Curriculum

Summary of study programme

The language of instruction is English, but local language and culture courses of the hosting countries are included in the programme of study.
The aim of the first two semesters is to provide the students with a solid interdisciplinary background across the main areas of robotics (Cognition, Action, Perception). During the third semester, depending on the host institution, the student will deal with one or more of the following sectors: industrial robot systems, service robots (domestic, health, rehabilitation, leisure), intelligent vehicules and security robots. The fourth semester is dedicated to the Master's Thesis. The student carries out his/her research work under the joint supervision of two advisors from two different consortium institutions.



Mobility scheme

The programme of study lasts two academic years (120 ECTS) split into four equally loaded semesters.
Students attend the EMARO+ programme at at least two different partner institutions: the student has to spend the first two semesters in one European institution and the second two semesters in another European institution. Another mobility during the fourth semester to an Asian partner or to an industrial partner is possible.

Language

The language of instruction and examinations is English. The thesis is also written and defended in English.
To facilitate the integration of the students in the hosting country, the first two weeks of each year of the Master (September) are devoted to an intensive local language course of the hosting country. Students also have language and culture courses as a part of the first semester and the third semester. During the second and fourth semesters, language courses will be offered outside the Masters programme for students who want to further improve their language skills. As a consequence, each student will use three languages (English and two local languages). Mastering the local language will be important if the student pursues to PhD in one of the hosting countries.

Structure of the programme

The first year (60 ECTS credits)

The aim of the first year (M1), is to provide the students with a solid interdisciplinary background across the main areas of robotics:

  • Perception (vision, sensors, signal processing),
  • Cognition (computer science, artificial intelligence, and Human Computer Interaction),
  • Action (kinematics, dynamics, automatic control),
  • Mathematical Foundations (modelling, simulation, and optimisation).
The structure of the first year consists of two semesters: S1 (from September till the end of January) starting with two weeks of intensive local language courses and, S2 (from February till the end of June).
 
First two weeks
September
 First semester
September – 30 January		 Second semester
February - End of June
- Local language course* - Interdisciplinary background modules
- Local language course*		 - Interdisciplinary background modules

* For students who master the language of the hosting country, a replacement course will be proposed: either another language or a scientific module.

Summer internship: at the end of the first year (July and August), students are encourage to undertake a summer internship.
 

The second year (60 ECTS credits)

The second year (M2) consists of the third semester (S3, from September till the end of January) and the fourth semester (S4, from February till the end of August).
- During the third semester, more specialised courses are proposed. The programme of this semester is based on the specific research strengths of the partner institutions (thus varying from partner to partner).
- The fourth semester is devoted to the Masters Thesis.
 
First two weeks
September		 First semester
September – 30 January		 Second semester
February- End of August
- Local language course* - Specialised courses
- Research Methodology
- Local language course*		 - Master thesis

* Another language will be proposed, for students who master the local language of the hosting country. This could be for instance the local language of the country of the first year.
 
The third semester (30 ECTS credits)
The third semester (S3) starts with two weeks devoted to the local language of the hosting institution. During these two weeks, the topic of the master thesis will be chosen by the student from a list of subjects proposed by the staff of the institution (or proposed by the student, subject to acceptance by the prospective supervisor). The topic of the thesis must correspond to one of the current research activities of the hosting institution.
During this semester, the students are also prepared for their work on the dissertation through the participation in the Research Methodology module. This module provides  students with the necessary tools to carry out and present a research topic. Studying current practices within their research subject is an important part of this module.

  • Check the list of courses here
The fourth semester (30 ECTS credits)
The fourth semester (S4) is devoted to the Master Thesis, for which 30 ECTS credits are awardable. Each student is jointly supervised by two advisors from two different institutions. The research topic can be supervised and located in a R&D department of an industrial institution. The research work is finalised through a written dissertation, i.e. the Masters Thesis, which must be done individually and contain an element of original work. The dissertation must be defended in front of a committee of experts. The composition of the committee and the conditions of the oral presentation are communicated to the student at the beginning of the S3.

 
  • The student handbook is available here
Published on June 1, 2017 Updated on December 13, 2017