A master’s degree in automation is a sizeable commitment, especially if you are fitting study around a job. Beyond the qualification itself, you need to consider whether the curriculum develops the skills you need, whether the workload is manageable, and how well the course aligns with your career goals.
Perhaps you want to move from maintaining equipment to designing control systems. Perhaps you need to understand why a process keeps malfunctioning. Before choosing a degree, work through these eight checks.
1. Start with the Work You Want to Do
Be specific about your goal. Improving temperature control in a food-processing plant calls for different knowledge from developing a robot’s movement.
Write down two or three tasks you want to handle more confidently, then compare them with the course outcomes. For industrial automation, these might include selecting sensors, programming controllers, or planning an upgrade.
Job advertisements can help you identify recurring skills. Use them to test your shortlist, without treating a qualification as a promise of employment.
2. Read Beyond the Unit Titles
Download the unit outlines. A subject called “Advanced Automation” provides only a high-level overview; the unit outline reveals the specific topics, learning outcomes and assessment requirements.
For plant and process work, look for measurement, control, industrial communications and the systems operators use to monitor equipment. Check how these subjects connect.
Also distinguish compulsory units from electives. An appealing machine-learning subject may be one option among several. Ask whether it will run during your intake and whether you meet its prerequisites.
3. Check Recognition for the Exact Course
For Australian qualifications, a master’s degree sits at Level 9 of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Professional engineering accreditation is a separate check: Engineers Australia assesses programs against engineering competencies.
Search for the exact degree, including its campus or delivery mode, in the relevant accreditation listing. A provider’s reputation alone does not answer that question.
If you intend to work overseas, ask the professional body in that country how it assesses the qualification. Keep its answer alongside the course information when comparing options.
4. Check Your Starting Point
Review the entry requirements and confirm what prior knowledge you’re expected to have before starting the program.
A process-control unit can involve mathematical modelling and stability analysis. If those topics are unfamiliar, find out whether you need preparation before starting.
Share your academic transcript and relevant work experience with an EIT Course Advisor (CA). They can guide you on the entry requirements and help clarify whether you need further preparation in mathematics, programming or electrical fundamentals before starting the program.
5. Find Out What You Will Actually Practice
Ask for a sample practical assignment. Will you write a control program, test it, troubleshoot it, and explain your results?
A published programmable logic controller (PLC) unit outline, for example, includes simulating and troubleshooting a program, demonstrating the results and submitting a report.
For online courses, ask which activities use simulations and which provide remote access to physical equipment. Check booking arrangements and technical support.
For the thesis, find out how supervisors are allocated, how often feedback is available and whether a problem from your workplace would be suitable.
6. Look for Safety and Security
Consider a simple fault: a sensor stops reporting while a pump is running. Where in the course would you learn to assess the consequences and design an appropriate response?
Look for hazard assessment, safety systems and industrial cybersecurity in the course syllabi and assignments.
The US National Institute of Standards and Technology’s operational technology security guide addresses security alongside performance, reliability and safety. That is a useful reminder when comparing syllabuses: protecting a control system involves understanding the physical process it operates.
7. Put the Workload into Your Calendar
Get an estimate of the total study time, including assessments and independent work.
The Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT), for example, estimates approximately 10 hours per unit each week for its online Master of Engineering (Industrial Automation).
Try placing those hours into an ordinary working week. Include time-zone differences, laboratory sessions and assessment deadlines. Ask what happens if your roster changes, and whether reducing your study load would affect the sequence of units.
8. Add Up the Full Cost
Request a fee breakdown for the whole course. Ask which software licenses, equipment, workshops and other charges are included.
For campus study, add travel and living expenses during your study duration. For online study, check computer and internet requirements. Read the withdrawal and refund terms before paying.
A payment plan may help with timing, but compare the total amount you will pay. If your employer offers support, establish whether that includes study leave as well as fees.
If plant and process control is your aim, EIT’s Master of Engineering (Industrial Automation) provides a concrete course to examine against these checks. Its curriculum includes PLCs, instrumentation, process control, industrial communications, safety systems and a project thesis. Put those unit outlines beside your intended work and your weekly calendar, then take any unanswered questions to the course team.
This article was published October 26th, 2026 and the content is current as at the date of publication.
