Robotics Engineering MS Degree Program

Design, develop, and deploy automated systems across many sectors. Become a master of advanced robotics systems and their real-world applications and graduate with the skills to build your future in your choice of technical industries.

At Michigan Tech, you get prepared for advanced research and technical leadership roles that allow you to gain the experience required to meet the growing demand for automation experts.

Program Overview

Students will apply fundamental principles of robotics engineering to the design, analysis, and implementation of robotic systems that address real-world engineering challenges. Preparing graduates to excel in fields like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing and logistics, and public safety. 

The Michigan Tech Master of Robotics Engineering focuses on autonomous robotic systems that can operate independently, perceiving their environment, making decisions, and performing tasks without constant human control. 

Degree Options

Whether your interests lie in research or coursework, we offer a master's degree option to suit your educational goals.

The curriculum structure of the proposed MS program requires 30 credits of graduate work. The Graduate Academic Advisor and the departmental faculty will help the students tailor programs to fit their interests and needs. All course plans must be approved by the graduate program director. The credit requirements for the MS program plan are summarized in the table below.

Notes For Degree

Course credits exclude research/project courses (e.g., EE 599X), other directed study or project courses, and ENT courses. A maximum of 3 credits of EE 5805 can be included in the coursework requirements. EE 5805 (1-3 credits) may be taken once with pre-approval from the Graduate Program Director (GPD) by coursework MS students. Coursework credits do not include Advanced Responsible Conduct for Research Training (RCR)

All courses must be 4000-level or above. 3000-level courses are not counted towards degree requirements. A maximum of 12 credits is allowed of 4000-level courses for coursework and report options, while a maximum of 9 credits is allowed for thesis options.

Courses outside of the Department should be approved by the advisor and Graduate Program Director. Usually, courses that are offered in Physics, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Computer Science, and Applied Computing will be approved. Students must seek approval from the Graduate Program Director before registering courses from other disciplines.

Detailed Sample Course Plan

Note: Courses are grouped by focus area; however, students are not required to take courses listed within a particular group.

Introduction to Robotics Systems

Advanced Control and Motion Planning

Unlisted: Advanced Robotics (3 credits) and Swarming Robotics (3 credits)

Perception and Computer Vision for Robotics

Unlisted: Advanced Perception Systems (3 credits)

AI/Machine Learning for Robotics

Unlisted: Advanced Perception Systems (3 credits)

Rehabilitation Robotics

Unlisted: Rehabilitation Robotics (3 credits)

Human-Robot Interaction and Safety

Soft Robotics/ Bio-inspired Robotics

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM)

Unlisted: 5xxx: Probabilistic Graphical Models

Secure Communications for Robots

Cybersecurity for Robotics

Unlisted: Cyber-physical System Cybersecurity (3 credits)

Embedded Systems for Automation

Application Process and Admissions Requirements

Applications are reviewed on an individual basis using a holistic approach. Fill out our free graduate application online to apply to any of our programs. Official transcripts and scores are not required for the initial application, although you will need to upload them later.

Accredited by HLC

Michigan Tech has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) since 1928. Our Graduate School offers over 125 certificates, master's, and PhD programs to provide our students and the world with what tomorrow needs.

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