Flying to the moon, monitoring and stabilizing the energy grid, using cruise control in a car, employing a crane to unload a container ship: these are typical examples of methods within Systems and Control.
Systems and Control is an engineering discipline that is concerned with analyzing and influencing dynamical systems that interact with their environment via inputs (influenced via actuators) and outputs (measured via sensors). It is highly multidisciplinary because the underlying mathematical models and methods cover many different domains. These include electronics, mechanics, chemistry, biology, medicine, economy, and social sciences.
The Master’s degree programme in Systems and Control at the University of Groningen focuses on complex systems and networks, which means systems are analysed and controlled by breaking them down into interconnections between simpler systems. Understanding how the interplay between simple systems can lead to novel emergent behaviours is important and highly relevant in many application fields.
This is a 2-year master's programme, where in the first year you will follow 5 core courses and 7 elective courses (5 ECTS each), while in the second year you will participate in a design project (20 ECTS) and a research project (40 ECTS).
The majority of courses will be taught by staff members of the Jan C. Willems Center of Systems and Control which encompasses the following research groups:
Furthermore, the final research project will be carried out within one of these groups.
| Study programme | Organization | Transition |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Mathematics | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
| Mathematics | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
| Astronomy | University of Groningen |
No additional requirements More information:Minor: Informatics and Instrumentation |
| Industrial Engineering and Management | University of Groningen | No additional requirements |
| Chemical Engineering | University of Groningen |
No additional requirements More information:Chemical Engineering students are recommended to follow the bachelor course Linear Systems (WBMA043-05) in 2b to check if the master in Systems and Control is a good fit |
| Study programme | Organization | Transition |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering | All Research universities | No additional requirements |
| Mechanical Engineering | All Research universities | No additional requirements |
| Electrical Engineering | All Research universities | No additional requirements |
Holders of a comparable diploma (as determined by the Admissions Board) from other universities are also admissible. They may request an individual admission decision. Students that enter the master's degree programme in Systems and Control should have sufficient knowledge of mathematics, basic control theory, and engineering, are expected to know some programming as well as a minimal level of English.
The Admissions Board is responsible for assessing the eligibility of students for admission to the educational programmes, including prospective international students, applicants from the Bachelor's programmes, pre-Master's programmes for students from the Dutch universities of applied sciences (HBOs), and students from Dutch universities.
Holders of an HBO degree from the Netherlands do not have direct access to Master programmes and need to complete a pre-master programme.
| Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
| EU/EEA students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
| non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
| Specific requirements | More information |
|---|---|
| language test |
More information: https://www.rug.nl/fse/programme/admissions/msc/language-requirements?lang=en |
| other admission requirements |
Holders of a comparable diploma (as determined by the Admissions Board) from other universities are also admissible. They may request an individual admission decision. Students that enter the master's degree programme in Systems and Control should have sufficient knowledge of mathematics, basic control theory, and engineering, are expected to know some programming as well as a minimal level of English. |
The Admissions Board is responsible for assessing the eligibility of students for admission to the educational programmes, including prospective international students, applicants from the Bachelor's programmes, pre-Master's programmes for students from the Dutch universities of applied sciences (HBOs), and students from Dutch universities.
| Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
| EU/EEA students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
| non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2025 | 01 September 2025 |
| Nationality | Year | Fee | Programme form |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU/EEA | 2024-2025 | € 2530 | full-time |
| non-EU/EEA | 2024-2025 | € 24200 | full-time |
Practical information for:
A Master’s degree in Systems and Control opens up many interesting job opportunities. Your ability to analyse complex systems or networks in a multidisciplinary environment and your knowledge of available methods to control such systems make you a highly sought-after employee in both established high-tech companies and technology start-ups. You could also deepen your theoretical knowledge by pursuing a PhD in Systems and Control at the University of Groningen or at another internationally-leading university in the field of systems and control
Examples of companies regularly hiring students with a systems and control background are ASML, Philips, Tennet, and many companies within the Innovation Center Drachten. Examples of research institutions are National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) and TNO.
This Master's programme is a research-oriented master which means that the lectures are taught by active researchers, who continuously update the course content to reflect the recent advances in the field.
Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to work on an individual research project during the second year under the supervision of one or more researchers from the research groups within the Jan C. Willems Center for Systems and Control.
I had a lot of freedom to discover my own interests
I followed the Systems & Control track within the MSc in Applied Mathematics as the MSc in Systems & Control did not yet exist at that time. My interest in electrical circuits and the systems and control field as a whole developed during the courses I took as part of my Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics.
During my studies, I had a lot of freedom to discover my own interests. What I also like about the field of systems and control is that it is multidisciplinary; it’s a combination of mathematics, physics, and computing science. This combination ensures that you stay aware of the practical implementations of the theory that is being discussed.
I did my internship at Philips, where my research was about making the trimmer, one of their electric shaving devices, consume less power. This experience gave me a clear picture of how my background in systems and control can be used within a company.
I am currently doing a PhD programme, in which I am studying the potential of a new type of computer, which could operate in a more energy-efficient way, like a human brain. For this, I am (among other things) analysing networks, implementing electrical circuits, and writing mathematical proofs. While this project will take several years to complete, I am looking forward to the potential outcomes.
Although I do love solving problems, the most enjoyable aspect of my work is the stimulating discussions I have with my colleagues.
I am a PhD student in the Systems, Control and Optimization group within the Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. I work under the supervision of Bart Besselink and Arjan van der Schaft on a project about the modular design and analysis of complex interconnected systems.
I remember being interested in the physics behind many of the games I played as a kid; I wanted to know the best way to throw a ball and make a basket, or to take a fast turn with a car in a video game. At the same time, I was also fascinated by the speed and precision of the big industrial machines that I saw on shows like “How It’s Made”. So when the field of systems and control was introduced to me with an example of keeping a satellite in orbit, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to learn more. As a mathematician at heart, I was really happy that the systems and control courses in Groningen were treated a bit more rigorously than in other universities. This made it easier to study more advanced topics and eventually be confident and enthusiastic enough to pursue a PhD degree.
My PhD project is motivated by the growing complexity of modern engineering systems, such as smart grids and intelligent transportation systems. Such systems often comprise a large number of interconnected components that are designed by different specialized manufacturers. But different manufacturers seldom have the facilities to collaborate effectively, which can cause costly delays. This can be avoided by adopting a method for specifying design requirements that allows components to be designed independently. One such method is based on using so-called contracts. In my project, I am developing a theory of contracts for a specific class of interconnected systems, namely, systems with components modelled by differential equations.
A large part of my day-to-day work consists of coming up with problems that are relevant to my PhD project and solving them. I utilize a lot of the theory that I learned in my master’s to solve these problems. For example, I make extensive use of the behavioural approach to systems theory, geometric control theory, and realization theory, which were covered in the courses Mathematical Systems Theory, Advanced Systems and Control, and Modelling and Identification, among others. Although I do love solving problems, the most enjoyable aspect of my work is the stimulating discussions I have with my colleagues. It feels great to be surrounded by people who share my interests and passion.
I am not sure what my future looks like. On the one hand, I would like to stay in academia, pursue a postdoc and eventually become a professor. On the other hand, I am also interested in working in industry, in a high-tech company like ASML, or the European Space Agency. In any case, all options sound exciting to me, and I am looking forward to the next step in my career.
