The English-language programme is the first Master’s degree course dealing with autonomous systems in Germany. It is run by globally recognised robotics experts, and the b-it bots RoboCup team has been successful on an international scale for several years.
Autonomy, adaptability and network integration are characteristic features of complex IT systems. Conventional control systems and architectures are no longer adequate to realize the potential of these technologies completely, nor are they sufficient to master the complexity of such systems. The solution is to design selected components as 'autonomous systems' which can act mainly on themselves without external control most of the time.
In this context, autonomous mobile and biomimetic robots form the forefront of development. The international program 'Autonomous Systems' offers multi-faceted training in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics, spanning a whole range of issues involved in the field. The four-semester program aims to challenge talented, motivated and dedicated students, and involves course work as well as project work.
A large portion of the program, including the preparation of the master's thesis, involves research and development projects. The project work portion takes the form of a 9-month R&D project and a final thesis project. The program's affiliation with the Fraunhofer Institute, one of the leading research institutes in Germany and the largest organization for applied sciences in Europe, provides an unparalleled opportunity for students to pursue extensive practical training in projects at the cutting edge of the field. These projects may also be carried out in a number of other broader research efforts at the university. This helps to ensure a high-quality education in the field, and also offers problem-oriented training in soft skills such as project management and presentation.
Presentations by leading international guest speakers are scheduled regularly and help to further expose the students to the state of the art in a wide variety of robotics-related fields. The number of seats per semester is limited to only 25 candidates, thus ensuring the admitted students a high quality education. An extraordinary level of commitment, pro-activeness, self-discipline and the ability to work well under pressure is expected of candidates.
The program is fully accredited by ASIIN, the German accreditation agency for study programs in engineering, informatics, and natural sciences. ASIIN is a member of the Washington Accord for the international recognition of accredited degree programs and, as such, the program's accreditation is recognized worldwide. The Master's program in Autonomous Systems is offered by the Applied Sciences Institute at the Bonn-Aachen International Centre for Information Technology (B-IT) which is based on cooperation between two renowned German centers of excellence: the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (IAIS) and the Department of Computer Science of the Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (H-BRS).
