Control Engineering MSc at Coventry University

Is your undergrad degree in engineering, maths or science? An MSc in Control Engineering will bring you to a precious career in almost every engineering field from automotive, aircraft industry, power and energy, automation, process industry including oil and gas, food and drink, pharmaceutical industry and many others.
Control engineering is a means of managing and measuring performance of process systems in areas from power plants and nuclear reactors to construction companies and manufacturing. The principles of control also extend in activities as diverse as managing risk in the financial sector to studying climate change within science.

Fully accredited by both the Institute of Measurement and Control (InstMC) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), this course is one of three specialist pathways within the field of control systems engineering, which feature significant mathematics and computing content and are therefore designed for graduates in engineering or science. If you wish to embark on a career as a technical specialist in analytical aspects of control engineering or if you are a practising engineer looking to stay abreast of important advances and developments, you may want to consider this course. 

Our faculty is actively involved in research and consultancy with industry, which ensures your taught material is based on techniques and technologies, and there are opportunities to gain experience gained from these close relationships. Our portfolio of projects includes: collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover in low carbon emission and hybrid vehicles; optimisation and control applied to radiotherapy treatment with the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust; control for NOx emission reduction with Ricardo UK; power systems monitoring with ABB; and mechatronics hardware development with National Instruments. 

Why Coventry University?

An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.

Course information

Modern day control engineering has grown with the advancement of technology, used within the energy, pharmaceutical, utilities, manufacturing, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and chemical engineering industries

This course aims to develop your knowledge in adaptive model based control to maximise efficiency, performance and safety, which is underpinned by robust system identification and testing using mathematical modelling of inputs, outputs and various behaviours. 

Course content is guided by the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC), which sets out the competence and commitment required for registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng). Within the context of a changing technological environment and the resulting challenges, such as increasing reliance on automation in industry and electrification of vehicle and system automation, you will cover aspects of automatic control systems, from classical control system design to optimal, adaptive and intelligent control systems. 

Depending on your interests, you can also use optional module choices to explore areas such as artificial neural networks, evolutionary computing or rapid control prototyping by choosing from a range of optional modules.

Career prospects

Successful completion of our Master’s degrees in Control Engineering and Systems and Control could provide you with skills applicable for industries including automotive, aerospace, process/chemical industries, manufacturing, robotics and automation, finance and banking.

There are also opportunities in research and development across a wide variety of these industrial and commercial sectors. 

The course also provides opportunities to develop careers in academia or to continue to pursue research degrees at MPhil/PhD level. It is possible to take individual modules on a continuing professional development (CPD) basis initially and then to register for a programme leading to a postgraduate certificate or postgraduate diploma.

As a postgraduate student, you also receive support from our award-winning Faculty careers service, EEC Futures, which won the ‘Best Placement Service in the UK’ award at the National Undergraduate Employability Awards in 2015 and 2016.

Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The University’s Careers and Employability team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.

Where our graduates work

Some of our graduates are now employed as project engineers, systems and control engineers and systems integrators.