Autonomous Driving
At a glance
Academic degree
Master of Engineering (M.Eng.)
Form of study
Consecutive Master
Standard period of study
3 semesters (incl. Master’s thesis), 90 ECTS
Place of learning
Language of instruction
English
Start of studies
Summer semester (March 15)
Winter semester (October 01)
Admission requirements
Fees
From the summer semester 2025, Coburg University of Applied Sciences will charge fees for international students from non-EU countries who enrol on a new degree course. The fees amount to €1,500 per semester. Find out more here: Tuition fees for students from non-EU countries
Registration
Winter semester: Applications from non-EU countries are only possible on May 2nd. Applicants from the EU can apply until September 30th to the following e-mail address: student-affairs@hs-coburg.de Summer semester: Applications from non-EU countries are only possible on November 15th. Applicants from the EU can apply until March 14 to the following e-mail address: student-affairs@hs-coburg.de
Registration
Profile of the Master's program
With us, you take the big picture into account and develop innovative solutions for connected mobility.
There are already driverless transport systems in intralogistics or shuttle vehicles at airports or in cities such as Kronach.
In addition to self-driving cars and driver assistance systems, autonomous systems will soon be in play everywhere.
Which areas would you like to redesign?
With us, you have the opportunity to develop and apply your skills.
During the course of your studies, you decide for yourself in which subject areas you would like to deepen your knowledge.
Insights
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What we value
Practical and project-centered learning
Our degree program directly reflects future professional practice.
You will work in interdisciplinary teams to develop solutions together and across different specialist areas (interdisciplinary).
This will provide you with many skills that will give you a decisive advantage in your future career.
As part of the final presentation, our students present their finished product.
Take a look at how project-centered studies work!
You act independently within your team and actively shape the progress of your team project.
Teamwork and communication are the be-all and end-all here!
You and your team are in constant communication.
You will receive specialist input at all times from the lecturers and employees of the university as well as from the experts at our partner companies.
Our team - our expertise
The nine-member team of the Autonomous Driving degree program consists of three young professors and six employees who will support you during your studies. We attach great importance to excellent, personal support through intensive exchange and close cooperation. Our expertise in the fields of artificial intelligence, V2X, user experience design and driving dynamics for autonomous driving are also the specialist areas that will give you a broad foundation for your future.
Team of professors of the degree program; from left: Prof. Dr. Alisa Lindner; Prof. Dr. Georg Arbeiter; Prof. Dr. Lucila Patiño Studencki
Living and working at the Lucas Cranach Campus
Our Master’s degree program is based at the Lucas-Cranach-Campus Kronach. The newly created campus in the heart of the city of Kronach offers you learning, tinkering, living and meeting friends – all in the immediate vicinity. Here you can meet movers and shakers, question existing solutions, think about new things and actively shape them. Do you need help finding accommodation? Whether it’s a single apartment, shared flat or family apartment. Simply send an e-mail to info@lcc-kc.de, subject “Housing for students” and be sure to include your telephone number.
Lucas Cranach the Elder, who gave his name to the campus, stands for precisely this special spirit: his spirit of innovation should inspire our students.
Over the next few years, the Lucas Cranach Campus will be home to degree courses and transfer institutes from various universities working on the innovations of the future.
Further information about the Lucas Cranach Campus can be found here.
Course content and schedule
The study and examination regulations (DE and EN) form the legal basis of the degree program. The module handbook provides an overview of the content of the individual modules in the degree program. The study and examination plan shows the structure of the degree program and the examinations associated with the modules.
Overview of the modules
1st and2nd semester
At the beginning of your studies, you and your team will work on a product idea, which you will conceptualize and further develop over the course of two semesters.
The six study modules form a product development cycle that covers all theoretical and practical milestones, from the conception phase and analysis of the framework conditions to the technical implementation and virtual testing of a real prototype.
This is what real practical relevance and consistent project focus look like.
We use agile project management and human-centered product development methods.
By teaching the essential course content such as
- Sensors and actuators
- Vehicle networking
- Data processing
- Artificial intelligence and
- Human-machine interfaces
ensures the implementation of your team’s product idea.
We welcome it if you have a certain affinity for software development and programming.
3rd semester
In the third semester, you will then apply your skills in your Master’s thesis, which you will ideally write together with a company.
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Job & career at the hotspot for autonomous driving
Thomas Spangler - Brose
You have discovered a special location in Kronach: we work closely with leading companies from the industry here, such as VALEO. The global market leader for driver assistance sensors has a research and development center in Kronach. Here, 170 developers and 30 students are researching and working on the cutting edge of autonomous driving. VALEO participates in courses and projects and offers students internships, working student jobs and opportunities for subsequent permanent employment. One top partner is not enough for you? Motherson DRSC Deutschland GmbH, a leading international car interior specialist, is right on our doorstep. Lear Corporation GmbH deals with future-oriented vehicle communication almost next door. And Brose AG from Coburg, the fourth-largest family-owned automotive supplier, is also in the region. For example, we are researching and developing in the field of vehicle communication as part of our 5GKC project. In the Shuttle Model Region Upper Franconia (SMO) project, we are developing AI-based algorithms for sensor data processing, environment models and are focusing on human-machine interaction and ergonomics. With the project and practical experience you have gained, you will be welcome wherever the mobility of tomorrow is being worked on. Many of our students already have their first job offers in their second semester.
Voices of our cooperation partners
Jörg Schrepfer, Valeo
“Autonomous driving is precisely our topic in driver assistance research at VALEO with its location in the Kronach district of Neuses.
I am therefore delighted to be closely involved in the development of this degree course.
We can offer students interesting topics for internships, theses and certainly also prospects for the time after graduation.
Upper Franconia has a very strong automotive supply industry.
It also has an entire network of universities and colleges in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences, computer science and engineering.
Upper Franconia wants to become a center for mobility solutions.
The “Model Region for Mobility in Upper Franconia” association and projects such as the Upper Franconia Shuttle Region, Digital Wunsiedel and Mobility Digital Hochfranken are evidence of this.
VALEO itself is a leader in driver assistance sensor technology with solutions for ultrasound, lidar, cameras and radar as well as systems for automated parking.
We are intensively researching the topic of automated driving and are a member of many research consortiums with well-known car manufacturers and competitors.
I am delighted that the course is based at the Lucas Cranach Campus in Kronach and see this as a unique opportunity for the future of the city of Kronach.
It will attract young people to the region who will stay here or never leave.”
Jörg Schrepfer is Head of Driving Assistance Research DAR Germany, Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH
Thomas Spangler - Brose
“Autonomous driving will have a significant impact on vehicle access and intelligent adjustment and comfort systems in the interior – these are Brose’s core competencies. A completely new user behavior is emerging that will open up opportunities for our future business. That’s why we supported the establishment of this degree program at Coburg University of Applied Sciences from the very beginning. In my view, it was a forward-looking decision. Coburg University of Applied Sciences has excellent practical relevance. Autonomous driving will not only take place on highways and in heavy goods traffic. Rural areas in particular are facing completely new, demanding challenges that need to be solved.”
Thomas Spangler is the CEO of the Brose Sitech Group
Do your doctorate now!
Would you like to work in a scientific environment after completing your Master’s degree?
Then become a doctoral candidate in one of our research projects and pave the way for your doctorate!
Application and admission
Please register online via our online portal. We will then invite you to an introductory interview. During the interview, we will discuss the special features and challenges of the degree program and find out which team you would best fit into.
Admission requirements
- A diploma or bachelor’s degree with an overall grade of at least 2.5 or a final grade that puts you in the top 60 percent of graduates (submit signed and stamped proof from the college or university),
- A university degree in automotive engineering, mechatronics, information technology/computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering/electronics, physics or a related field and
- At least seven semesters (210 ECTS) including a practical semester (at least 18 ECTS) or six semesters of study (180 ECTS) without a practical semester.
You can catch up on any missing theoretical or practical skills within one year of starting your Master’s degree. - International applicants require a VPD issued to Coburg University of Applied Sciences. You can find further information here
- Curriculum vitae
- Official proof of English language skills at level B2
Application deadlines - important!
Applications from non-EU countries are only possible for the winter semester on 02.05.
Applications from non-EU countries are only possible for the summer semester on 15.11.
The reason for this is the long processing time for visas. Please submit all documents required for admission on the day of application. It is not possible to submit documents later. Only complete applications will be considered. Please note the specified deadlines! Applicants from the EU can apply for the winter semester until September 30th and for the summer semester until March 14th to the following e-mail address: student-affairs@hs-coburg.de
Tuition fees
From the summer semester 2025, Coburg University of Applied Sciences will charge fees for international students from non-EU countries who enrol on a new degree course. The fees amount to €1,500 per semester. Find out more here: Tuition fees for students from non-EU countries
Contact person
I am Georg Arbeiter and your contact person for our degree program. If you would like to know whether the course is right for you or if you need more information about the content of the course, write me a message or give me a call!
