Master’s in Autonomy & Uncrewed Systems Engineering (Multi-Domain)
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in autonomy and unmanned systems engineering (multi-domain). 12 modules covering STANAG 4586, STANAG 4671, DoD Directive 3000.09, autonomy architectures, perception, navigation, planning, control, swarms, verification and ethics, using ROS 2, Gazebo and PX4 Autopilot, with an assigned technical tutor.
Master’s in Autonomy & Uncrewed Systems Engineering (Multi-Domain) — studying from Australia
Defence is one of Australia's largest engineering employers, with major programmes in land systems, naval platforms, aircraft and integrated systems managed through the Department of Defence. Land systems engineering supports armoured vehicles, weapons and logistics equipment, often through prime contractors and local industry partners. Industry involvement is strongly encouraged through the Defence industry policy framework. Engineers work on sustainment, capability development, systems integration and safety assurance, typically in Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne and regional defence precincts.
Fees for Australia: A$15,800 (AUD), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Australia
Typical roles
Questions from Australia
How does defence engineering recognition work in Australia?
Defence engineering in Australia is largely run through the Department of Defence and its industry partners, which set their own security clearance and qualification requirements. Engineers Australia is the professional body for accreditation. SEIUM's private qualifications are not accredited by these bodies, so recognition is for employers or the relevant body to decide.
Which Australian employers hire in defence and land systems?
Australia has defence prime contractors, the Department of Defence, and specialist land systems firms. Many of these roles require Australian security clearances, which depend on citizenship and background checks rather than course completion. Ask employers how they weigh private qualifications against experience and clearance requirements.
Is the course manageable with a job, and does it need a visa?
The programmes are 100% online and taught in English, so you can study from Australia without a student visa. Specialist courses take 300 hours, diplomas 800 and master's 1,900. An assigned technical tutor supports you, fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship may be possible.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Analyse multi-domain unmanned systems and their legal and ethical framework.
Design autonomy architectures with ROS 2.
Develop perception, sensor fusion and robust navigation.
Apply planning, decision-making and control algorithms.
Design human-machine interaction with meaningful human control.
Verify and certify autonomous systems using scenarios and safety cases.
Assess autonomy from the standpoint of international law and ethics.
Who it's for
- Autonomous systems engineers working on air, land or maritime platforms.
- Robotics engineers moving into multi-domain unmanned vehicles.
- Perception engineers developing sensor fusion and computer vision.
- Navigation and control engineers working on GNSS-free and robust guidance.
- Autonomy verification engineers building scenario-based test campaigns.
- Ethics and regulation analysts specialising in autonomous systems.
- Engineering or science graduates aiming to enter the defence industry.
What you'll work with
- STANAG 4586 (standard interfaces of UAV control systems)
- STANAG 4671 (airworthiness requirements for unmanned aircraft systems)
- DoD Directive 3000.09 (autonomy in weapon systems)
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 (UAS operations)
- Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 (unmanned aircraft systems)
- UL 4600 (safety evaluation of autonomous products)
- Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (Article 36 legal review)
- ISO 21448 (safety of the intended functionality, SOTIF)
- ROS 2
- Gazebo
- PX4 Autopilot
- MATLAB/Simulink
- CARLA
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1Classification of unmanned systems1.2Air, land, surface and underwater domains1.3Levels of autonomy1.4Civil and state applications1.5Market and industrial base1.6International legal framework1.7The debate on autonomous weapon systems1.8Ethics of autonomy1.9The programme's academic approach1.10Case study: comparison of autonomy taxonomies
2.1Deliberative, reactive and hybrid architectures2.2The perception-decision-action loop2.3ROS 2 middleware2.4Robust software architectures2.5Mission management2.6System health monitoring2.7Degraded modes2.8Open architectures2.9STANAG 4586 interoperability2.10Lab: architecture of a vehicle in ROS 2
3.1Sensors: camera, LiDAR, radar and sonar3.2Sensor calibration3.3Computer vision3.4Object detection with deep learning3.5Sensor fusion3.6State estimation with Kalman filters3.7Perception in degraded environments3.8Uncertainty in perception3.9Perception validation3.10Practical exercise: LiDAR-camera fusion for obstacle detection
4.1Inertial navigation4.2GNSS and its vulnerability4.3Visual and LiDAR SLAM4.4Underwater navigation4.5GNSS-free navigation4.6Maps and environment representation4.7Navigation integrity4.8Cooperative navigation4.9Validation4.10Lab: SLAM with a simulated ground robot
5.1Trajectory planning5.2A* and RRT algorithms5.3Collision avoidance5.4Planning under uncertainty5.5Markov decision processes5.6Reinforcement learning5.7Mission planning5.8Safety constraints5.9Explainability of decisions5.10Practical exercise: RRT* planning in an environment with obstacles
6.1Dynamic modelling of vehicles6.2Control of multirotor drones6.3Control of ground vehicles6.4Control of marine vehicles6.5Predictive control6.6Robust control6.7Open autopilots6.8Control testing6.9Tuning and validation6.10Lab: control of a multirotor with PX4 in simulation
7.1Multi-agent coordination7.2Consensus algorithms7.3Task allocation7.4Emergent behaviours7.5Swarm communications7.6Robustness and failures7.7Human-machine teams7.8Civil applications of swarms7.9Ethical debate on swarms7.10Case study: task allocation for infrastructure inspection
8.1Meaningful human control8.2Levels of automation and trust8.3Ground control interfaces8.4Operator workload8.5Teleoperation8.6System transparency8.7Operator training8.8Human factors in accidents8.9User evaluation8.10Practical exercise: designing a supervision interface for multiple vehicles
9.1Challenges in verifying autonomy9.2Simulation and synthetic environments9.3Scenario-based testing9.4Formal methods9.5AI verification9.6Autonomy safety cases9.7UL 4600 as a reference9.8UAS airworthiness: STANAG 46719.9EU regulations on UAS9.10Workshop: scenario-based validation plan
10.1Command and control links10.2Payload data links10.3Mesh networks10.4Underwater communications10.5Cybersecurity of unmanned systems10.6GNSS spoofing and jamming: defence10.7Software security10.8Spectrum management10.9Resilience10.10Case study: cyber risk analysis of a UAS
11.1International humanitarian law11.2Article 36 legal review11.3Debates in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons11.4DoD Directive 3000.0911.5NATO principles of responsible AI11.6EU AI Act and defence exclusions11.7Responsibility and accountability11.8Privacy in civil applications11.9Research ethics11.10Practical exercise: analysis of an ethical case in autonomy
12.1Definition of the civil or research mission12.2Autonomy architecture12.3Perception and navigation12.4Planning and control12.5Simulation12.6Validation plan12.7Legal and ethical analysis12.8Conclusions12.9Master's Thesis report12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so the programme can be combined with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is ROS 2, Gazebo, PX4 Autopilot, MATLAB/Simulink and CARLA, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures for simulating autonomous vehicles in synthetic environments, sensor fusion and GNSS-free navigation, and scenario-based validation of autonomous systems. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: STANAG 4586, STANAG 4671, DoD Directive 3000.09, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945, UL 4600, Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (Article 36), ISO 21448 (SOTIF).
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- University degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with ROS 2, Gazebo, PX4 Autopilot, MATLAB/Simulink and CARLA, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
A degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a suitable computer and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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