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Studies & Degrees in Automatic Instrument System

Automatic instrument systems are the measuring and control equipment that lets a machine or a plant run with little human intervention: sensors that measure temperature, pressure, flow or position, controllers that compare those readings with a target, and actuators that correct the process. Universities rarely use this exact name. The subject is taught as instrumentation and control engineering, control and systems engineering, automation or mechatronics. The Institute of Measurement and Control (InstMC), the professional body for the field in the United Kingdom, describes it as measurement, automation and control.

Students learn to describe a physical system with a mathematical model, design a controller for it and test the result on real hardware. Typical subjects are electronics and sensors, signals and feedback control, programming and embedded systems, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), industrial communication networks and robotics, supported by a good deal of mathematics.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degrees. In the United Kingdom the subject is usually a route within an engineering degree. At the University of Sheffield, the three-year Mechatronic and Robotic Engineering BEng lets students specialise in control in the third year, with digital signal processing, optimisation and real-time embedded control. Students can add a placement in industry, in the summer or as a full year.
  • Master's degrees. A master's lets engineers, mathematicians and physicists specialise. The one-year, full-time Advanced Control and Systems Engineering MSc(Eng) at Sheffield teaches how to model, optimise and control systems and how automation is carried out in industry, with practical work in MATLAB and on PLCs. It asks for a 2:1 honours degree in a relevant subject such as engineering, mathematics or physics.
  • Spain. Official university degrees have a fixed structure: a bachelor's degree (grado) of 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees of 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Below university level, the higher vocational training (FP) qualification Técnico Superior en Automatización y Robótica Industrial lasts 2,000 hours and includes modules on measurement and regulation systems, programmable systems, industrial communications and industrial robotics.
  • Doctorate. Research in control, sensing and autonomous systems continues at PhD level.

Professional recognition

In the United Kingdom, engineers register with the Engineering Council through a professional institution. The standard academic route to Chartered Engineer (CEng) is an accredited bachelor's degree with honours plus an accredited master's degree or equivalent further learning, or an accredited integrated MEng degree. Both Sheffield courses above are accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology on behalf of the Engineering Council: the BEng partly meets the academic requirement for CEng, and the MSc counts as further learning for holders of an accredited first degree. The InstMC, founded in 1944, is also licensed by the Engineering Council to assess engineers for registration.

Accreditation is national. If you plan to work in another country, ask how a British degree is recognised there.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists one active school under this subject: the University of Sheffield, in the United Kingdom. Its School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering teaches the control and mechatronics courses described here. Teaching is in English; for the BEng the university asks international applicants for IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each component, or an equivalent qualification.

Because the subject hides under different names, search school listings for control engineering, automation, mechatronics and electronic engineering as well.

Careers

Instrumentation and control engineers work wherever a process has to be measured and kept stable: manufacturing, energy and water utilities, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, aerospace, automotive and robotics. Sheffield states that graduates of its control master's are prepared for technical and leadership roles in control systems, automation, industrial engineering and systems engineering, in sectors from automotive and aerospace to green energy and biotechnology. The Spanish FP qualification leads to jobs such as designer of measurement and regulation systems, commissioning technician for industrial automation systems, and industrial robot programmer.

Official statistics rarely count control engineers separately. For the wider group of electrical and electronics engineers, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment growth of 8 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

Is automatic instrument systems a degree in its own right?

Rarely. It is usually taught inside degrees called control and systems engineering, instrumentation and control, automation, or mechatronic engineering.

How long does it take to study?

At the University of Sheffield, the BEng with a control route takes three years and the specialist MSc(Eng) one year full-time. The Spanish FP qualification in industrial automation and robotics lasts 2,000 hours.

What do I need to be admitted to a master's in control engineering?

Sheffield asks for a 2:1 honours degree in a relevant subject, such as engineering, mathematics or physics, with relevant modules. Other universities set their own requirements.

Will the degree let me become a Chartered Engineer?

An accredited degree meets all or part of the academic requirement. Registration also depends on professional experience and is assessed by a professional institution licensed by the Engineering Council.