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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.

Graduate Catalog
This degree is available on campus.
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Learning Outcomes for Online Master's in Robotics

  • In the online master's in Robotics, students master the fundamentals of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mathematics, and mechanical engineering underlying robotic systems while studying advanced topics such as artificial intelligence, computer vision, wireless networking, and nanotechnology.

  • Robotics online courses are taught by WPI faculty members who are leading the way in developing new possibilities for robotic technology in health care, manufacturing, security, and emergency response.

  • Culminating capstone experience enables you to apply your knowledge to solve a real, practical problem in your workplace under the guidance of faculty and industry mentors.

  • Our online robotics courses are delivered via live and self-paced virtual sessions that enable you to connect with our global community of highly-engaged faculty members, industry professionals, and peers.

Also available online: Graduate Certificates in Robotics Engineering. If you prefer to pursue a master’s in robotics engineering on-campus, explore our regular MS degree. 

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Courses

Admissions Qualifications for the Online Robotics Engineering Master's Degree

The robotics engineering online degree requires an undergraduate or graduate degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics Engineering, or a related field from an accredited university. Applicants should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

In addition, students should be able to demonstrate strong skills and a modest amount of course work (2-3 courses) in each of the following areas:

  • Mechanical engineering
  • Electrical & computer engineering
  • Computer science

Students with backgrounds in other engineering or science disciplines will be considered based on their demonstrated skills in engineering and computer science.

The online master's in robotics assumes familiarity with an object oriented programming language (OOP), such as C/C++, Java, Perl, and/or Python. Students that lack or feel that they should refresh their programming skills should consider taking a suitable college course in an OOP language prior to enrollment. A working knowledge of Calculus, Differential Equations and Linear Algebra are also required. These mathematical foundations are critical for MatLab, system dynamics modeling and other topics explored in the MS robotics engineering curriculum.

If you do not have a bachelor's degree, please view our list of undergraduate programs.

For specific application requirements, visit our admissions for online programs page.

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

      • 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).

    • 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​
    SPRING TERM
    SUMMER TERM
    ADDITIONAL RBE ELECTIVES
    • Other select courses from ECE, SYS, MA and ME

    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

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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. 

Learn more about Xiaolin on our blog about What our students have to say

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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.

Career Outlook about What Does a Career in Robotics Engineering Look Like After Graduation?

Explore Additional Robotics Engineering Degrees at WPI

Advance with a Robotics Engineering Graduate Certificate 

  • Interested in pursuing an advanced degree, but not sure you can commit to the demands of an online master’s in robotics? Check out our Robotics Engineering Graduate Certificate which allows you to advance a career in robotics while taking you a step closer to earning a master of science. The Robotics Engineering Graduate Certificate is also available online. 

Need to Earn a BS in Robotics Engineering First?

  • Interested in first earning your bachelor’s degree in Robotics Engineering? At WPI, we offer an innovative undergrad degree in robotics engineering that provides students the opportunity to build, interact, and explore the function of robots. Check out our bachelor’s in Robotics Engineering here.

Explore a Minor in Robotics Engineering

  • Maybe you’re interested in robotics engineering, but don’t want to pursue it as your major? Our Minor in Robotics Engineering educates students on the basics of robotics and provides access to work, design, and manipulate robots.

Generate Solutions That Lead to Breakthroughs with a Robotics PhD

  • Already embarked on your robotics engineering career and looking to elevate it further? Explore WPI’s robotics PhD in which you will have the opportunity to generate solutions that lead to breakthroughs in the robotics industry.
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