romprr
  1. Home
    2.  » 
  2. Education
    3.  » 

Master MINDS - INSA-Lyon

The Master MINDS is an international master’s program focused on AI, cybersecurity, robotics, and related topics.

Program page

Structure

This page is structured into multiple parts:

  • Description, presenting the program and its specificities
  • Opinion, explaining why I chose this program
  • Projects, listing the projects completed during the master’s program (M1 to M2)

Description

This section is meant to provide practical details that are not covered on the program page. Also, since I was part of the very first cohort, the structure may change over time; this page reflects how the program was when I attended it.

The Master MINDS at INSA Lyon is a joint international master’s program focused on artificial intelligence. It is a collaborative program between INSA Lyon (France), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), Università degli Studi di Milano Statale (Italy), and the University of Passau (Germany).

In the first year (2025–2026), we learn the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computer vision, and robotics at INSA. The second year includes an exchange semester in either Spain, Italy, or Germany (semester 1), followed by an internship (semester 2).

M1 has two main components:

  • A year-long research project during the first year, based on topics proposed by supervisors (sometimes connected to a PhD student’s thesis).
    • The student and supervisor meet regularly to track progress.
    • A report is written and submitted during the first semester.
    • During the second semester, another report is written and presented.
  • A two-week industrial challenge during the second semester.
    • The project is done in teams, together with a participating company. It is similar to a hackathon, but longer and more structured.

Some practical information about the exchange:

  • UAB offers a “pre-made” exchange (students don’t choose their courses), focused on computer vision and robotics.
  • UNIMI and Passau let students choose their courses. As a result, students there do not necessarily have to follow one of the three specialization tracks.
    • For example, UNIMI is, in theory, more focused on cybersecurity, but a student can still build a curriculum oriented toward AI for healthcare.

Opinion

I chose this master’s program for many reasons. One of them is that it is one of the few international master’s programs where all courses are taught in English. It also allows students to do an exchange semester at one of the three partner universities (Milan, Barcelona, or Passau), which, in my opinion, is a valuable experience outside my comfort zone.

Another reason is the program content. After my BSc in Computer Science and Data, I wanted to specialize in AI for healthcare. I was also curious about other areas, such as blockchain technologies, and the program includes courses on those topics.

INSA Lyon is a well-known and prestigious engineering school in France. I expected the course quality to be high, and I also valued the opportunities to attend research talks and interact with students from other programs, which makes the degree more interesting overall.

Overall, I think this master’s program is great. It has some caveats, which is normal considering I attended it during the very first year of the program.

You might ask, “Why talk in the past?” Mainly because I don’t intend to modify this page a lot.

Projects

Unfortunately, the year-long project is not available here yet, as it is not finished.