Bachelor in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

Bachelor in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence is one of 3 English-taught Artificial Intelligence programmes at bachelor’s level in the register, offered by 3 institutions. 3 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 727 to EUR 1,453; this programme lists EUR 1,453 a year. 2 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters.

The University of Klagenfurt's Bachelor's degree in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence is a six-semester, 180 ECTS programme taught entirely in English. It is a public university programme, and the degree awarded is a Bachelor of Science (BSc).

What you study

The curriculum is built around five core topics. Principles of robotics covers how to build robots that work safely, including physics topics such as electricity, magnetism, kinematics and dynamics. Mathematics runs through the programme, with courses like Analysis 1 for Engineers. Computer science and software development takes you through planning, designing, implementing and testing software, plus the theoretical concepts behind it. Artificial intelligence shows how to automate smart behaviour and how machines learn on their own, including when AI helps and where its limits lie. Information and communication technology deals with measurement data, images, videos and voice signals, using circuits, sensors, actuators and controls.

Required subjects total 124 ECTS. You also choose guided electives worth 36 ECTS, including labs in robotics and AI and a specialisation made up of two subjects (12 ECTS each) from: Robotics and AI Applications, Design and Modeling Tools for Robotics, Autonomous Systems and Networks, and Feministic Science/Gender Studies. Open electives add 10 ECTS, and the Bachelor's thesis with seminar is worth 10 ECTS.

How the programme is organised

The degree runs over six semesters. It starts with an introductory and orientation period (STEOP) worth 12.5 ECTS, made up of the lecture courses Introduction to the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Program, Physics for Engineers: Kinematics, Dynamics and Thermodynamics, and Introduction to Structured and Object-based Programming, plus the associated exercises. You must complete the STEOP before continuing, and it is recommended for the first semester. Before finishing the STEOP you may take additional courses worth up to 22 ECTS.

Teaching mixes lectures (VO), courses with continuous assessment (VI) and exercises (UE), some with compulsory attendance. Some courses run once per academic year, and some are offered in parallel time slots. A recommended course of study for the first two semesters is published in the curriculum appendix.

Hands-on work matters here. You put robots and drones into action in seminars, and the university operates Europe's largest indoor drone flight hall, used with industry partners. The programme has no compulsory period abroad, but students are encouraged to spend a semester at one of the university's more than 250 partner universities.

Who it suits

This programme suits someone who wants to build and program intelligent machines, not just talk about them. You should be comfortable with mathematics and physics, and ready to write software. The programme is taught in English, so you need English at B2 level or above. If you are interested in how robots perceive their surroundings, correct mistakes and find solutions, and you want lab time with drones and robotic systems, this is a good fit. The university says over 40 per cent of its researchers and teaching staff come from abroad, so you will study in an international environment from the start.

Admission, language and next steps

You need a general university entrance qualification (such as the Matura) and proof of English at CEFR B2 if English is not your first language. Admission goes through the general admission procedure. There is no central application portal: you apply directly to the University of Klagenfurt, and its programme page gives the application periods and the step-by-step process. Deadlines differ depending on whether your prior education is Austrian or German, from another EU or EEA country, or from outside the EU and EEA. Applicants from certain non-EU countries must take a competence check at VFS Global before applying.

As a public university, EU and EEA students and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters. Other students pay a fee per semester. The programme page and the university's admission pages set out the exact documents and dates.

A broad canon of subjects allows the students to acquire fundamental knowledge and practical skills. The basis consists of necessary interdisciplinary basics from physics (electricity, magnetism, mechanics, thermodynamics and kinematics), mathematics (linear algebra, analysis, stochastics and statistics), electrical engineering (digital circuits and circuit technology), computer science (operating systems, object-oriented programming, software engineering, networks), control engineering (systems theory and control engineering) and artificial intelligence (logics, symbolic AI, machine learning). This is complemented by subject-specific knowledge in robotics and the applications of artificial intelligence in robotics.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here University of Klagenfurt. For most bachelor’s programmes at public universities the general application period ends on 5 September for the winter semester and on 5 February for the summer semester. The dates are earlier for applicants from outside the EU/EEA and for programmes with an entrance procedure, so confirm the exact date on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: No. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.