Mission and goals
The role of Automation Engineers is to design, create, develop and manage equipments aimed at eliminating direct human intervention, as far as possible, in the operation of machinery, processes, plants and networks distributing goods or providing services. All these activities require creativeness and experience in solving integration problems deriving from the combination of traditional engineering technologies (mechanics and electrical machinery) with information technologies (automation, electronics, computer science, telecommunications). Increasingly complex automation systems are common in all industrial and tertiary sectors and are used both for making equipment and productive processes automatic and for improving the quality and technological content of products. The presence of different technologies in typical automation engineering products and applications explains the highly interdisciplinary nature of the programme.
Career opportunities
Automation Engineering offers challenging career opportunities in all the fields where automation and control are of paramount importance, such as: industry producing automatic machines, robots and more generally mechatronic systems, resulting from the integrated design of mechanics and control; process industry (chemical and petrochemical, pulp and paper, plastic, energy production and conversion, etc.); transportation systems (ground marine and aerospace) concerning both the development of vehicles (cars, boats, aircrafts, etc.) and the design, management and control of infrastructures (railway, motorway, underground, etc.); transportation and distribution networks (water, gas, electric power, etc); food industry; electrical appliances and home automation; environmental resources.
Possible further education
Subject to academic curriculum evaluation, graduates can apply for a two-year Laurea Magistrale (equivalent to Master of Science) programme, possibly followed by three-year doctoral studies, or for 1st level Specializing Masters.