Master’s in Off-Highway Trajectory Planning Engineering
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in trajectory planning engineering for off-highway machinery, with 12 modules covering kinematic and dynamic models, environment representation, graph search, sampling-based methods, trajectory optimisation, tracking control, coverage planning, multi-machine coordination, terrain- and energy-aware planning, and safety and validation, with an assigned technical tutor.
Master’s in Off-Highway Trajectory Planning Engineering — studying from Australia
Off-road and special-purpose vehicles are central to Australia's mining, agriculture, construction and emergency services sectors. Remote geography and harsh conditions create strong demand for robust machinery, including haul trucks, agricultural equipment and specialist fire and rescue vehicles. Engineers work on hydraulics, drivetrains, operator safety and machine automation. Employers include mining equipment manufacturers and dealers, agricultural machinery firms, construction companies and government fleet agencies.
Fees for Australia: A$12,600 (AUD), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Australia
Typical roles
Questions from Australia
Will this qualification be recognised by Australian engineering bodies for off-road vehicle work?
SEIUM qualifications are private and not accredited by Engineers Australia or any national body. Recognition is decided by employers or the relevant professional body assessing your application. Engineers Australia assesses competence independently, so check its requirements before enrolling if membership is your goal.
Which Australian employers work with off-road and special vehicles and machinery?
Mining and agricultural equipment makers, fleet operators, defence and emergency service vehicle suppliers, and four-wheel-drive modification businesses are examples. Their hiring decisions depend on their own criteria. Relevant experience and a practical final project are often as important as the qualification.
Can I study this online while working in Australia, and is there support?
Yes, the programmes are 100% online and taught in English, and each student has an assigned technical tutor. You can study from anywhere in Australia without a student visa. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible; check the total hours and plan a realistic schedule.
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
Model the kinematics of off-highway machines.
Represent work environments for planning.
Implement graph-based and sampling-based planners.
Optimise trajectories under constraints.
Design robust tracking controllers.
Plan coverage and fleet coordination.
Validate planners in simulation and in the field.
Who it's for
- Motion planning engineers working on off-highway machines.
- Autonomous vehicle control engineers designing tracking controllers.
- Mobile robotics engineers developing navigation stacks.
- Optimisation engineers applying numerical methods to trajectories.
- Autonomy software developers implementing planners in C++ and ROS 2.
- Precision agriculture engineers working on coverage and guidance.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter the mining sector.
What you'll work with
- ISO 17757 (safety of autonomous machines in mining)
- ISO 18497 (safety of autonomous agricultural machines)
- ISO 21448 (safety of the intended functionality)
- UNE-EN ISO 13849-1 (safety of control systems)
- ISO 11783 (ISOBUS)
- ROS 2 Nav2
- OMPL
- CasADi
- MATLAB/Simulink
- Gazebo
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1Differences from on-road planning1.2Machine-specific constraints1.3Time, energy and safety objectives1.4Task planning and motion planning1.5Environment representations1.6Planning hierarchy1.7Real-time requirements1.8Applications in mines, construction sites and fields1.9Open research challenges1.10Case study: planning at a loading face
2.1Kinematic bicycle model2.2Models of articulated machines2.3Skid-steer tracked vehicles2.4Vehicles with trailers2.5Minimum curvature constraints2.6Dynamics on slopes2.7Rollover stability2.8Simplified models for planning2.9Model validation2.10Lab: model of an articulated machine
3.1Occupancy grids3.2Layered cost maps3.3Elevation maps3.4Voxel representations3.5Internal haul road graphs3.6Semantic site maps3.7Dynamic map updating3.8Uncertainty in the representation3.9Formats and interfaces3.10Practical: cost map with slopes
4.1Dijkstra's algorithm4.2A* algorithm4.3Replanning with D* Lite4.4Hybrid A* for vehicles4.5State lattices4.6Heuristic design4.7Computational complexity of search4.8Efficient implementation in C++4.9Comparison of algorithms4.10Lab: Hybrid A* for an articulated machine
5.1Rapidly-exploring random trees5.2Asymptotic optimality with RRT*5.3Probabilistic roadmaps5.4Kinodynamic planning with dynamics5.5Heuristic-informed sampling5.6Performance in complex spaces5.7Convergence of the methods5.8Practical implementation of sampling5.9Using the OMPL library5.10Practical: RRT* with OMPL
6.1Formulating the optimisation problem6.2Machine and environment constraints6.3Non-linear programming6.4Direct collocation method6.5CHOMP and TrajOpt methods6.6Trajectory smoothing6.7Velocity profiles6.8Numerical optimisation solvers6.9Real-time optimisation6.10Lab: trajectory optimisation with CasADi
7.1Pure pursuit controller7.2Stanley tracking controller7.3Model predictive control7.4Linear quadratic regulator7.5Slip compensation7.6Tracking in articulated machines7.7Controller tuning7.8Robustness against disturbances7.9Tracking validation7.10Practical: MPC for trajectory tracking
8.1Coverage of agricultural fields8.2Boustrophedon decomposition of fields8.3Headland turns8.4Controlled traffic farming8.5Pass optimisation8.6Coverage with obstacles8.7Coverage with multiple machines8.8Coverage planning software8.9Fuel and time savings8.10Case study: coverage plan for a field
9.1Multi-agent trajectory planning9.2Priority assignment9.3Traffic on mine roads9.4Deadlock detection9.5Coordination between loader and trucks9.6Machine-to-machine communication9.7Centralised and distributed schemes9.8Fleet simulation9.9System performance9.10Case study: loader and dump truck coordination
10.1Energy cost of the route10.2Slope penalties10.3Soil properties along the route10.4Minimising soil compaction10.5Rollover risk along the trajectory10.6Planning under uncertainty10.7Multi-objective route optimisation10.8Use of historical data10.9Examples in mining and agriculture10.10Practical: minimum-consumption route
11.1Safety guarantees in planning11.2Trajectory monitoring11.3Restricted zones and geofences11.4Scenario libraries11.5Validation in simulation11.6Trajectory quality metrics11.7Field testing11.8Certification requirements11.9Validation documentation11.10Lab: validation in a simulator
12.1Definition of machine and scenario12.2Machine model12.3Environment representation12.4Planner selection12.5Trajectory optimisation12.6Tracking control12.7Planner validation in simulation12.8Analysis of results12.9Thesis 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 you can combine it with your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is ROS 2 Nav2, OMPL, CasADi, MATLAB/Simulink and Gazebo, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures for planner simulation, trajectory-tracking tests and agricultural coverage planning. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: ISO 17757, ISO 18497, ISO 21448, UNE-EN ISO 13849-1, ISO 11783 (ISOBUS).
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
- A university degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
- An 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 Nav2, OMPL, CasADi, MATLAB/Simulink and Gazebo, 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 computer able to run the programme software 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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