In the 21st century, robots perform numerous tasks, like vacuuming carpets, building cars, and entertaining children. Robots, therefore, are important. The conveniences they provide wouldn’t be possible without highly trained robotics engineers.
Robotics engineers apply their knowledge of engineering, computing, and human behavior to make intelligent, autonomous machines. Engineers attain this level of proficiency by earning a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in robotics.
The best robotics engineering programs entail hands-on projects that let students to brainstorm, design, and build robots. Because these experiences are very similar to what robotics professionals experience within the workplace, alumni can transition from classroom to laboratory seamlessly.
As a potential student, you need to have a passion for robotics, electronics, mathematics, programming, and collaboration to fully be engrossed in this career path.
This page highlights the best robotics engineering school in the U.S in 2021. Read on to find out more about what to do with a robotics engineering degree and the salary outlook of a robotic engineer.
Best Robotics Engineering Schools within the U.S.
The following schools offer a program in robotics engineering degrees for 2021. In addition to a demanding curriculum, each program offers prospective students with supplementary benefits, like hands-on learning experiences, opportunities to perform original research, and aid.
Please make use of the embedded links to find out more, as information may have changed since this article’s publication.
Northwestern University
Location: Evanston, IL
With a hands-on approach, Northwestern’s program in robotics helps degree-seekers curate knowledgeable portfolios attractive to potential employers. The main curriculum consists of an introduction to mechatronics, robotic manipulation, and embedded systems in robotics. Students can even tailor their educational experience with seven electives and two independent projects.
Northwestern Career Advancement (NCA) prepares students for career success by providing virtual chat sessions, Handshake, and online job fairs. NCA resources include the NCA Career Guide, webinar recordings, and free assistance in preparing resumes and canopy letters.
Using a combination of a comprehensive curriculum, hands-on research, and co-op positions, robotics students at Northeastern are going to be ready to make an impression on society.
Northwestern Admission requirements For Robotics Engineering
For masters;
- A bachelor’s in robotics or a relevant field is required
- A minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA
- Three recommendation letters
- Northwestern doesn’t require, but recommends, that applicants submit GRE scores
- Resume
- Personal Statement.
For degree-seekers;
- Must maintain a satisfactory academic reach
- And remain eligible for institutional aid.
Alumni of the program have been hired at companies like Fetch Robotics, Disney, Auris Surgical Robotics, and BMW. Adding to internship opportunities, students will have access to sturdy career services from the Engineering Career Development office.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan’s robotics engineering degree consults an MS and includes coursework in math for robotics, robotics systems laboratory, and master’s advanced research. The latter teaches essential academic writing skills that students will use for research projects discussed at conferences. Students can select multiple electives that increase their depth of robotics knowledge.
Degree-seekers not looking to enroll in U-M’s doctorate in robotics program can explore other positions within the university’s corporate sponsors through the Engineering Career Resource Center (ECRC). The U-M Career Guide features the newest job hunting tips, and ECRC provides students with an in-depth career introduction that shows relevant ECRC resources, like on-campus career fairs.
University of Michigan Admission requirements For Robotics Engineering
- GRE scores
- Recommendation letters
- A tutorial statement of purpose
- A current resume.
As an incentive, applicants can apply for institutional and departmental aid by submitting FAFSA results.
Carnegie Mellon University
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
CMU’s robotics master’s programs comprise an MS in robotics systems development and an MS in robotics. These degrees typically take 21-24 months to finish, and they feature courses emphasizing perception, cognition, action, and math foundations. Approximately half the curriculum involves independent scientific research that results in a master’s thesis.
The CMU Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) helps students and alumni by providing them with industry-specific guidance, mock interviews, and free access to virtual job resources. CPDC also offers an informational guide that teaches students the way to identify and avoid fraudulent job postings.
The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon has been a pacesetter in robotics education since its foundation in 1979. The school’s mission is to use applied research to influence robots in industrial and societal activities. Faculty and students alike come from various sorts of backgrounds, with unique expertise in many areas.
Carnegie Mellon is a well-respected research university, with over 180,000 square feet of facilities for robotics research. Sponsors of university research include DARPA, DOD, NASA, NIH, and NSF. The Robotics Institute is the largest university-affiliated robotics engineering research facility in the world.
Students also can apply their knowledge through the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), a technology transfer organization. The epicenter of all the events of robotic systems for industry and government partners. To accomplish these projects, the NREC is an expert within the rapid integration and field testing of automated systems
Carnegie Mellon University Admission requirements For Robotics Engineering
- GRE scores
- Recommendation letters
- A resume
- And a press release of purpose.
As a private university, CMU charges the same per-credit tuition rate and costs to all or any graduate degree-seekers. Additionally, students can qualify for a paid research assistantship.
With no bias whatsoever, this is THE SCHOOL FOR ROBOTICS ENGINEERING.
New York University
Location: New York, NY
NYU’s master’s in robotics with an emphasis on mechatronics has made it a destination for college kids around the world. Core courses include the foundations of robotics, simulation tools and software algorithms for mechatronics and robotics, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, students can choose between three concentrations, including mobile robotics and micro-robotics.
Engineering students can find valuable resources on the Tandon Career Services (TCS) website, including virtual career fairs, professional development training, and skill boot camps. TCS offers an in-depth grad student guide that breaks down the milestones learners should accomplish before graduation. Downloadable resources include resume templates, webinars, and get in touch with information for employers with a history of hiring NYU engineering graduates.
Undergraduate students can begin their robotics education through a minor or Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) associated with robotics. These long-term, large-scale projects allow students to develop necessary skills and work collaboratively to unravel problems with robotics. a number of the foremost popular robotics VIPs are NYU Self-Drive, Smart Internet of Controlled Things, and therefore the NYU Robotic Design Team.
There also are various research labs and groups available for college students to participate in. Research areas at NYU differ widely from learning-based control to medical robotics. The Agile Robotics and Perception Lab focuses on developing autonomous drones that circumnavigate with sensors rather than GPS, maps, or motion capture.
New York University Admission requirements For Robotics Engineering
NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering requires that potential students earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in a different field BUT with relevant work experience can also be considered. NYU automatically awards merit-based aid to incoming students who earned a superb undergraduate GPA.
Johns Hopkins University
Location: Baltimore, MD
Johns Hopkins’ robotics engineering degree allows students to choose between a thesis and non-thesis option. Students select from among six specializations, including bio-robotics, control and dynamical systems, and medical robotics and computer-integrated surgical systems. All specializations teach in-demand leadership skills, a passion for lifelong learning, and therefore the ability to make robotics systems that solve real-world problems. Additionally, the Johns Hopkins Student Assistance Program offers free psychological state services to graduate students.
In order to graduate robotics engineers that can function efficiently in the industry, Johns Hopkins is committed to extensive interdisciplinary robotics education. The curriculum also helps develop necessary skills, including leadership, collaboration, curiosity, and important thinking.
For students curious about deepening their training, Johns Hopkins offers a combined program that permits them to earn a BS and MSE in only five years. This advanced degree in robotics shows future employers the depth of education and typically leads to higher salaries.
John Hopkins University Admission requirements For Robotics Engineering
- Prospective students must take undergraduate prerequisites in upper-level mathematics and earn a satisfactory GRE score.
- Two recommendation letters and
- A press release of purpose.
Lastly, working students may get tuition reimbursement, and Maryland STEM teachers may qualify for a tuition waiver.
Rochester Institute Of Technology
Location: Rochester, NY
Rochester Institute of Technology’s robotics master’s program offers an MS in EE which allows students to focus on robotics. The program involves coursework in advanced engineering mathematics, engineering analysis, and AI explorations. Additionally, students complete a thesis and an oral defense within the second year.
RIT’s Career Services (CS) advisors curate quite 24,000 job opportunities for college kids, hosting career fairs that attract quite 9,000 people. Students can also participate in cooperative education (temporary paid employment which will bolster a resume.)These and other services help 95% of RIT alumni find employment or enter a doctoral program soon after graduation.
Rochester Institute of Technology Admission requirements For Robotics Engineering
- A bachelor’s degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA
- Two recommendation letters
- GRE scores.
Full-time students pay a flat per semester tuition rate. RIT additionally awards aid to degree-seekers who earn above 3.0 GPA.
University of Detroit
Location: Detroit, MI
University of Detroit robotics engineering program offers both a standard master’s two-year degree and a one-year dual-degree for undergraduate students earning a bachelor’s in engineering. Coursework emphasizes sensing/perception, cognition/learning, and mechatronics. Students market their skills to potential employers by partaking in the annual Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition.
Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) counselors empower students and alumni by providing them with TitanCareerLink, a personal job board that features career opportunities in and around Detroit. Virtual events include a free resume clinic. Additionally, these resources end in a 95% graduate success rate for undergraduate and graduate alumni.
University of Detroit Admission requirements For Robotics Engineering
Prospective students apply online and may expect a response from UD Mercy in only one week. U.S., Canadian, and Mexican citizens all pay an equivalent low per-credit tuition rate but cannot receive tuition discounts. Finally, institutional aid includes grants, assistantships, scholarships, and loans.
Worcester Polytechnic
Location: Worcester, MA
Students can either study on campus or online at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Degree courses include foundations of robotics, robot control, and ideas of systems engineering. Learners choose from a thesis and a non-thesis option within the second year, with those choosing to not write a thesis completing a capstone project.
The WPI Career Development Center (CDC) features virtual career fairs, and alumni speaker series, and resume and canopy letter critiques. CDC offers most resources through Handshake, including networking events that attract quite 400 employers. School organizations also can request a career workshop.
Thanks to signature project-based learning, WPI is the vanguard of robotics engineering education and applied research. It is the firsts university within the nation to supply BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in robotics. These degrees prepare robotic engineers to significantly contribute during a number of disciplines including healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and lots more.
Due to its innovative programs, the WPI robotics engineering department was recognized with the 2016 ABET Innovation Award. This recognition is the result of dedicated faculty members that bring a replacement dimension to robotics engineering. The school’s rounded approach to the curriculum brings together EE, computing, engineering, and systems.
One of WPI’s goals is to get an interest in robotics from a young age. The department joins during a sort of K-12 community outreach activities, including robotics demonstrations, presentations, and summer programs.
Worcester polytechnic Admission requirements For Robotics Engineering
Admission requirements include:
- Three recommendation letters.
- WPI doesn’t require standardized test scores.
- Online students pay a per-credit tuition rate, while on-campus students pay a flat per-semester tuition rate.
WPI uses three aid application deadlines per annum, and graduate students can apply for an assistantship or fellowship.
University of Pennsylvania
Location: Philadelphia, PA
UPenn is dedicated to providing the in-depth curriculum and professional connections needed to jumpstart a student’s career. Within the robotics program, graduate students study ten courses in AI, robot design, controls, and perception. To end their program, they need their choice of advanced electives and a thesis project.
Robotics students are centered within the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Laboratory.
Founded in the late 1900s, this school promotes collaboration between students and world-renowned robotics faculty. The laboratory also houses state-of-the-art equipment for a good range of research projects.
During their time at UPenn, students have countless opportunities for networking across industry and academia. This is often accomplished in weekly seminars, lunches, and other events. A solid professional network prepares robotics students for further education or employment within the industry.
University of Pennsylvania Admission requirements For Robotics Engineering
- Personal Statement
- Letters of Recommendation
- Transcripts
- Application Fee
- GRE
- TOEFL/IELTS
Georgia Institute of Technology
Location: Atlanta, GA
At Georgia Tech, the robotics program is the result of a collaboration between six engineering disciplines – biomedical, interactive computing, mechanical, aerospace, electrical and computer, and physics. Georgia Tech also offers the primary Ph.D. program in robotics.
No matter what program, robotics students will have access to the school’s wide selection of industry partners. Many well-known companies partner with Georgia Tech for his or her diverse range of resources.
Georgia Tech students find many various ways to reach out to their community through robotics. RoboGrads, a student group on campus, hosts events to boost awareness of the importance of robotics. The department is actively involved in community outreach to rouse interest in STEM for the K-12 community.
Georgia Institute of Technology Admission requirements For Robotics Engineering
Students can apply to the MS-Robotics program through any of the six participating schools, the choice of which usually reflects that student’s intended area of specialization and general background. The program also requires a minimum GPA of 3.3.
How useful is a Degree in Robotics Engineering?
Robotics Engineering students can achieve a lucrative and fulfilling career after graduation, especially if they curate knowledgeable portfolios while earning a degree. Many well-known companies hire entry-level engineers. for instance, both new and experienced engineers at NASA collaborate to make robots that will explore planets and moons without putting human lives in danger. At the technology company NVIDIA, robotics engineers work with Toyota to supply subsequent generations of self-driving cars.
Like every other profession, robotics engineers earn higher salaries as they gain more work experience. Senior robotics engineers often lead design projects, oversee others’ work, check code, and maintain documentation throughout the planning and development process. They also mentor new employees and report back to senior managers.
Salary of a Robotics Engineer
Current robotics careers offer a different average annual salary with a projected growth rate in the coming years as the field evolves. As a result, aspiring robotics engineers should continue to review the latest information.
But the minimum annual salary is $88, 430 to as high as $117,220 with a projected growth rate of at least %19. That’s an outstanding figure.
