Overview

The Aberystwyth Master’s in Intelligent Autonomous Systems covers four main themes within the discipline.  These are: 1) Adaptive Behaviour, which covers Artificial Life, Adaptation in Nature, and Application to Intelligent Autonomous Systems; 2) Representation and Reasoning, which looks at how systems cope with uncertainty and how they use different modes of reasoning to cope with their environment; 3) Machine Learning, which looks at how systems learn from experience and improve performance; and 4) Intelligent Autonomous Systems, in which you will apply your learning in how to create systems that function effectively with minimal human intervention.

The course is a full-time programme, taught over one year, and is divided into two parts over three semesters.  In part one, you will establish a breadth of necessary skills in a number of core modules whilst directing your own study by choosing specialist modules, worth a total of 120 credits.  In part two, you will apply your learning in the individual dissertation worth an additional 60 credits. 

In the dissertation project, you will explore and create systems which will demonstrate real-life, knowledge-based decision making.  Previous MSc dissertation subjects have included: the navigation strategy for a sailing robot; health monitoring system for diabetic patients; cooperating web spiders; diagnostic software for an unmanned aircraft; autonomous science target identification and acquisition for planetary exploration; and free-flying space robot control.

In addition to the teaching input from this world-class department, you will be encouraged to review the latest literature and conduct your own reading of up-to-date articles on key aspects of Intelligent Autonomous Systems and the applications thereof, and also invited to participate in relevant meetings and conferences (optional) to broaden your horizons. 

The strengths of this application-oriented MSc cannot be over-emphasised.  By graduating, you will have enhanced your employability no end by amassing a wealth of up-to-date theoretical knowledge and practical experience – you will be on the cutting edge of the subject.  In a competitive jobs market, your particular skill set, proven through highly relevant business applications, will make you desirable to a range of employers.  In addition, you will have demonstrated the academic excellence, personal rigor and interpersonal adaptability required by recruiting corporate bodies, government agencies and research institutes alike.

Factfile

Duration:	One year full-time or two years part-time. The academic year (September to September) is divided into three semesters: September to January; January to June; June to September.
Contact Time:	Approximately 10 hours a week in the first two semesters.  During semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor.
Assessment:	The taught part of the course (Part 1) is delivered and assessed through lectures, student seminars, practical exercises, case studies, course work and formal examinations. The subsequent successful submission of your research dissertation (Part 2) leads to the award of an MSc.
Entry Requirements:	A second class honours degree or higher at undergraduate level.  Candidates with equivalent experience and qualifications will be considered.
English Language Requirements:	If you have a Bachelor’s degree from a UK University, you do not need to take an English proficiency test. Non-native English speakers who do not meet this requirement must take a University-recognised test of academic English language proficiency: IELTS or TOEFL.  The required IELTS minimum proficiency level is 6.5.  For TOEFL, the minimum scores are as follows: 580 for the paper-based test; 237 for the computer-based test (with an essay rating of 5.0); and a score of 93 for the internet-based test.  More information can be found on the IELTS and on the TOEFL websites.
Course Fees:	The fee for this course for 2012- 2013 is £4,650 for UK and EU students and £11,500 for international students.  For details of other students’ fees, please view the Funding and Fees section of our website. There are a number of Aberystwyth Scholarships and International Excellence Scholarships (AIES) to help fund the studies of students who meet specific criteria.  In addition, accommodation is guaranteed to all international students.

At a Glance (G495)

Career Development

Qualification: MSc in Intelligent Autonomous Systems

accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS) on behalf of the Engineering Council.

This degree will suit you:

• If you wish to obtain a Master’s degree with leading input from an internationally-renowned computing department;
• If you have a second class honour’s degree or higher in a related discipline;
• If you wish to gain academic expertise and technical experience in the design, application and analysis of intelligent autonomous systems;
• If you wish to enter one of a diverse range of careers requiring the highest level of computing and systems understanding.

Employability

Every aspect of the Aberystwyth Master’s in Intelligent Autonomous Systems programme is designed to enhance your employability.  Successful completion of this degree is in itself certain to do so by building your CV; but more significant is the hugely enhanced array of knowledge, abilities and skills with which you will graduate.  Upon graduation, you will have mastered Robot programming APIs, testing, deployment and a variety of lab techniques.  You will be able to demonstrate skills in designing, running and documenting experiments using autonomous systems, and in writing detailed and successful project proposals.  These skills will prepare you for success in both specialist and more generic employment situations.

As a specialist, you will be a highly competent contributor to any highly-specialised AI work, such as using an Intelligent Autonomous System as a software agent in knowledge-based decision-making, medical care, in the gathering of business intelligence and much more.  In more generic employment situations, your strengths will be broad and deep because you can demonstrate your mastery of any technical planning, research and analysis skills that your employer will require.

All employers, whether subject-related specialists or more general corporate bodies and consultancies, place a high value on first-rate technical aptitude, clarity in research and analysis and fluency in communication.  You will gain these skills, and much more, as you progress through your studies at Aberystwyth to become an engaging candidate for areas of work relating to AI programming and beyond.

Theory in Practise

As you would expect, the content of this MSc is strongly weighted in favour of mastering the applications of the advanced technical theory.  This will provide you with hands-on experience in Intelligent Autonomous Systems’ creation, application and evaluation in light of real-life challenges.  Such activities convert the purely academic theory into the proven know-how of experience and, importantly, the necessary repertoire of presentation skills to communicate your findings successfully.  This experience gained by this approach, which begins at the concept stage and ends in written and live presentation, is a rare advantage in the competitive jobs market.  The MSc in Intelligent Autonomous Systems is set up to help you pursue this edge throughout your studies, securing your theoretical learning with practical experience.

Personal, Professional and Project Management Skills

The MSc includes the Research Skills and Personal Development module, which is designed to give you a broad knowledge of a range of transferable skills that you can apply in a variety of research interests, specifically in your Master’s dissertation.  This module will also help you develop skills in networking, teaching skills and presentation skills, which will support your progression into further study and professional employment beyond. 

Thus equipped, you will be ready to tackle the Master’s dissertation which requires you to work independently and pursue your own individual dissertation topic.  You will have access to the support and expertise of the Computing Department, but you are required to cultivate a professional work ethic to deliver the combination of research, analysis, communication and presentation demanded by your dissertation.  This rigorous part of the MSc will require you to employ project management skills which are entirely transferrable to almost any work context that Master’s graduates apply for.

Studying for this Master’s degree will allow you to sharpen up all your core computing disciplines, your professional work ethos and your presentation and communication skills.  Once secured by obtaining your Masters Degree, you will have gained confidence in the level of your academic expertise and practical field skills, which in turn will enhance your employability in both highly specialised related professions and also on broader, unrelated professional paths. 

Contacts

The Programme Leader for this course is Edel Sherratt, the Taught Postgraduate Admissions Tutor

 

Tel: 01970 622448

Fax: 01970 628536

Email: eds@aber.ac.uk

Email: cs-pg-admissions@aber.ac.uk

 

Department of Computer Science

Penglais Campus

Aberystwyth

SY23 3DB

Tel +44(0)1970 622 540  

www.aber.ac.uk/en/cs/

Apply on-line for MSc Intelligent Autonomous Systems

Other important information:

• University Accommodation
• International Student Care
• Aberystwyth Student Life
• About Aberystwyth (external site)