Area of specialization Control Theory
Contact:
J. Lygeros
Please comment on your experience with these courses
below under the corresponding headings. Always specify the semester and the name of the lecturer. In particular mention what you have perceived as prerequisites and dependencies.
General Remarks
If you plan to take the Control System courses, you should consider to take Signals and Systems too because it's easier to catch up. Bachelor students can also take similar courses in their bachelor degree and then take Control Systems in their master degree.
Tips for Theses: If you want to write a thesis (Bachelor, Master or Semester) in this field of specialization, you can take a look at the offered project in the Automatic Control Laboratory at sirop.org or at the projects in one of the research groups in the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control. Many of this projects rely on programming, algorithms or computer simulations which means they are suitable for a CSE thesis.
Specific Remarks on Courses
Control Systems I
Autumn semester 2021: (Lecturer: F. Dörfler)
This course is all about systems. Some prior knowledge in signals and systems is very recommended. The course is mostly about some applied mathematics in the field of systems, such as computing transfer functions, closed loops or controllers. There are some optional programming exercises in Matlab that will give you a 0.25 bonus for the exam but the exam isn't about programming or algorithms.
Computational Control (formerly Control Systems II)
Spring semester 2022: (Lecturer: R. Smith)
Note: This description refers to Control Systems II. The new course called Computational Control might be different in several ways.
This course takes some of the topics of Control Systems I and adds some more details to those topics. It's highly recommended to take Control Systems I before this course because you should already understand the big picture of Systems and Controls. The homework consists of pen and paper exercises that are mainly applications of the theory that help you to understand the big picture (some proofs are part of the homework too but they are usually quite short) and programming exercises in Matlab. By solving the homework sheets, you can earn a bonus of 0.25 for the exam. The exam is not about programming but you should still be able to understand some plots and of course apply the theory.
Linear System Theory
Stochastic Systems
Signals and Systems
Autumn semester 2021: (Lecturer: A. Carron)
This course teaches the basics about signals and systems and it's a good starting point for this field of specialization. The course is very broad but doesn't go too much into detail. The exercises are mostly about working with signals and things like the Fourier transform will be often used. The exercises include programming exercises in Python and there is an optional programming exercise (in Python too) that can give you a bonus of 0.25 for your exam but the exam is all multiple choice and there are little to no questions about programming.
Dynamic Programming and Optimal Control
Autumn semester 2021: (R. D'Andrea)
This is a stand-alone course about dynamic programming algorithms and (stochastic) shortest path problems. Some very basics in stochastic are needed but those will also get introduced in the very beginning of the course. It's an interesting course but the exam isn't computer based and you have to perform the dynamic programming algorithm by hand. But this isn't too hard and there is an additional programming exercise in Matlab where you can include the algorithm.
Nonlinear Systems and Control
Machine Learning
Advanced Topics in Control
Seminar in Systems and Control for CSE
There's not much to say here. You'll be given a topic and some papers and you have to write a short report (6-8 pages in the IEEE Conference template) about those papers and give a presentation. It's highly recommended to take some of the other courses first because you will need a solid background on Systems and Controls.
