduction to Optimization 3 or 4
ECE 580 Optimization by Vector Space Methods 4
IE 411 Optimization of Large Systems 3 or 4
IE 519 Combinatorial Optimization 4
IE 521 Convex Optimization 4

HARDWARE SYSTEMS

Course Code Course Name Credit Hours
CS 431 Embedded Systems 3 or 4
ECE 437 Sensors and Instrumentation 3
ME 451 Computer-Aided Manufacturing Systems 3 or 4
ME 452 Numerical Control of Manufacturing Processes 3 or 4
ME 455 Micromanufacturing Process & Automation 3 or 4
ME 461 Computer Control of Mechanical Systems 3 or 4
ME 541 Control of Machine Systems 4
SE 420 Digital Control Systems 4
SE 423 Mechatronics 3

SOFTWARE SYSTEMS

Course Code Course Name Credit Hours
CS 424 Real-Time Systems 3 or 4
CS 425 Distributed Systems 3 or 4
CS 427 Software Engineering I 3 or 4
CS 428 Software Engineering II 3 or 4
CS 438 Communication Networks 3 or 4
CS 461 Computer Security I 4
CS 476 Program Verification 3 or 4
CS 477 Formal Software Development Methods 3 or 4
CS 483 Applied Parallel Programming 4
CS 484 Parallel Programming 3 or 4

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & PERCEPTION

Course Code Course Name Credit Hours
CS 440 Artificial Intelligence 3 or 4
CS 446 Machine Learning 3 or 4
CS 447 Natural Language Processing 3 or 4
CS 543 Computer Vision 4
CS 546 Advanced Topics in Natural Language Processing 4
ECE 534 Random Processes 4
ECE 543 Statistical Learning Theory 4
ECE 561 Detection & Estimation Theory 4
ECE 566 Computational Inference and Learning 4
IE 534 Deep Learning 4
SE 524 Data-Based Systems Modeling 4

DESIGN & APPLICATIONS

Course Code Course Name Credit Hours
CS 465 User Interface Design 3 or 4
CS 565 Human-Computer Interaction 4
SE 400 Engineering Law 3 or 4

GRADUATE STUDENT PETITION FORM
This is an all-purpose form used for transferring credit, changing academic programs, absentia registration, and a variety of other changes. 

LATE REGISTRATION AND LATE COURSE CHANGE FORM

Use this form to add, drop, or change a course after the 10th day of class. Instructor signature is required for ADD and CREDIT INCREASE requests; obtain before submitting to program advisor.

How can we help you?

Our program coordinators can help you with questions about your graduate studies.