MSc Advanced Control and Systems Engineering with Extended Research

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2026, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £14,700 year 1, £7,350 year 2 (22,050.00 on offer letter)
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £38,400 year 1, £19,200 year 2 (£57,600.00 on offer letter)

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We offer a number of postgraduate taught scholarships and awards to outstanding UK and international students each year.

The University of Manchester is committed to widening participation in master's study, and allocates £300,000 in funding each year. Our Manchester Master's Bursaries are aimed at widening access to master's courses by removing barriers to postgraduate education for students from underrepresented groups.

We also welcome the best and brightest international students each year and reward excellence with a number of merit-based scholarships. See our range of master’s scholarships for international students .

And, if you have completed an undergraduate degree at The University of Manchester, or are currently in your final year of an undergraduate degree with us, you may be eligible for a discount of 10% on tuition fees if you choose to study on a taught postgraduate course here. Find out if you're eligible and how to apply .

For more information on master's tuition fees and studying costs, visit the University of Manchester funding for master's courses website to help you plan your finances.

Brief description of the unit:

Part 1 - Linear Algebra

• Linear subspaces
• Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
  Matrix inversion formulas
• Invariate subspaces
• Vector norms and matrix norms
• Singular value decomposition
• Generalised inverses
• Semidefinite matrices

Part 2 - Linear Dynamical Systems

• Description of linear dynamical systems
• Solutions of linear dynamical systems and their stability
• Controllability and observability
• Observers and observer-based controllers
• Operation on systems
• State-space realisations for transfer functions
• Hidden modes and pole-zero cancellation

Part 3 - Feedback System

• Feedback structure
• Well-posedness of feedback system
• Closed-loop stability

The unit aims to introduce the essential linear algebra concepts used in the development of the mathematical descriptions of linear system theory; to establish the mathematical foundations of linear dynamical systems used in control system theory; to give students a sound understanding of the state-space representation of linear dynamical systems and to formulate the stability of closed-loop systems.

ILO1 Analyse the preoerties of a matrix such as eigenvalues, norms, and singular values in the context of dynamical systems. [Developed and Assessed].

ILO2 Compute the invariate subspaces of a matrix and other significant properties. 

ILO3 Describe dynamical systems in mathematical terms using state-space representations. 

ILO4 Analyse dynamical system properties of state-space models. 

ILO5 Develop feedback controllers for state-space models using state-feedback and observer techniques.

ILO6 Analyse feedback dynamical systems and their properties.

Lectures, tutorials, practical/ laboratory work and private study.

Examination - four questions, answer all questions. Feedback is provided after the examination board. 

Laboratories - Quiz and Report. Feedback is provided two weeks after report submission.

• Linear systems theory by Hespanha, João P. Princeton University Press, 2018.
• Robust and optimal control  by Zhou, Kemin. Prentice Hall, 1996.
• A Linear Systems Primer by Antsaklis, Panos J. Birkhäuser Boston, 2007.
• Linear Systems by Antsaklis, Panos J. Birkhäuser Boston, 2006.
• Linear systems by Kailath, Thomas. Prentice-Hall, 1980.
• Control systems engineering by Nise, Norman S. Wiley, 2019.