Master’s in Off-Highway Autonomy Engineering
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in off-highway autonomy engineering: 12 modules covering perception in unstructured environments, localisation and mapping, path planning, machinery control, fleet management, functional safety, communications and autonomous mining, agriculture and construction, with an assigned technical tutor.
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 the challenges of autonomy in off-road environments.
Design robust perception for unstructured environments.
Implement localisation and mapping on operating sites.
Plan and control autonomous heavy machinery.
Manage mixed autonomous fleets.
Apply safety standards for autonomous machinery.
Develop an off-highway autonomy project.
Who it's for
- Machinery autonomy engineers.
- Field robotics engineers.
- Machine safety engineers.
- Mining automation managers.
- Precision agriculture engineers.
- Fleet systems engineers.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter mining, agriculture or construction automation.
What you'll work with
- ISO 17757 (autonomous machine system safety in earth-moving and mining)
- ISO 18497 (safety of highly automated agricultural machines)
- ISO 25119 (functional safety of agricultural and forestry tractors and machinery)
- ISO 13849-1 (safety-related parts of control systems)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 (Machinery Regulation)
- ISO 21815 (collision warning and avoidance for earth-moving machinery)
- IEC 61508 (functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable systems)
- ISO 34503 (ODD taxonomy for automated driving systems)
- ROS 2
- Gazebo
- MATLAB/Simulink
- Autoware
- CARLA
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1Particular features of off-highway environments1.2Mining, agriculture, construction and forestry1.3Closed versus open environments1.4Levels of autonomy in machinery1.5Teleoperation as a preliminary step1.6Productivity and safety factors1.7Manufacturers and commercial solutions1.8Specific technical challenges1.9Barriers to adoption in the sector1.10Case study: autonomous haulage in an open-pit mine
2.1Irregular terrain without road markings2.2Dust, mud and vibration on sensors2.3Detection of people and light vehicles2.4Traversable terrain classification2.5Detection of negative obstacles2.6Perception in crops and vegetation2.7Radar for dusty environments2.8Robust sensor fusion2.9Off-road datasets2.10Lab: terrain segmentation with LiDAR
3.1RTK GNSS on operating sites3.2GNSS-denied localisation in underground mining3.3Mapping changing work faces3.4SLAM in dynamic environments3.5Site maps and haul roads3.6Updating construction-site maps3.7Georeferencing of implements3.8Integration with BIM models3.9Accuracy required by task3.10Practical exercise: mapping a construction zone with SLAM
4.1Planning on sloping terrain4.2Stability and rollover constraints4.3Coverage planning in agriculture4.4Haulage and loading routes4.5Manoeuvres in confined spaces4.6Planning with trailers and implements4.7Dynamic obstacle avoidance4.8Energy consumption optimisation4.9Coordinated planning of multiple machines4.10Workshop: coverage planning for a field plot
5.1Dynamic models of heavy machinery5.2Control of articulated vehicles5.3Track control and slip5.4Control of hydraulic implements5.5Automated excavation control5.6Machine–terrain interaction5.7Control with variable loads5.8Drive-by-wire systems in machinery5.9Control validation5.10Lab: articulated vehicle control
6.1Fleet management systems6.2Dispatch and task allocation6.3Traffic coordination on the site6.4Interaction with crewed equipment6.5Work-cycle optimisation6.6Fleet communications6.7Integration with mine planning systems6.8Productivity indicators6.9Incident management6.10Practical exercise: truck dispatch simulation
7.1ISO 17757 standards for mining7.2ISO 18497 standards for agriculture7.3Machinery Directive and Regulation7.4Functional safety under ISO 13849 and ISO 251197.5Exclusion zones and access control7.6Person detection for stopping7.7Remote emergency stops7.8Site risk analysis7.9Safety validation7.10Case study: risk assessment of an autonomous dumper
8.1Private LTE and 5G networks8.2Mesh networks on operating sites8.3Communications in underground mining8.4Required latency and availability8.5Remote control centres8.6Charging and refuelling infrastructure8.7Integration with existing systems8.8Cybersecurity of industrial networks8.9Infrastructure maintenance8.10Workshop: sizing a private network for a mine
9.1Autonomous haul trucks9.2Autonomous blast-hole drilling9.3Automated loading and unloading9.4Autonomous underground mining9.5Integration with mine planning9.6Personnel safety in the mine9.7Productivity and costs9.8Labour impact and reskilling9.9Reference cases in Australia and Chile9.10Lab: productivity analysis of an autonomous fleet
10.1Autonomous tractors and guidance10.2Precision agricultural robots10.3Vision-based automated harvesting10.4Autonomous compaction and earthmoving10.5Model-guided excavation10.6Site safety with autonomy10.7Integration with BIM and planning10.8Operator acceptance10.9Commercial cases in agriculture and construction10.10Practical exercise: autonomous tractor guidance
11.1Total cost of ownership of autonomy11.2Return on investment by sector11.3Impact on employment and skills11.4Change management on the site11.5Service and retrofit models11.6Project financing11.7Performance indicators11.8Implementation risks11.9Technology roadmap11.10Workshop: business case for autonomy in mining
12.1Selection of the application12.2Definition of the site ODD12.3Perception and localisation design12.4Planning and control design12.5Integration into fleet management12.6Safety analysis12.7Economic evaluation of the project12.8Conclusions and roadmap12.9Master'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 each intake, making it compatible with full-time work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standards and applied exercises. The working software is ROS 2, Gazebo, MATLAB/Simulink, Autoware and CARLA, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures from mining fleet simulation, person-detection tests in dust and agricultural guidance validation. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: ISO 17757, ISO 18497, ISO 25119, ISO 13849-1, Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 (machinery), ISO 21815, IEC 61508, ISO 34503.
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's 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, MATLAB/Simulink, Autoware 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 university degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a computer able to run the programme's 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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