Master’s in Uncrewed UAV/UGV/USV/UUV Systems Engineering and Integration
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in unmanned systems engineering and integration (UAV/UGV/USV/UUV). 12 modules covering Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945, STANAG 4671, platform design, avionics, guidance and control, data links, payloads, V&V and airworthiness, using PX4 Autopilot, ArduPilot and ROS 2, 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
Design unmanned air, ground and maritime platforms to meet mission requirements.
Integrate avionics, sensors and payloads into robust architectures.
Develop guidance, navigation and control algorithms.
Size data links and ground control stations.
Apply European and NATO airworthiness regulations.
Plan verification, validation and test campaigns.
Assess operational risks using methodologies such as SORA.
Who it's for
- Unmanned systems engineers working across air, ground and maritime domains.
- Payload integrators fitting EO/IR, LiDAR, radar or sonar sensors to vehicles.
- Avionics engineers developing autopilots and on-board computing.
- Verification and validation engineers planning HIL, environmental and field test campaigns.
- Airworthiness managers dealing with EASA, SORA and STANAG 4671 requirements.
- Mobile robotics engineers moving into unmanned vehicle integration.
- Engineering or science graduates aiming to enter the defence and security sector.
What you'll work with
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 (rules and procedures for UAS operations)
- Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 (unmanned aircraft systems and third-country operators)
- STANAG 4671 (airworthiness requirements for unmanned aircraft systems)
- STANAG 4586 (standard interfaces of UAV control systems)
- RTCA DO-178C (software considerations in airborne systems certification)
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 (system life cycle processes)
- MIL-STD-810H (environmental engineering and laboratory testing)
- JARUS SORA (specific operations risk assessment)
- PX4 Autopilot
- ArduPilot
- ROS 2
- Gazebo
- MATLAB/Simulink
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1Classification of UAV, UGV, USV and UUV by size and autonomy1.2Levels of autonomy according to SAE J3016 and ALFUS1.3System segments: vehicle, station and link1.4Mission requirements and civil concept of operations1.5System life cycle according to ISO/IEC/IEEE 152881.6EASA categories: open, specific and certified1.7STANAG 4671 and 4703 classification for aircraft1.8Dual uses and ethical considerations1.9Trends in autonomous maritime vehicles1.10Case study: requirements matrix for an inspection UAV
2.1Multirotor, fixed-wing and hybrid VTOL configurations2.2Weight sizing and power budget2.3Electric propulsion: BLDC motors and ESCs2.4Li-ion and Li-Po batteries: density and thermal management2.5Propellers: blade element theory2.6Static stability and aerodynamic derivatives2.7Composite structures for light aircraft2.8Fuel cells and hybrids for extended endurance2.9Vibration analysis and avionics isolation2.10Practical exercise: propulsion sizing with eCalc and XFLR5
3.1Traction architectures: wheels, tracks and legs3.2Differential and Ackermann kinematic models3.3Basic terramechanics: Bekker models3.4Electric traction and energy management in UGVs3.5Suspension and mobility on unstructured terrain3.6On-board manipulators and end effectors3.7Teleoperation with latency and haptic feedback3.8Environmental protection: IP and MIL-STD-8103.9Functional safety of mobile machines ISO 134823.10Lab: UGV simulation in Gazebo with ROS 2
4.1Hydrodynamics of planing and displacement hulls4.2Manoeuvrability: Fossen 6-DOF model4.3Thrusters, waterjets and thrust control4.4Buoyancy, ballast and stability of UUVs4.5Underwater navigation: DVL, USBL and LBL4.6Underwater acoustic communications4.7COLREG regulations and MASS autonomous ships4.8Pressure, watertightness and marine materials4.9Energy management in long-endurance missions4.10Case study: preliminary design of an inspection AUV
5.1Autopilot architecture: PX4 and ArduPilot5.2MEMS inertial sensors and calibration5.3Sensor fusion with the extended Kalman filter5.4Data buses: CAN, UAVCAN/DroneCAN and Ethernet5.5On-board computing: SoC, FPGA and GPU5.6Real-time operating systems5.7Fault management and degraded modes5.8Redundancy and fault-tolerant architectures5.9Electromagnetic compatibility according to MIL-STD-4615.10Lab: autopilot configuration in SITL simulation
6.1Dynamic modelling of rigid vehicles6.2Cascaded PID control of attitude and position6.3LQR and MPC control for autonomous vehicles6.4Trajectory planning: A*, RRT and lattice6.5Trajectory tracking and L1 guidance6.6Reactive obstacle avoidance6.7Multi-sensor state estimation6.8Visual navigation and SLAM6.9Robust tuning and stability margins6.10Practical exercise: MPC controller in MATLAB/Simulink
7.1C2 command and control architecture7.2MAVLink and STANAG 4586 protocols7.3Radio links: link budget and range7.4Spectrum management and radio licences7.5Satellite links for BVLOS operations7.6Ground control station design7.7Human-machine interfaces and workload7.8Cybersecurity of the command link7.9Loss of link: procedures and failsafe7.10Workshop: link budget calculation for BVLOS
8.1EO/IR cameras and gimbal stabilisation8.2Airborne and terrestrial LiDAR8.3Compact synthetic aperture radar8.4Side-scan and multibeam sonar8.5Hyperspectral and multispectral sensors8.6Mechanical and electrical payload integration8.7On-board processing and edge computing8.8Georeferencing and sensor calibration8.9Data management and chain of custody8.10Case study: integrating a LiDAR on a UAV
9.1System integration and verification plan9.2Hardware-in-the-loop simulation9.3Environmental testing according to MIL-STD-810H9.4Electromagnetic compatibility testing9.5Flight campaigns and field testing9.6Non-conformance management and traceability9.7Reliability metrics: MTBF and availability9.8System FMEA and FTA9.9Configuration documentation and baselines9.10Lab: HIL bench with a real autopilot
10.1EU Regulations 2019/947 and 2019/94510.2JARUS SORA risk assessment10.3U-space and Regulation (EU) 2021/66410.4Military airworthiness: STANAG 4671 and EMAR10.5DO-178C software certification10.6Complex electronic hardware according to DO-25410.7IMO regulation of autonomous ships10.8Data protection and privacy in data capture10.9Insurance, liability and operators10.10Case study: preparing a SORA analysis
11.1Integrated logistic support concept11.2Preventive and predictive fleet maintenance11.3Battery management and life cycle11.4Training of remote pilots and operators11.5In-service configuration management11.6Life cycle cost analysis11.7Interoperability across air, land and naval domains11.8Lessons learned from civil operations11.9Obsolescence and system upgrades11.10Workshop: maintenance plan for a UAV fleet
12.1Problem definition and requirements12.2State of the art and platform benchmarking12.3Conceptual system architecture12.4Detailed design of a subsystem12.5Behaviour modelling and simulation12.6Verification and validation plan12.7Regulatory and safety analysis12.8Cost and feasibility assessment12.9Master'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 the intake, so the programme can be combined with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is PX4 Autopilot, ArduPilot, ROS 2, Gazebo and MATLAB/Simulink, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures for hardware-in-the-loop simulation of autopilots, flight campaigns and field navigation, and environmental testing of platforms. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945, STANAG 4671, STANAG 4586, RTCA DO-178C, ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, MIL-STD-810H, JARUS SORA.
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
- University degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme 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 PX4 Autopilot, ArduPilot, ROS 2, Gazebo and MATLAB/Simulink, 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 degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a suitable computer 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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