Master’s in Robotics Engineering Online
As one of the fastest growing areas of technology, robotics engineering presents opportunities across a wide range of industries—including security and national defense, factory automation, healthcare, consumer products, customized manufacturing, and interactive entertainment. Pursuing an online master’s in robotics can help elevate a future career as a robotics engineer.
Through our pioneering online robotics engineering master's degree—the first in the nation—you will advance your knowledge of the mathematical and mechanical frameworks needed to design safer and more efficient robotics systems and explore innovative ways of using robots to tackle and solve real-world problems.
Now available: an online specialization in Autonomous Vehicles. WPI continues its tradition of innovative robotics education with a brand-new suite of online courses on the future of personal transportation. This advanced concentration is available to candidates accepted to the M.S. in Robotics Engineering, and pre-requisites apply. See below to learn more.
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Robotics Engineering Info Session
View our on-demand webinar to be introduced to our online graduate programs in Robotics Engineering. Get an overview of program logistics, what online learning looks like, the application process, and more!
Curriculum
Program Requirements
10 courses, 30 credit hours, including a capstone. The options listed below are specific to the robotics engineering ONLINE degree and meet the overall degree requirements. You will work with a faculty advisor to develop a customized and relevant plan of study selected from the courses below. Additional courses may become available online and are available on-campus.
Thesis option: Currently, WPI’s online graduate programs do not offer a thesis option, as theses cannot be completed online. If you wish to pursue a thesis on campus, it is the student’s responsibility to find an advisor. Please note that depending on the project’s subject and timeframe, there might not be a faculty member willing or able to advise.
FOUNDATION (9 Credits)
*Requires RBE 500.
CORE (Minimum of 6 credits of additional RBE Courses)
ENGINEERING CONTEXT (3 credits)
- MIS 576. Project Management
- BUS 546. Managing Technological Innovation
- SYS-courses with the prefix of SYS
ELECTIVES (9 credits)
9 credits from Science, Engineering, or Business
CAPSTONE PROJECT (3 credits)
One of the central priorities in WPI’s educational philosophy is the application of academic skills and knowledge to real-world problems. With an advisor's guidance, students choose a robotics engineering project that offers substantive evaluation and application of the coursework covered in the degree.
- RBE 594. Capstone Project Experience in Robotics Engineering
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The project-based course integrates robotics engineering theory and practice, and provides the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge acquired in the Robotics Engineering curriculum. The project is normally conducted in teams of two to four students. Students are encouraged to select projects with practical significance to their current and future professional responsibilities. The projects are administered, advised, and evaluated by WPI faculty as part of the the learning experience, but students are also encouraged to seek mentorship from experienced colleagues in the Robotics Engineering profession. (Prerequisites: Since the Capstone Project will draw on knowledge obtained throughout the degree, it is expected that students will have completed most or all of the coursework within their plan of study before undertaking the capstone project).
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- Example of a capstone project from our Systems Engineering Department
MS in Robotics Engineering with Autonomous Vehicles (AV) Specialization
- RBE 500. Foundations of Robotics
- RBE501 Robot Dynamics
- RBE502 Robot Control
- RBE 550. Motion Planning
- RBE 595 ST. Artificial Intelligence for Autonomous Vehicles
- RBE 595 ST. Sensor Fusion and Perception for Autonomous Vehicles
- ECE 579 ST. Embedded Systems Design (or an approved course from Math, Science, or Engineering)
- SYS501 Concepts of Systems Engineering
- RBE595 ST Deep Reinforcement Learning
- RBE594 Capstone Project Experience
Course Schedule
FALL TERM
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SPRING TERM
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SUMMER TERM |
ADDITIONAL RBE ELECTIVES
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Course offerings are subject to change. If you are interested in enrolling, please contact us for the most up-to-date information.
For additional course offerings to satisfy your degree requirements, click here.
Software used: Matlab/Simulink, Python, openCV, Theano 0.8 or later, NVIDIA toolkit with cuDNN Anaconda, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Corporation, TensorFlow, Keras, Gym from Openai
What our students have to say
“Every teacher that I’ve had at WPI had a genuine care for the students. Everyone at WPI is a true believer in what they are doing. They are so passionate and enthusiastic about it, and it makes me catch fire about it, too.”
– Xiaolin Zhen, Online M.S. in Robotics Engineering student and Gateway Scholarship winner.
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What Does a Career in Robotics Engineering Look Like After Graduation?
With the demand for robotics engineers on the rise, graduates find employment opportunities across a variety of industries, including national defense, factory automation, healthcare, consumer products, and interactive entertainment. Earning an online robotics engineering master’s degree gets you one step closer to a successful career in the robotics field.