Master of Science in Robotics and Autonomous Systems
A research and translation degree producing the small cadre able to lead robotics programmes in African industry and to found deep technology ventures. It is deliberately weighted towards deployable systems rather than simulation results, a...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Senior robotics engineer
- autonomy lead
- research engineer
- robotics programme manager
- technical founder
- doctoral candidate.
Employer types
- Manufacturers, agricultural processors, logistics operators, mining and energy firms, research institutes, and deep technology ventures.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- A specialist market with limited domestic supply and significant international remote and relocation demand.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Master of Science in Robotics and Autonomous Systems. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 501 | Applied Intelligence for Professionals Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| FDC 502 | Research Evidence and Method Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| IEM 510 | Advanced Robot Modelling and Control Both | 6 | 4-2-2 |
| IEM 511 | Perception, Estimation and Sensor Fusion Performance | 6 | 3-2-4 |
| IEM 512 | Motion Planning and Decision Making Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| IEM 513 | Research Methods and Experimental Robotics Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 503 | Governance, Ethics and Leadership of Intelligent Systems Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| IEM 520 | Learning for Robotics and Sim to Real Performance | 7 | 4-2-4 |
| IEM 521 | Field Deployment, Safety and Standards Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| IEM 522 | Human–Robot Interaction and Shared Autonomy Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| IEM 523 | Robotics Systems Engineering and Integration Performance | 6 | 1-0-10 |
| IEM 524 | Advanced Elective Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| IEM 530 | Dissertation: Deployed Autonomous System Performance | 20 | 0-2-38 |
| IEM 531 | Robotics Venture and Technology Transfer Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
| IEM 532 | Doctoral and Publication Seminar Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
Total credit units: 90
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Master of Science in Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 30 CU
Cumulative
30
Programme total
90
30 CU of 90 CU completed by the end of this step (33%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems Fluency CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential ReasoningLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual JudgementLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary Mastery CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and Craft CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems Thinking CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial LiteracyLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C12Stewardship and Public ContributionLevel 3 of 4, Independent
Critical capabilities for this programme: Intelligent Systems Fluency · Disciplinary Mastery · Technical Production and Craft · Problem Framing and Systems Thinking. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Design and build autonomous systems for defined operational environments.
- PLO 2Apply advanced estimation, planning and control methods with justified assumptions.
- PLO 3Apply learning based control and reason about sim to real transfer.
- PLO 4Conduct and report original applied research to publication standard.
- PLO 5Assess safety, standards compliance and workforce consequences of deployed autonomy.
- PLO 6Translate a robotics result into a deployable, costed and maintainable product.
Why this programme exists
A research and translation degree producing the small cadre able to lead robotics programmes in African industry and to found deep technology ventures. It is deliberately weighted towards deployable systems rather than simulation results, and every dissertation must terminate in a machine that operated outside the laboratory.
Admission requirements
A Bachelor's degree of at least Second Class Lower Division in engineering, computing, physics or mathematics, with demonstrated programming and hardware capability. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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