College of Engineering

A Robotics MS program of study comprises a minimum of 45 credits, with the following options:  

• MS thesis option: 12 credits of Thesis (ROB 503) and at least 30 credits of coursework. The balance may constitute credits from the following sources: research (ROB 501), reading and conference (ROB 505), seminar (ROB 507), or additional coursework. Of the coursework credits, 16 must come from approved core courses (see below). Students are required to submit a formal Program of Study (POS) form prior to completing 18 credits of coursework. 

  After completing all required coursework and thesis credits, and submitting the pretext pages of their thesis to the Graduate School, students must schedule their final oral examination through the Graduate School using their Exam Scheduling Form.  The thesis must be distributed to all committee members (including the Graduate Council Representative) at least two weeks prior to the examination.

• MS project option: 6 credits of Projects (ROB 506) and 36 credits of coursework. The balance may constitute credits from the following sources: research (ROB 501), reading and conference (ROB 505), seminar (ROB 507), or additional coursework. Of the coursework credits, 16 must come from approved core courses (see below). Students are required to submit a formal Program of Study (POS) form prior to completing 18 credits of coursework.

  After completing all required coursework and project credits, and submitting their project report to their committee, students must schedule their final oral examination with their graduate committee. Copies of the project report must be distributed to all committee members at least one week prior to the examination. 

At least 50 percent of the credits on a student's POS must represent stand-alone graduate courses (500 level or above). The remaining credits may include the 5XX component of 400/500-level courses.

Robotics Core Courses

The intent of the Robotics core is to ensure each program of study both specializes in robotics, and contains sufficient breadth. To that end, the four-course core comprises one introductory course, one hands-on robotics course, one autonomy course, and one fundamental control/dynamics course:  
1.         ROB 514 : Introduction to Robotics
2.         ROB 521 : Research Robotics
3.         ROB 537 : Learning-Based Control -OR-  ROB 534 : Sequential Decision Making in Robotics
4.         ME 531 : Linear Multivariate Control Systems I -OR-  ME 533 : Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis
  
Note: For the most recent university guidelines and requirements, please consult the  Graduate School .