Skip to main content Skip to navigation

MSc Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Master's Programme
Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

With the advent of connected and autonomous vehicles on the horizon, the automotive industry in facing a huge developmental change. Lead the autonomous vehicle revolution.

Start date:
29th September 2025

Duration:
12 months, full time 

Application deadline:
2 August 2025

Award:
Master of Science (MSc) 

Watch our video explanation of MSc Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Highlights and benefits

  • WMG has an established legacy of leading automotive research and education. Our experimental facilities on campus, including the National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC), enable academic and industry practitioners to work together to overcome key, strategic challenges in the automotive sector and develop future vehicles and mobility solutions.
  • Our teaching staff have significant industry and academic expertise. The course also receives extensive industrial support, through the Industry Advisory Board, and guest speakers from industry contribute regularly, bringing real-world insight into your learning.
  • An applied and experiential learning style, consisting of simulations, group work, case studies and practical exercises to prepare you for industry, where our graduates are highly valued.

Overview

The strategic success of any industrial player in this area would depend on a ready availability of a skilled workforce within high level technical competencies, specifically catered for the automotive environment.

With the advent of intelligent vehicles on the horizon of technical advancements, the automotive industry is facing a developmental challenge. How do we develop a robust technical infrastructure to support the anticipated explosive growth in smart vehicular functions, communications systems and driverless cars? This demands a comprehensive understanding of the technology and a bottom-up approach ensuring robustness and dependability of Electronics, Communications (e.g., V-2-V, V-2-I) and Control Systems.

Through this MSc in Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, we aim to address the knowledge-gap in the areas of machine learning, automated control strategies, connectivity, and communication infrastructure, cyber-security protocols, emerging automotive networks and robust automotive embedded systems within the context of smart, connected and autonomous vehicles.

WMG at the University of Warwick has an established legacy of leading automotive research in collaboration with industry. Our unique experimental facilities enable academics and industry practitioners to work together and include:

  • 3xD (Drive-in Driver-in-the-loop Driving) simulator facility
  • Fully-functional complete vehicle electrical/electronic system (labcar)
  • Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) facilities
  • National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC)

This MSc programme has extensive industrial support with the Industry Advisory Board consisting of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), RDM and other industrial stakeholders. The course receives project and teaching support from a number of additional companies including: ON semiconductor, Oxfordshire City Council, National Instruments, AVL, IPG Automotive, Lumerical, Shell, CRA Risk Analysis, Konrad Technologies and Jaguar Land Rover. The industry input helps to ensure that the course remains closely aligned with the needs and requirements of the sector, including the skills and knowledge that our graduates need to succeed in their careers.

Accreditation

Accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on behalf of the Engineering Council as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for registration as a Chartered Engineer. Candidates must hold a CEng accredited BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree to fully meet the CEng registration educational requirements.

IET accreditation logo

Meet the Course Director: Dr Valentina Donzella

Professor Donzella is the Course Director for MSc Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, and she also leads the Intelligent Vehicles, Sensors Research Group. Professor Donzella’s current research interests are: intelligent vehicle perception sensors, data degradation, data compression, LiDARs, optical sensing, sensor and noise modelling, integrated optics, automotive electronics and test techniques.

Scholarships and Bursaries

WMG will be awarding over £1.5 million in scholarships and bursaries to students commencing study on any of our full-time MSc programmes beginning in September 2025.

Other courses you may interested in

MSc Applied Artificial Intelligence

Providing a strong blend of theoretical knowledge and practical skills, the course will prepare you to innovate and solve complex challenges in various industries using advanced AI methodologies.

MSc Sustainable Automotive Electrification

Environmental legislation is driving the automotive industry to meet emissions targets. This course will give you a deep technical knowledge of the design life-cycle of low-environmental impact vehicles.

MSc Games Engineering

This course will provide you with the technical skills and knowledge to become an expert game developer within one of the most performance-driven fields of computer science.

Ready to study at WMG?

We look forward to receiving your MSc application. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.