A toy car sitting on top of a computer chip representing autonomous vehicles.
Image: © Artem/Stock.adobe.com

IT Sligo’s new autonomous vehicles course a first for Europe

11 Jan 2019

For those who want a career in the autonomous vehicles industry, this new course might be perfect for you.

IT Sligo will be the first third-level institute in Europe to offer an online master’s course in autonomous vehicles.

The online course will officially be launched today (11 January) by Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD.

The master’s in connected and autonomous vehicles will run over two years part-time, primarily delivered online with some on-campus workshops.

The programme brings together interdisciplinary concepts such as computer vision, artificial intelligence, vehicle dynamics and advanced sensor systems to provide engineers with the skills required to design the next generation of self-driving cars.

The course has been closely developed with the motor industry on the west coast of Ireland with input from German companies such as BMW and Continental AG through IT Sligo’s partner, the University of Applied Sciences in Germany.

Speaking ahead of the programme’s launch, Mitchell O’Connor said IT Sligo is at the forefront of online education in Ireland. “To have such a futuristic course delivered around the world to industry leaders, highlights how far third-level education has come in Ireland.”

IT Sligo is one of the largest suppliers of online courses in Ireland and almost half of its 6,000 students are now studying online.

President of IT Sligo Dr Brendan McCormack said being the first third-level institute in Europe to offer such a course is a great achievement for the institute. “The popularity of this course has been proven by the enthusiasm of the industry and the number of students from around the world who have enrolled.”

Graduates with a Level 8 honours degree 2:1 or above in electronic engineering, mechatronic engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science or a related discipline are eligible to apply for this programme. Programming knowledge (ideally C++) and Level 8 engineering maths are pre-requisites to the course.

Modules on the course include machine learning, computer vision, and automotive system safety and cybersecurity. More information on the course is available here.

Jenny Darmody
By Jenny Darmody

Jenny Darmody became the editor of Silicon Republic in 2023, having worked as the deputy editor since February 2020. When she’s not writing about the science and tech industry, she’s writing short stories and attempting novels. She continuously buys more books than she can read in a lifetime and pretty stationery is her kryptonite. She also believes seagulls to be the root of all evil and her baking is the stuff of legends.

Loading now, one moment please! Loading