Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles MSc

Find out more about our Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles taught Master's degree at Warwick

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P-H1SE

MSc

1 year full-time

29 September 2025

WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group)

University of Warwick

WMG at Warwick has established a legacy of leading automotive research in collaboration with industry. Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles MSc aims to address the knowledge gap in machine learning, automated control strategies, connectivity, cyber-security protocols and much more.

With 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 and Control Systems.  

Through this MSc, 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. Our unique 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.

This programme has extensive industrial support with the Industry Advisory Board consisting of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and RDM and other industrial stakeholders. The course receives project and teaching support from a number of additional companies including: ON semiconductor, 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.

This course is 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 comply with full CEng registration requirements.

This course has two components – taught modules account for two thirds of your time and effort and your research project accounts for one third.

For the taught component, we blend lectures with workshops, practical exercises, demonstrations, case studies, problem classes, syndicate exercises, and a review. Modules are delivered in small classes to facilitate and encourage interaction.

Our module leaders have extensive industry experience. Guest speakers from industry also contribute regularly, bringing real-world insight into your learning experience.

In addition to your taught modules, you will undertake a major project as part of your Master's degree, which will develop your research and analytical skills and enable you to specialise. This is nominally 600 hours (60 CATS points) of learning, mainly taking place during the Spring and Summer terms. You will be expected to engage regularly with your Project Supervisor and to provide progress updates and drafts of your work to an agreed schedule.

This course can accommodate around 25 students.

Module delivery patterns vary, but most will be delivered in a short learning block of up to 4 weeks, allowing your focus to be on one module at a time. Each module nominally accounts for 150 hours, which includes scheduled classroom time and online sessions as well as your independent study and assessments.

WMG runs a SPA module (Study, Professional and Analytical Skills) designed to meet the complex learning and professional needs of postgraduate students. This is a blended module delivered throughout the year alongside your modules. Whilst it is an unaccredited module for SCAV students, your participation in the lectures, workshops and online sessions is strongly encouraged. There may be occasions where you will be required to attend evening or weekend sessions.

The course uses a variety of assessment methods across modules. These may include technical presentations, and labs, reports (both topic based and reflective), essays, critical evaluation case studies, simulations, online tests, and video presentations.

Assessments have been designed not only to assess your achievement in meeting the course learning outcomes in an academically sound manner, but also contribute to preparing you with the requisite competencies required for employment.

For the research component, you will undertake a major project. Leveraging the close partnerships that WMG has with key organisations within the automotive supply chain, it is envisaged that your project will have an industrial sponsor, enabling you to work in close collaboration with an industry partner. This valuable experience will further your transferrable skills development, and expand your networking opportunities and understanding in a professional research and development environment. Project submission is likely to include both a written and a presentation element, accounting for 33% of your overall academic grade.

Reading lists

If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on the Talis Aspire platform. 

You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue.  

Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department. 

Your timetable

Core modules will be allocated to students at the end of the first week of term - you will then be able to view your individual module schedule for the rest of the year via the WMG module selection system.

Your elective module will be bookable through the same system later in the term.

Modules will include scheduled classroom time and online sessions as well as your independent study and assessments, and will usually be delivered within a 4 week timeframe. Occasional classes and study skills sessions may be held at weekends or in the evenings.

As a Master's student, you are expected to manage your own time appropriately. On average, you are expected to commit 38-40 hours of study each week, in order to successfully achieve your Master’s degree.

This is a full-time postgraduate course - undergraduate term dates do not apply. Whilst there are no holidays as such, there will be no teaching scheduled when the University is officially closed for staff, during the two weeks over Christmas and New Year.

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in STEM subjects, particularly Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Control Systems, Computer Science, Communications, Physics, or Mathematics.

Candidates with a UK 2:2 (or equivalent) may be accepted upon demonstration of relevant professional experience.

• Band A
• IELTS overall score of 6.5, minimum component scores not below 6.0

Candidates with professional experience should include their CV with their application.

Core modules are required modules that all students will complete whilst on this programme. For Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (SCAV), your core modules are:

Optional modules

Alongside your core modules you should select an additional elective module enabling you to gain further specialist understanding. Options will be made available at the beginning of the academic year and will include modules such as:

Learn more about this course on the WMG website