The Automation Engineering program trains professionals capable of analyzing, designing, and developing complex systems that integrate mechanics, electronics, computer science, and artificial intelligence. These include autonomous vehicles and drones, industrial and collaborative robots, machinery and entire production systems, as well as intelligent systems for energy generation and distribution. The goal is to provide the tools necessary to create technologies that optimize processes, make systems more autonomous, and improve the quality of life and the working environment.

Why you should choose Automation Engineering

We live in an era where robotics, autonomous vehicles, smart manufacturing, and sustainable energy technologies are revolutionizing every industrial sector. Automation engineers are at the heart of this transformation: they design the systems and logic that enable machines to operate autonomously, safely, and efficiently.
With the Automation Engineering program, you become one of them — a professional who turns innovation into reality and builds, day by day, the world of tomorrow.

What You Will Learn

Automatic Control and Dynamic Systems: 
Modeling, analysis, and design of control systems for mechanical, electrical, or chemical processes.

Robotics and Mechatronics: 
Study of sensors, actuators, and algorithms that enable robots to perceive and interact with their environment.

Electronics and Industrial Computing: 
Programming of PLCs, industrial IoT, and communication networks for automation.

Artificial Intelligence and Process Optimization: 
Advanced methods for the autonomous management of systems and the prediction of complex plant behavior.

Physical AI – Artificial Intelligence for Real-World Systems

Since the invention of the first automatons and machines, automation has always been the driving force behind technological and industrial progress. Today, the new frontier is Physical AI: the convergence of artificial intelligence and the physical world, where algorithms, sensors, and mechatronic systems work together to create machines capable of perceiving, learning, and acting autonomously and adaptively.

This evolution marks a profound transformation: no longer just process automation, but intelligence embedded in matter — capable of improving production, optimizing movement, and interacting naturally with both the environment and humans.

The Automation Engineering program integrates these emerging technologies by offering advanced, interdisciplinary training. Students gain the skills to design intelligent systems and autonomous robots that combine efficiency, sustainability, and decision-making ability. Choosing this path means becoming a key player in the Physical AI revolution, which merges engineering, intelligence, and creativity to build the future of industry and society as a whole.

 

Opportunities

You will be able to pursue careers as a control engineer, system integrator, project manager, or researcher in leading companies, technology innovation centers, or advanced startups. Your profile will be highly valued in fields focused on automation, digital transformation, sustainability, and intelligent and collaborative technologies — where the ability to integrate technical, managerial, and innovative skills truly makes the difference.

According to the most recent surveys conducted by the Career Service (Graduate Employment Report 2025 – Automation and Control Engineering), 99% of Automation Engineering graduates find employment within one year of graduation, and 74% of them secure a permanent contract. These figures confirm the program’s excellent reputation and the high demand for highly qualified professionals in the job market.

 

Interested Fields

INDUSTIAL AUTOMATION

PHYSICAL AI FOR ROBOTICS AND INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION

PHYSICAL AI FOR SMART AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS

BIOMEDICAL ROBOTS, PHYSICAL AI FOR MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

PHYSICAL AI IN AEROSPACE

PHYSICAL AI FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AND MOBILE ROBOTICS

PHYSICAL AI FOR SMART CITIES, SMART TRANSPORTATION, INTERCONNECTED SYSTEMS

Application

Be the protagonist of the next industrial revolution.

By enrolling in the BSc in Automation Engineering or in the MSc in Automation and Control Engineering, you will join an international and stimulating environment where innovation, research, and collaboration with industry are at the heart of every educational project.
Visit the Politecnico di Milano’s admissions page to learn more about application procedures, requirements, and deadlines.