phd in robot

Your Complete Guide to Pursuing a PhD in Robotics: Scope, Schools & Careers

Embarking on a PhD in robotics positions you at the intersection of technology and innovation, opening pathways to academia, private sector research, and cutting-edge industry applications. In this straightforward guide, delve into the essential aspects of a Robotics PhD—including the scope, exemplary schools, and the promising careers it can lead to, ensuring you make an informed decision about your academic future.

Key Takeaways

A PhD in Robotics is an interdisciplinary program that blends computer science, engineering, and other related fields, focusing on cutting-edge research in areas such as machine learning, human-robot interaction, and autonomous systems, which prepares graduates for diverse careers in academia, research, or the private sector.

Top universities offering esteemed PhD programs in Robotics include Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University, known for their outstanding faculty, comprehensive curricula, and innovative research opportunities.

The application process for a PhD in Robotics typically requires a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field, standardized test scores like the GRE, English proficiency tests for non-native speakers, recommendation letters, a statement of purpose, and in some cases, a resume.

Understanding PhD in Robotics: An Overview

Robotic technologies, now integral to our societies, are shaping a technological revolution. A PhD in Robotics provides the skills necessary to lead in this field. This program is an interdisciplinary blend of:

computer science

electrical and computer engineering

mathematics

mechanical engineering

This interdisciplinary approach, which includes systems engineering, offers students a comprehensive understanding of robotics, preparing them to contribute to a variety of sectors.

A key aspect of a doctoral program in Robotics is the focus on cutting-edge research. Some areas of research in these programs include:

Enhancing machine learning algorithms

Advancing human-robot interaction

Developing autonomous systems

Improving computer vision and perception

Designing and controlling robotic systems

These programs encourage students to push the boundaries of existing knowledge and technology.

The career opportunities post a PhD in Robotics are diverse and exciting. Graduates have the choice to pursue academia, engage in research, or utilize their skills within the private sector. From healthcare to manufacturing and autonomous vehicles, the demand for robotics expertise is growing, offering promising career prospects to Robotics PhD graduates.

Interdisciplinary Nature

The Robotics PhD program epitomizes the interdisciplinary study. It incorporates principles of computer science, engineering, and other related disciplines, creating a holistic view of robotics. This unique blend of disciplines fosters innovation and collaboration, empowering students to explore intricate problems and contribute to the advancement of robotics.

Research Focus

Research forms the backbone of any PhD program, and Robotics is no exception. The program motivates students to investigate various areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision. The objective is to equip students with the ability to conduct in-depth research, enabling them to solve complex problems and further advance knowledge in the field of robotics.

Career Opportunities

A PhD in Robotics opens a gateway to a plethora of career opportunities. Graduates can pursue:

Academic roles such as researchers and professors

Contribute to research and development in the private sector

Venture into sectors like healthcare and manufacturing.

As digitization proliferates worldwide, the need for robotics expertise escalates, suggesting that a Robotics PhD is a promising career pathway.

Top Universities Offering PhD Programs in Robotics

Several esteemed universities offer a PhD program in Robotics. Some of the notable institutions include Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Stanford University. These universities, celebrated for their outstanding faculty, broad curriculum, and pioneering research initiatives, are excellent choices for aspiring Robotics PhD students.

Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute offers a renowned PhD program in Robotics. The program is recognized for its:

Interdisciplinary nature

Cutting-edge research initiatives

Faculty composed of eminent individuals

Cooperative opportunities for students

Empowerment of students to promote robotics advancement

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is distinguished for its Robotics PhD program. The program is recognized for its focus on robotic hardware and algorithms that incorporate sensing, control, perception, and manipulation. The distinguished faculty members guide students through their research journey, fostering innovation and excellence in robotics.

Stanford University

Stanford University’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory offers a unique Robotics PhD program. The program presents unique research opportunities in areas like humanoid robots, bio-inspired robots, and cooperative robots. Guided by a team of esteemed faculty members, students are encouraged to push the boundaries of robotics research and contribute to its advancement.

Admission Requirements and Application Process

The admission requirements for a Robotics PhD program typically include:

A bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field

Relevant coursework

Standardized tests like the GRE

TOEFL or IELTS for non-native English speakers

However, it’s important to note that the specific requirements may vary across universities.

The application process for a Robotics PhD program usually involves:

Submitting transcripts

Submitting recommendation letters

Submitting a statement of purpose

Some universities may also require a resume

Every university has unique application procedures and deadlines, thus checking the respective university’s website for precise information is necessary.

Prerequisites

Applicants for a Robotics PhD program usually need:

A strong foundation in mathematics

Proficiency in computer science, including programming and data analysis

Research experience, although not necessarily in the field of robotics, enhances the application.

A solid academic performance, demonstrated through a minimum undergraduate GPA requirement, is also often a prerequisite for students in their second or third year.

GRE Scores and Standardized Tests

GRE scores and other standardized tests are integral to the admission process for Robotics PhD programs. However, these scores are evaluated in conjunction with other elements such as GPA, recommendation letters, and essays.

For non-native English speakers, proof of English proficiency through TOEFL or IELTS scores, which assess verbal skills, may also be required.

Supporting Documents

Supporting documents such as:

Transcripts

Letters of recommendation

A statement of purpose

are crucial components of a Robotics PhD application. These documents provide a comprehensive picture of the applicant’s academic journey, achievements, and research capabilities, aiding the admissions committee in making an informed decision.

Curriculum and Coursework

The curriculum of a Robotics PhD program typically includes:

Core courses that provide a solid foundation in robotics, encompassing mechanics, controls, perception, artificial intelligence, and human-robot interaction

Electives that allow students to specialize in specific areas of robotics

A significant research component that allows students to conduct original research in the field of robotics

This comprehensive curriculum is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of robotics and prepare them for careers in academia, industry, or research.

Elective courses allow students to delve deeper into specific areas of interest, enabling them to specialize in a particular aspect of robotics. The research component, a significant part of the program, permits students to undertake independent study and promote knowledge in the robotics field.

Core Courses

The core courses in a Robotics PhD program cover fundamental topics such as:

Artificial Intelligence

Human-Robot Interaction

These courses provide the students with a comprehensive understanding of the field, equipping them with the necessary skills to engage in advanced research and pursue a master’s degree.

Elective courses in Robotics PhD programs offer the opportunity to focus on specific areas of interest. These courses equip students with specialized knowledge and skills, enabling them to conduct focused research in their chosen area. Some examples of areas of focus in Robotics PhD programs include:

Computer vision

Human-robot interaction

Artificial intelligence

Machine learning

Control systems

Autonomous systems

By taking elective courses in these areas, students can deepen their understanding and expertise in their chosen field of study.

Research Components

The research component of a Robotics PhD program typically involves independent study, laboratory work, and a dissertation. This component allows students to apply the knowledge and skills gained from their coursework to solve complex problems, contributing to the advancement of robotics.

Online and Part-Time Options for Robotics PhD Programs

In addition to traditional full-time programs, many universities offer online and part-time options for Robotics PhD programs. These flexible options provide an opportunity for those who wish to balance their studies with work or other responsibilities.

Online Programs

Some universities, like Capitol Technology University, offer fully online PhD programs in Robotics. These programs provide the flexibility to study from any location, making them ideal for individuals who cannot commit to on-campus studies.

Part-Time Study

Part-time study options for Robotics PhD programs offer the following benefits:

Students can balance their education with work or other responsibilities

The programs retain the rigorous curriculum of their full-time counterparts

The coursework is extended over an extended duration

Funding Opportunities and Financial Aid

Pursuing a PhD in Robotics is a significant financial commitment. However, there are various funding opportunities and financial aid options available to help offset the cost. These include fellowships, grants, and teaching or research assistantships.

Fellowships and grants, providing financial assistance, can help alleviate tuition and research expenses. Teaching and research assistantships, aside from offering financial support, provide worthwhile experience to refine students’ skills and elevate their career possibilities.

Fellowships

Fellowships offer the following benefits to Robotics PhD students:

Financial aid to offset tuition costs and research expenses

Opportunity to engage in independent research

Contribution to the advancement of knowledge in the field of robotics

Grants and Scholarships

Grants and scholarships are another form of financial aid available to Robotics PhD students. These funding options can help cover tuition costs and research expenses, making the pursuit of a PhD more accessible.

Teaching and Research Assistantships

Teaching and research assistantships provide financial support and valuable experience for Robotics PhD students. These assistantships involve assisting in teaching or research activities, providing a practical perspective to the theoretical knowledge gained through coursework. Research advisors play a crucial role in guiding students through these assistantships.

Real-World Applications and Impact of Robotics Research

Robotics research has significant real-world applications, impacting various sectors from healthcare to manufacturing and autonomous vehicles. Robotics advancements carry the potential to transform these sectors, boosting efficiency and productivity.

In healthcare, robotics research has led to the development of surgical robots and assistive devices, improving patient care and treatment outcomes. In manufacturing, robotics has enabled automation and improved efficiency. And in the realm of autonomous vehicles, advancements in AI, machine learning, and computer vision have paved the way for self-driving cars.

In the healthcare sector, Robotics research has led to significant advancements. Surgical robots have enhanced the efficiency and precision of medical procedures. Assistive devices have improved the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. These developments have revolutionized patient care, making healthcare more accessible and effective.

Manufacturing

In the manufacturing industry, robotics research has enabled automation of laborious tasks, leading to increased efficiency and productivity. Robots can handle repetitive and physically strenuous roles, allowing for greater precision and reduced likelihood of human error. These advancements have led to improved quality control and lower production costs.

Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles are an exciting application of robotics research. Advances in AI, machine learning, and computer vision have enabled vehicles to navigate autonomously, understanding their environment and making informed decisions.

These developments could transform transportation, rendering it safer and more efficient.

Pursuing a PhD in Robotics offers the opportunity to contribute to a field that is shaping the future. This program equips students with a comprehensive understanding of robotics, preparing them to address complex problems and advance knowledge in this exciting field. With the interdisciplinary nature of the program, the focus on cutting-edge research, and the wide range of career opportunities, a PhD in Robotics is a promising choice for those interested in this dynamic field.

The advancements in robotics are revolutionizing various sectors, from healthcare to manufacturing and autonomous vehicles. As the demand for robotics expertise grows, the opportunities for Robotics PhD graduates are expanding, making it an exciting time to embark on this academic journey. So, are you ready to step into the future and make your mark in the world of robotics?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you get a phd in robotics.

Yes, you can get a PhD in robotics, and one example of such a program is offered jointly by the College of Computing and the College of Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.

How long is a PhD in robotics?

A PhD in robotics typically takes about five to six years to complete. The program includes coursework, a research qualifier, and the submission of a thesis.

What is the starting salary for robotics PhD?

The starting salary for a robotics PhD can range from $83,500 to $127,000 annually in the United States, with some top earners making up to $156,000 annually.

Why PhD in robotics?

A PhD in robotics will provide graduates with a diverse skill set encompassing mathematical thinking and technological proficiency, positioning them for careers in technology design, programming, and equipment maintenance in the field of robotics.

What are the prerequisites for a Robotics PhD program?

To apply for a Robotics PhD program, you’ll need a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field, relevant coursework, and a strong background in mathematics and computer science. These are the typical prerequisites for admission.

PhD in Robotics Engineering

WPI’s PhD in Robotics Engineering is one of the few worldwide where students can earn a doctorate in the field. We take robotics seriously, yet our approach is creative and innovative. Our world-class facilities and industry-leading faculty encourage originality and allow candidates to lead novel, cutting-edge research that crosses disciplines.

Value Proposition Description

The open atmosphere builds collaborative opportunities where students generate solutions that often lead to breakthroughs in robotics technology. And WPI’s location in the heart of the robotics industry opens doors to research, collaboration, internships, and networking with the world’s leading robotics companies.

The PhD in Robotics Engineering doctoral program is groundbreaking and internationally known for its outstanding faculty and advanced research projects. A small student-to-faculty ratio means students work side by side with world-class professors who are exploring everything from medical robotic devices and multi-robot systems to the ethical implications of human-robot interaction.

Course work across disciplines includes computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mathematics, and mechanical engineering and gives candidates depth and breadth in robotics expertise. Students may enter with a BS or an MS degree and will propose a plan of study and potential research leading up to dissertation studies.

Research for Robotics Engineering PhD

Faculty research is wide-ranging and involves students in every step of research and exploration, so robotics engineering PhD students have nearly endless choices. Working in this wide-ranging field means you’re always innovating on exciting new problems and challenges in real-time. The energy in our labs is contagious and breeds revolutionary approaches to robotics.

WPI’s robotics faculty research is supported through federal and industry funding. Some areas of faculty specialization:

• Assistive and Augmentative Robotics
• Human-Robot Interaction
• Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control
• Manipulation
• Medical and Surgical Robotics
• Motion Planning

As a robotics graduate student, you’ll work side-by-side with faculty on research that pushes the boundaries of what seems possible—whether it’s developing robotic medical instruments or fine-tuning the smallest, multi-robot swarm robotics.

WPI has a long history as a pioneer in robotics engineering education, giving it a depth and breadth of knowledge. IT was the first university to offer BS through PhD degrees in robotics, and its comprehensive curriculum reflects that deep experience.

As a multidisciplinary field, robotics researchers collaborate to extend their impact.

Robotics impacts humanity in levels as varied as manufacturing to the most delicate surgery. A degree in robotics gives you plentiful job opportunities.

You’ll develop varied skills working within the robotics field. Depending on goals and interests, students can write the software to operate robots, build robots, or explore the ethical implications of robots in a complex human world.

New England is considered the global epicenter for the robotics industry. Opportunities to contribute to important advances in the field exist in nearby academia, established organizations and industries, and start-ups.

The robotics curriculum is purposefully varied. The industry is multilayered, so students take classes that have a business, systems engineering, or entrepreneurial approach.

• Multi-robot Systems
• Origami-inspired Foldable Robot Design and Fabrication
• Real-time Motion Planning
• Robot Learning
• Soft/Flexible Robotic Systems
• Tactile Sensing

The extensive robotics labs and facilities at WPI cater to the various interests and the collaborative and independent research projects of students. All around campus, students pursue advances using the latest technology in labs outfitted for robots for medical, social, military, communication, and even artistic uses. 

Refer a Friend

Do you have a friend, colleague, or family member who might be interested in Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s (WPI) graduate programs? Click below to tell them about our programs.

Faculty Profiles

My research spans robotics, haptics, multi-modal perception, and artificial intelligence, at the intersection of computer science and engineering. There are two highly related themes in my robotics research: one is the focus on “contact sport”, i.e., the contact and interaction between a robot or a part/tool it holds and the environment, and the other is real-time adaptiveness of robots to uncertainty and uncertain changes in an environment based on perception.

An integral part of a rewarding academic career is being an educator. It is a wonderful opportunity to work with students and guide their development to fulfill their potential. I enjoy teaching the fundamentals of robotics engineering, science and technology as well as training students in advanced independent research. I aim to teach students about research-based thinking and problem solving, to give them a real career choice to determine their future in further research or the industry.

Berk's research primarily focuses on problems related to robotic manipulation, which is a key functionality largely missing from the current state of the art in robotics for unstructured environments, including homes, modern warehouses, and collaborative manufacturing stations. He develops multi-modal robotic manipulation strategies mainly focusing on the role of vision feedback for coping with uncertainties of unstructured environments.

My research interests are in the application of robotics and computer science to enhance medicine, and particularly surgery. What gets me out of bed in the morning is the prospect of helping doctors save lives and improve the quality of life of their patients. My students and I work side-by-side with clinical collaborators to create technology that presents a tangible clinical value – for instance, making an existing surgical procedure more accurate or enabling new procedures that are not feasible with current instrumentation.

Professor Fischer is the William Smith Dean's Professor and a faculty member in Robotics Engineering with a appointments in Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at WPI. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2008 from Johns Hopkins University, where he was part of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Computer Integrated Surgery. At WPI he has been an integral part of developing the Robotics Engineering program and teaches primarily junior-level and graduate courses in Robotics.

My research leverages control theory, formal methods, and machine learning to construct adaptive, provably correct cyber-physical systems with respect to complex specifications. The challenges I am currently interested in include: reactive robotic systems under partial information and modeling uncertainty, multi-robot coordination, optimal control of hybrid systems, and design of adaptive semi-autonomous systems.

The focus of my research is designing innovative tools for swarm robotics. I am developing Buzz, a programming language specifically designed for real-world robot swarms. During my Ph.D., I have designed ARGoS, which is currently the fastest general-purpose robot simulator in the literature. Recent work focuses on human-swarm interaction and multi-robot learning. I am also working on swarm robotics solutions for disaster response scenarios, such as search-and-rescue and firefighting.

Ready to Work on Innovative Robots, But Need Your Masters? Explore Our Online & On Campus Options.

If you’re interested in working on breakthrough robotics discoveries through serious research and an innovative imagination, our master’s in robotics engineering may be a good fit for you. A first-of-its-kind degree in the nation, our MS in robotics is offered online and on-campus in which you will advance knowledge in fundamental areas of computer science, ECE, mathematics, and mechanical engineering to tackle real-world problems.

Gain a Foundation in Robotics With a Graduate Certificate

Whether you’re hoping to gain a solid base in the robotics field or want to stay ahead of the curve, our robotics engineering graduate certificates are a great starting point. WPI’s on campus robotics engineering graduate certificate covers the fundamentals of robotics to provide students a strong understanding of how robots are engineered. This 15-credit certificate dives into robot dynamics, systems engineering, and more. Prefer to study online at your own convenience? We also offer our robotics engineering graduate certificates 100% online so you can advance your skills in robotics while continuing your career. Maybe you’re interested in complementing your technical skills with a leadership edge? Our robotics engineering management certificate covers how robotics systems are engineered through management contexts.

Are you interested in majoring in robotics? Do you want to learn more?

If you’re interested in robotics and want to dive right into a top-rated program, a bachelor’s in robotics engineering at WPI lets you do everything from researching how the field of robotics works to actually building robotic devices, interacting with them, and exploring the uses and ethics of robotics. Our first-in-the-nation bachelor’s degree in robotics engineering delivers the kind of expertise and comprehensive approach you need to understand the use and implications of robotics. If robotics interests you but your major is in a different discipline, try our minor in robotics engineering. Our minor in robotics engineering includes course work in disciplines such as ECE, mechanical engineering, computer science, and others, so you’ll be able to apply what you learn in the minor program to your major discipline.

WPI is proud to be the recipient of not one, but two National Science Foundation Research Traineeship programs. The programs provide exceptionally talented graduate students with specialized training and funding assistance to join careers at the forefront of technology and innovation. The programs are for graduate students in research-based master's and doctoral degree programs in STEM. Learn more .

The BioPoint Program for Graduate Students has been designed to complement traditional training in bioscience, digital and engineering fields. Students accepted into one of the home BioPoint programs will have the flexibility to select research advisors and take electives in other departments to broaden their skills. BioPoint curriculum is designed to be individual, interactive, project-focused and diverse, and includes innovative courses, seminars, journal clubs and industrial-based projects. Learn more .

• College of Computing

Ph.D. in Robotics

The Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines (IRIM ) serves as the flagship for Tech’s robotics efforts and therefore, the research institute has an integral relationship with the program. Almost all of IRIM faculty members serve as research advisors to students pursuing the robotics degree.

The program supports Tech’s mission to provide education in disciplines related to science, technology, and interdisciplinary areas, and to recruit and educate outstanding students who will provide leadership in a world that is increasingly dependent on technology. Currently, Tech has more than 40 faculty members actively engaged in the Ph.D. robotics program.

Admission Requirements

The Georgia Tech criteria used in determining each applicant’s eligibility for consideration includes:

• A bachelor’s degree or its equivalent (prior to matriculation) from a recognized institution; graduation in the upper quarter of their class; students must show evidence of preparation in their chosen field sufficient to ensure profitable graduate study;
• GRE scores (General Test is required for all; Subject Tests in Computer Science, Math or Physics recommended but not required);
• For international applicants, satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum scores are 100 (Internet-based test), 250 (computer-based) or 600 (paper-based).

Students enroll for the Robotics Ph.D. Program through one of the participating units:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

Students should indicate that they are applying for the Robotics Program through that unit by marking a check box. As minimum requirements, students must satisfy all of the specific admission requirements of the home unit.

The Robotics Ph.D. Program Committee will make final admission decisions in coordination with the home units.

Decisions are based on a combination of factors:

• Academic degrees and records
• Statement of purpose
• Letters of recommendation
• GRE and TOEFL test scores
• Relevant work experience

Also considered is the appropriateness of the applicant’s goals to the Robotics Ph.D. Program, their expected abilities in carrying out original research, and the faculty research interests.

Complete the online application . 

Program of Study

The main emphasis of the  Robotics Ph.D. program  is the successful completion of an original and independent research thesis. The degree requirements are designed around this goal.

Minimum Requirements

• Completion of 36 semester hours of courses with a letter grade
• Passing a comprehensive qualifying exam with written and oral components.
• Successfully conducting, documenting, and defending a piece of original research culminating in a doctoral thesis.

Ph.D. Candidacy

Prior to completing all of these requirements, Georgia Tech defines the Ph.D Candidate milestones. Admission to candidacy requires that the student:

• Complete all course requirements (except the minor);
• Achieve a satisfactory scholastic record;
• Pass the comprehensive examination;
• Submit and receive approval naming the dissertation topic and delineating the research topic.

Core Area Courses

The core areas of robotics consist of: Mechanics, Control, Perception, Artificial Intelligence, Autonomy and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). They are used to select three foundation courses and three targeted elective courses. Visit phdrobotics.gatech.edu/program for a full list of core area courses.

Qualifying Exam

The purpose of the comprehensive exam is to assess the student’s general knowledge of the degree area and specialized knowledge of the chosen research area. The comprehensive examination provides an early assessment of the student's potential to satisfactorily complete the requirements for the doctoral degree. As such, it requires that fundamental principles be mastered and integrated so that they can be applied to solving problems relevant to robotics.

After three regular semesters (Fall or Spring) from entering the Ph.D. program the student must take the comprehensive examination at the next scheduled offering, usually during the fourth regular semester. If the comprehensive examination is failed, the student may have one additional opportunity at the next scheduled offering. The examination will be offered at least once every year.

The comprehensive exam is a written and oral examination and is administered by a faculty committee, selected by the thesis advisor in consultation with the student, and approved by the Robotics Program Committee. The committee consists of:

• Three faculty members consistent with the student's graduate coursework and research area.
• The thesis advisor as a non-voting observer.

From the Catalog:

Robotics and autonomous systems (mechatronics and automation), PhD

Master the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully meet the most difficult challenges of modern robotics and autonomous systems on a global scale.

Program description

The mechatronics and automation concentration of the PhD program in robotics and autonomous systems provides an opportunity for in-depth independent research in a highly focused problem domain approved by the student’s advisory committee.

The robotics and autonomous systems (mechatronics and automation), PhD is intended primarily for those desiring to develop expertise in a particular and focused problem in the field of robotics and autonomous systems, including both traditional and advanced robotics and autonomous systems technologies, systems integration and data fusion techniques, and modeling and simulation development.

Graduates will become trained researchers and scientists who will be able to perform analysis, evaluation and synthesis for a broad range of problems related to the design, implementation and efficient operation of robotics and autonomous systems.

Career outlook

Graduates with a doctorate in robotics and autonomous systems typically seek research-oriented academic appointments or industrial research and development positions.

These professionals have substantial opportunities at all levels in manufacturing engineering in research and development at companies, research institutes and national laboratories (e.g., Department of Defense, Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Relevant careers and related titles include the following:

• electronics engineer
• industrial engineers
• manufacturing engineers
• mechanical engineers
• mechatronics engineers
• robotics engineer

Admission requirements and application process

Admission requirements.

The applicant must have a master’s degree in a relevant field with a GPA of 3.00 or higher. Relevant fields include mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, automation engineering, manufacturing engineering, automotive engineering, biomedical engineering and human systems engineering.

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree in robotics and autonomous systems or a related field from a regionally accredited institution.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = “A”) in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor’s degree program, or applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = “A”) in an applicable master’s degree program.

All applicants are required to submit:

• graduate admissions application and application fee
• official transcripts for undergraduate and graduate degrees
• personal statement
• professional resume
• two letters of recommendation
• proof of English proficiency

An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of  English proficiency  regardless of their current residency.

Applicants need to submit a copy of their unofficial transcripts as part of the online admission application submission. After admission, official transcripts are required to be submitted to the Graduate Admission Services office.

Application process

The admission process begins by applying for graduate admission . The application requires that following items must be submitted:

• Two (2) Letters of Recommendation
• Statement of Purpose: Submit online a 300- to 500-word statement of purpose describing your motivation and rationale for obtaining a PhD in the robotics and autonomous systems program at Arizona State University and how it relates to your long-term career goals.
• Official transcripts from each college or university attended.
• Graduate admission application and application fee
• International applicants must also meet the  English proficiency requirements , as defined by Graduate Admissions. Please be sure to review the  TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score requirements , as your application will not be processed without valid proof of English proficiency.

Graduate faculty and funding opportunities

More information.

ASU degree page

Schedule an advising appointment

Degree requirements

A minimum of 84 semester credit hours are required for the PhD degree, distributed as follows:

• 12 credit hours of core courses from approved list
• EGR 546 Robotic Systems II (3)
• EGR 550 Mechatronic Systems (3)
• EGR 545 Robotic Systems I (3)
• EGR 602 Principles of Independent Research (3)
• 12 credit hours, at minimum, of RAS 792 Research
• 12 credit hours of RAS 799, Dissertation
• 36 credit hours, Electives or Research (up to 30 credits from previous completed master’s degree in engineering)

Application deadlines

August 15  Spring semester (January) January 15  Fall semester (August)

These are priority deadlines. Applications submitted after this deadline may still be considered.

Course requirements

All students enrolled in the PhD in Robotics and Autonomous Systems with a concentration in Mechatronics and Automation must complete the required courses. Additional curriculum details will be listed in the program handbook, which will be available in Spring 2024.

12 credits of core courses within 4 key areas :

• Conceptualization (Modeling/Theoretical Foundations) of RAS
• Intelligence and Control of RAS
• Embodiment (Mechanics/Actuation) of RAS
• Sociotechnical Implications of RAS

All courses must be chosen from the approved course list.

6 credit hours of other requirements

6 credits of concentration coursework

Additional coursework will fall into three categories: Electives, Research, Dissertation.

[email protected]

Graduate student resources

Academic calendar

Academic standards

Graduate College Policies

Resources and Forms

• College of Computing

Ph.D. in Robotics

The Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines (IRIM ) serves as the flagship for Tech’s robotics efforts and therefore, the research institute has an integral relationship with the program. Almost all of IRIM faculty members serve as research advisors to students pursuing the robotics degree.

The program supports Tech’s mission to provide education in disciplines related to science, technology, and interdisciplinary areas, and to recruit and educate outstanding students who will provide leadership in a world that is increasingly dependent on technology. Currently, Tech has more than 40 faculty members actively engaged in the Ph.D. robotics program.

Admission Requirements

The Georgia Tech criteria used in determining each applicant’s eligibility for consideration includes:

• A bachelor’s degree or its equivalent (prior to matriculation) from a recognized institution; graduation in the upper quarter of their class; students must show evidence of preparation in their chosen field sufficient to ensure profitable graduate study;
• GRE scores (General Test is required for all; Subject Tests in Computer Science, Math or Physics recommended but not required);
• For international applicants, satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum scores are 100 (Internet-based test), 250 (computer-based) or 600 (paper-based).

Students enroll for the Robotics Ph.D. Program through one of the participating units:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

Students should indicate that they are applying for the Robotics Program through that unit by marking a check box. As minimum requirements, students must satisfy all of the specific admission requirements of the home unit.

The Robotics Ph.D. Program Committee will make final admission decisions in coordination with the home units.

Decisions are based on a combination of factors:

• Academic degrees and records
• Statement of purpose
• Letters of recommendation
• GRE and TOEFL test scores
• Relevant work experience

Also considered is the appropriateness of the applicant’s goals to the Robotics Ph.D. Program, their expected abilities in carrying out original research, and the faculty research interests.

Complete the online application . 

Program of Study

The main emphasis of the  Robotics Ph.D. program  is the successful completion of an original and independent research thesis. The degree requirements are designed around this goal.

Minimum Requirements

• Completion of 36 semester hours of courses with a letter grade
• Passing a comprehensive qualifying exam with written and oral components.
• Successfully conducting, documenting, and defending a piece of original research culminating in a doctoral thesis.

Ph.D. Candidacy

Prior to completing all of these requirements, Georgia Tech defines the Ph.D Candidate milestones. Admission to candidacy requires that the student:

• Complete all course requirements (except the minor);
• Achieve a satisfactory scholastic record;
• Pass the comprehensive examination;
• Submit and receive approval naming the dissertation topic and delineating the research topic.

Core Area Courses

The core areas of robotics consist of: Mechanics, Control, Perception, Artificial Intelligence, Autonomy and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). They are used to select three foundation courses and three targeted elective courses. Visit phdrobotics.gatech.edu/program for a full list of core area courses.

Qualifying Exam

The purpose of the comprehensive exam is to assess the student’s general knowledge of the degree area and specialized knowledge of the chosen research area. The comprehensive examination provides an early assessment of the student's potential to satisfactorily complete the requirements for the doctoral degree. As such, it requires that fundamental principles be mastered and integrated so that they can be applied to solving problems relevant to robotics.

After three regular semesters (Fall or Spring) from entering the Ph.D. program the student must take the comprehensive examination at the next scheduled offering, usually during the fourth regular semester. If the comprehensive examination is failed, the student may have one additional opportunity at the next scheduled offering. The examination will be offered at least once every year.

The comprehensive exam is a written and oral examination and is administered by a faculty committee, selected by the thesis advisor in consultation with the student, and approved by the Robotics Program Committee. The committee consists of:

• Three faculty members consistent with the student's graduate coursework and research area.
• The thesis advisor as a non-voting observer.

From the Catalog:

Robotics and Autonomous Systems (Mechatronics and Automation), PhD

• Program description
• At a glance
• Degree requirements
• Admission requirements
• Tuition information
• Application deadlines
• Career opportunities
• Contact information

Autonomous Systems, Autonomous Vehicle Systems, Robotics, approved for STEM-OPT extension

Master the knowledge, skills and abilities to meet the most difficult challenges of modern robotics and autonomous systems on a global scale.

The mechatronics and automation concentration of the PhD program in robotics and autonomous systems provides an opportunity for in-depth independent research in a highly focused problem domain approved by the student's advisory committee. This program is intended primarily for those who desire to develop expertise in a particular and focused problem in the field of robotics and autonomous systems, including both traditional and advanced robotics and autonomous systems technologies, systems integration and data fusion techniques, and modeling and simulation development.

This program may be eligible for an Optional Practical Training extension for up to 24 months. This OPT work authorization term may help international students gain skills and experience in the U.S. Those interested in an OPT extension should review ASU degrees that qualify for the STEM-OPT extension at ASU's International Students and Scholars Center website.

The OPT extension only applies to students on an F-1 visa and does not apply to students completing a degree through ASU Online.

• College/school: Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
• Location: Polytechnic

84 credit hours, an oral comprehensive exam, a written comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation

Required Core (12 credit hours)

Concentration (6 credit hours) EGR 550 Mechatronic Systems (3) RAS 546 Robotic Systems II (3)

Other Requirements (6 credit hours) EGR 602 Principles of Independent Research (3) RAS 545 Robotic Systems I (3)

Electives or Additional Research (36 credit hours)

Research (12 credit hours)

Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) RAS 799 Dissertation

Additional Curriculum Information For elective courses (depending on concentration), up to six credits of MAE, EEE, MFG, EGR, CSE, AME or RAS 590 Reading and Conference are allowed.

The classes listed under the core requirements can also be taken as electives, if not already counted toward the core requirements.

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in robotics and autonomous systems or a related field from a regionally accredited institution.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants are required to submit:

• graduate admissions application and application fee
• official transcripts
• personal statement
• professional resume
• two letters of recommendation
• proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

The applicant must have a master's degree in a relevant field with a GPA of 3.00 or higher. Relevant fields include mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, automation engineering, manufacturing engineering, automotive engineering, biomedical engineering and human systems engineering.

Graduates with a doctorate in robotics and autonomous systems typically seek research-oriented academic appointments or industrial research and development positions. As trained researchers and scientists, graduates perform analysis, evaluation and synthesis for a wide variety of problems related to the design, implementation and efficient operation of robotics and autonomous systems. These professionals have substantial opportunities at all levels in manufacturing engineering in research and development at companies, research institutes and national laboratories (e.g., Department of Defense, Department of Energy, NASA). Relevant careers and related titles include:

• electronics engineer
• industrial engineer
• manufacturing engineer
• mechanical engineer
• mechatronics engineer
• robotics engineer

School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks | TECH 100 [email protected] 480-727-2097 Admission deadlines

We use cookies to help our site work, to understand how it is used, and to tailor ads that are more relevant to you and your interests.

By accepting, you agree to cookies being stored on your device. You can view details and manage settings at any time on our cookies policy page.

PhD Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Robotics is a multidisciplinary branch of engineering and science that deals with the design, construction, operation and use of robots, as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback and information processing. On our Robotics and Autonomous Systems PhD, you’ll study, design and build novel solutions and behaviours for robots and, in general, autonomous systems.

Key course information

January 2025 - full-time, january 2025 - part-time, april 2025 - full-time, april 2025 - part-time, july 2025 - full-time, july 2025 - part-time, october 2025 - full-time, october 2025 - part-time, why choose this programme.

Robots must interact with people and objects, as well as challenging real-world environments. They must simulate human perception mechanisms, shared control and natural multi-modal interfaces. Robots must also exhibit a high degree of autonomy and intelligence when performing highly complex tasks, such as condition monitoring, prognostics and health management, and long-term persistent autonomy, including validation and verification.

Designing and managing robotics and autonomous systems requires diverse skills from various engineering disciplines such as electronics, mechatronics, control and signal processing, together with state-of-the-art micro and nano-sensors, embedded multi-core computing and artificial intelligence. This programme embraces all these disciplines and aims to train the next generation of innovators in the growing field of robotics and autonomous systems.

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, the University of Surrey ranks 15th in the UK for research power for engineering and top 20 in the UK for the overall quality of research outputs (research papers and other published works).

Programme details Open

What you will study.

Our PhD in Robotics and Autonomous Systems will give you the knowledge, skills and expertise needed for a career in engineering, research or academia. You’ll be intellectually challenged, develop research and management skills, and become an expert in your chosen field of study.

It normally takes around three years to complete a full-time PhD. You will be assigned a minimum of two supervisors, who will guide you through your studies. You will learn how to conduct literature reviews, develop your ideas, and verify them with experiments, and collaborate and perform interdisciplinary research. You will develop your skills over time to become an independent researcher.

Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination with at least two examiners. You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors.

Stag Hill is the University's main campus and where the majority of our courses are taught. 

Research areas Open

Research themes.

• Aerial robotics
• Bioinspired robots
• Field robotics
• Human-robot interaction
• Robots for condition monitoring and prognostics
• Robots for space applications
• Robot-soil interaction
• Robotic sensing and perception
• Soft robotics.

Research centres

• Centre for Aerodynamics and Environmental Flow
• Centre for Automotive Engineering
• Centre for Biomedical Engineering
• Centre for Engineering Materials
• EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Micro- and NanoMaterials and Technologies

Academic staff Open

See a full list of all our  academic staff  within the School of Mechanical Engineering Sciences.

Support and facilities Open

Research support.

The professional development of postgraduate researchers is supported by the Doctoral College , which provides training in essential skills through its Researcher Development Programme of workshops, mentoring and coaching. A dedicated postgraduate careers and employability team will help you prepare for a successful career after the completion of your PhD.

As a PhD student within the School of Mechanical Engineering Sciences, you will have access to all our facilities , including our mechanical testing facility.

Entry requirements Open

Uk qualifications.

Applicants are expected to hold a first or upper second-class (2:1) UK degree in a relevant discipline (or equivalent overseas qualification), or a lower-second (2:2) UK degree plus a good UK masters degree - distinction normally required (or equivalent overseas qualification).

Country-specific qualifications

International students in the united kingdom, english language requirements.

IELTS Academic: 6.5 or above (or equivalent) with 6.0 in each individual category.

These are the English language qualifications and levels that we can accept. 

If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses , designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.

Selection process

Selection is based on applicants:

• Meeting the expected entry requirements
• Being shortlisted through the application screening process
• Completing a successful interview
• Providing suitable references.

Fees and funding Open

Fees per year.

Explore  UKCISA’s website for more information if you are unsure whether you are a UK or overseas student. View the  list of fees for all postgraduate research courses.

• Annual fees will increase by 4% for each year of study, rounded up to the nearest £100 (subject to legal requirements).
• Any start date other than September will attract a pro-rata fee for that year of entry (75 per cent for January, 50 per cent for April and 25 per cent for July).

Additional costs

There are additional costs that you can expect to incur when studying at Surrey.

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate doctoral course.

Application process

Applicants are advised to contact potential supervisors before they submit an application via the website. Please refer to section two of our  application guidance .

After registration

Students are initially registered for a PhD with probationary status and, subject to satisfactory progress, subsequently confirmed as having PhD status.

Apply online

To apply online first select the course you'd like to apply for then log in.

Select your course

Choose the course option you wish to apply for.

Create an account and sign into our application portal.

Robotics and Autonomous Systems PhD

Full-time, January 2025

Part-time, January 2025

Full-time, April 2025

Part-time, April 2025

Full-time, July 2025

Part-time, July 2025

Full-time, October 2025

Part-time, October 2025

About the University of Surrey

Accommodation

We have a range of housing to suit all requirements and budgets. There are more than 6,000 rooms available (en-suite, single-sex, studio flat, shared or single).

Student life

At Surrey we offer a friendly university campus set in beautiful countryside, with the convenience and social life of bustling Guildford on your doorstep.

Need more information?

Contact our Admissions team or talk to a current University of Surrey student online.

Code of practice for research degrees

Surrey’s postgraduate research code of practice sets out the University's policy and procedural framework relating to research degrees. The code defines a set of standard procedures and specific responsibilities covering the academic supervision, administration and assessment of research degrees for all faculties within the University.

Download the code of practice for research degrees (PDF) .

Terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Surrey, you are agreeing to follow our policies and procedures , student regulations , and terms and conditions .

We provide these terms and conditions in two stages:

• First when we make an offer.
• Second when students accept their offer and register to study with us (registration terms and conditions will vary depending on your course and academic year).

View our generic registration terms and conditions (PDF) for the 2023/24 academic year, as a guide on what to expect.

This online prospectus has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies.

Whilst we have done everything possible to ensure this information is accurate, some changes may happen between publishing and the start of the course.

It is important to check this website for any updates before you apply for a course with us. Read our full disclaimer .

Robotics (Ph.D.)

Focus: educating a new breed of multidisciplinary researchers in robotics who will provide leadership in this rapidly evolving discipline and help meet the growing industrial and societal demand for advanced education and research in robotics.

PhD in Human-Robot Interaction

Course requirements and electives.

A minimum of ten courses is required: five core courses in HRI and five electives from a  list of courses  approved by the HRI Steering Committee. Courses can be counted both towards the HRI PhD and the home department. In addition, students must provide evidence of competence in four research methods.

Advising Requirement

Each student in the HRI program will choose an advisory committee of at least three faculty within the second year (at least two members have to be faculty associated with the HRI program). The advisory committee will be responsible for conducting and grading the written and oral exams. One committee member will be designated by the student as "main advisor" and as such be responsible for supervising the student's dissertation. The main advisor must be associated with the HRI program.

Core Research Methods

All HRI PhD students have to demonstrate competency before attempting the oral qualification exam in four main research methods in HRI:

• statistics and mathematical foundations
• robot programming
• robot design
• experimental design

For (1), students have to demonstrate competence in the statistical and mathematical foundations relevant to HRI. For (2), students have to demonstrate experience with programming at least two different robots. For (3), students have to demonstrate experience in designing robots or parts of robots relevant to HRI. And for (4), students have to demonstrate that they have designed and carried out an HRI experiment. The details for all competency requirements will be determined by the HRI Steering Committee.

For (1), transcripts of previously taken relevant courses (at Tufts or elsewhere) or papers authored by the student that demonstrate the mastery of the techniques. For (2)-(4) students may point to published peer-reviewed papers authored by them that employ any of the required methods or get a letter from their advisor that describes how they satisfied the requirements. The program director then writes an evaluation of the materials which is forwarded to Steering Committee for approval. In the case that the demonstration is found insufficient and is thus not approved, the program director will work with the student to suggest ways to obtain sufficient documentation (e.g., by taking courses, writing research papers that demonstrate sufficient preparation, participating in research projects, etc.).

Examinations

Each PhD student in the HRI PhD program must take written and oral qualifying exams in HRI, in addition to the examination requirements of the student's department.

• Written Qualifying Exam The written qualifying exam in HRI consists of two research papers in two separate areas of HRI, which must be completed by the fourth semester and sixth semester, respectively, at the latest, submitted for publication to one of the HRI conference (e.g., the IEEE/ACM International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction). The papers need to be submitted to the Steering Committee for evaluation.  
• Oral Qualifying Exam/Candidacy Exam All HRI PhD students are required to pass a candidacy examination during which they propose their dissertation. Since the oral exam in HRI is at the same time the candidacy exam, students will defend their dissertation proposal and then be examined in the area of the dissertation (i.e., in only one joint exam with their home department). This requirement must be met by the end of the fourth year.

Foreign Language Requirement

There is no foreign language requirement in HRI.

Because the HRI PhD will require more preparatory course work of students than other disciplinary PhD degrees, the typical duration of the program will likely be five years.

Financial Aid

Students in the HRI PhD program are guaranteed the same funding as is customary in their respective home departments. At least one year of funding will be in the form of a mandatory teaching assistant position.

The remaining time will be a combination of teaching assistant and research assistant positions (the latter likely funded by one of the student's advisors). It is expected that all funded graduate students will receive at least support for nine months per calendar year in addition to full tuition remission. Note that the particular funding conditions of the teaching and research assistant position, however, will depend on what is customary in the home department of the student.

Teaching Requirement

All students enrolled in the HRI PhD program are required to teach for one semester as "Teaching Assistants" in their home departments or a department associated with the HRI program. The teaching requirement is intended to recognize the important role of teaching experience both for future academic positions as well as for learning how to present complex materials well to a possibly inexperienced audience (the process of preparing presentations often has the added advantage that it generates improved understanding on the teacher side). The academic advisors of students in the HRI program will work with the Tufts Center for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), and the Graduate Institute for Teaching (GIFT) to provide structured mentorship.

Colloquium Series

All HRI students are required to attend a novel HRI colloquium series to be organized by the HRI Steering Committee at least for four semesters. The colloquium series will feature speakers from Tufts as well as the local HRI community in the Boston area as well as occasional outside speakers, exposing students to cutting edge research in HRI. At the same time, the colloquium series also has an important community-building function by bringing together faculty and students (both graduate and undergraduate) interested in HRI, providing an informal setting where students can interact with faculty and ask questions. Ultimately, the goal is for it to become a forum for discussion and exchanges of ideas that can lead to future research collaborations on campus.

• Doing a PhD in Robotics

What does a PhD in Robotics Involve?

A PhD in robotics focuses on training researchers in the field of automation and robotics engineering. Doctoral students are characterised by the application of the techniques of this field in solving new problems and technological challenges. Nowadays, the field of automation covers a wide spectrum, ranging from the automation of industrial processes to the development of robotic systems for domestic environments or the pattern recognition for quality control systems.

The speciality areas for a PhD research project in robotics include:

• Intelligent Robotics : This area focuses on the design and development of intelligent and autonomous robotic systems. The aim of this area is to develop systems that understand their physical environment and use intuitive behaviour to adapt to changes.
• Intelligent Interfaces : This line of research deals with projects related to the design and development of interfaces to enable efficient interaction between the human user and the artificial robot system. It aims to develop artificial intelligent interfaces that enable communication and dialogue with the robotic system through voice, emotion and vision – in other words, human-robot interaction.
• Rehabilitation Robotics and Control of Robotic Systems : This line of research includes the development of robotic devices to support therapists and patients in physical rehabilitation therapies . One goal is the design and optimisation of robotic mechanisms and exoskeletons for physical therapy. To achieve this goal, mechanism design, optimisation algorithms, linear and nonlinear control techniques, artificial intelligence and haptic systems are used.

The fundamental aim of a doctoral robotics program is to enable students to become highly specialised by conducting original research in scientific and technological areas of robotics to answer stated research questions that ultimately improve our quality of life.

Browse PhDs in Robotics

Decoherence due to flux noise in superconducting qubits at microkelvin temperatures, demobeccs: the potential and demonstration feasibility of beccs, application of artificial intelligence to multiphysics problems in materials design, from text to tech: shaping the future of physics-based simulations with ai-driven generative models, study of the human-vehicle interactions by a high-end dynamic driving simulator, what are the typical application requirements for a phd in robotics.

A Robotics degree is mainly, but not exclusively, aimed at engineering graduates in the fields of robotics, electrical engineering, electronics, mechanics, industry, mechatronics, computer science, mathematics, physics and related fields .

The typical entry requirement is a relevant Masters qualification with an Upper Second-Class Honours, typically in one of the above-mentioned subjects. In addition, if the candidate is an international student, they will be expected to meet a number of English language requirements set by the university.

Although this is not always the case, some robotic PhD programs require the applicant to submit a research proposal outlining his or her intended research. The supervisor may use this to assess whether the student is suitable for the doctoral program, especially if the position comes with funding.

Personal Profile

The general entrance profile of graduate students in Robotic programs is that of a person interested in the formal development of technology based on design methodologies, interested in research with critical thinking, creativity and inventiveness to address new problems or innovate by offering solutions to real problems of automation and production, willingness to use computer systems, determination and perseverance.

Although not a prerequisite, it is helpful for a prospective PhD student to have knowledge in the following areas:

• Mathematics : numerical methods, linear algebra, numerical analysis, probability and statistics, and differential equations.
• Computing : programming, data structures, algorithms, computer vision, sensors (image, tactile, acoustic, pressure, etc.), speech recognition and synthesis.
• Physics : classical mechanics (kinematics and dynamics), optics.
• Engineering : mechanics (mechanisms and mechanical design), electronics (digital and analogue), control systems and signal processing.

In addition, many universities are also looking for prospective students who can demonstrate that they have the potential:

• Develop a thorough knowledge of the scientific and technological that underlies the field of robotics.
• Master the concepts, methods and techniques of their disciplinary field related to robotics.
• Can plan, carry out and evaluate original research projects, especially in their discipline.
• Train human resources for teaching and research.
• Can form multidisciplinary groups with national and international colleagues to carry out basic and applied research projects.
• Handling of specialised computer tools in the various fields of engineering.
• Communicate ideas as articles and presentations in professional forums.
• Have initiative and strong decision-making skills.
• Have ethical and moral commitment with its social environment for generating and passing on knowledge.

How much does a Robotics PhD cost?

The average university full-time tuition fee for a PhD in Robotics in the UK is approximately £4,407 per academic year for home students and £19,600 per academic year for international students. For part-time study it is approximately £2,203 and £8,800 per academic year for home and international students respectively.

Career and Professional Development Options

The influence of automation and robotics research in today’s society is becoming increasingly evident. Robotics is associated with the desire to synthesise some aspects of human function through mechanisms, sensors, actuators and computers.

The multidisciplinary nature of robotics enables it to include many fields of knowledge such as mathematics, physics, electronics, mechanics, computing, vision and artificial intelligence. Research and development in this area are crucial, and as a result, Robotic PhD graduates are in high demand.

Career options for robotics engineering degree holders include work in the following industries:

• Renewable Energy : developing systems to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic modules and collectors.
• Development of sensors : dedicated to the monitoring of remote variables, suitable for industrial environments such as the food industry.
• Home Automation : automation and control of smart homes.
• GPS : cargo monitoring and fleet tracking and management system.
• AGRO : statistics and data collection for the measurement of soil parameters.
• OEM : Original equipment for residential and industrial products.
• Mining and Military : developing technological equipment to increase field effectiveness.

Browse PhDs Now

Join thousands of students.

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

• Ph.D. Programs

The Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics (LCSR) is comprised of faculty, staff, and students from a diverse group of engineering departments, all collaborating on research and education, including the departments of Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering and, Mechanical Engineering.

Students interested in pursuing research within the LCSR should contact the faculty member with whom your interests and skills are best matched. You will apply to the individual department where you will receive your degree.

For more information about WSE Admissions Click Here

LCSR-Affiliated Engineering Departments with Ph.D. Programs

Mechanical Engineering

Computer Science

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

Information about Baltimore

Life at Hopkins in Central Baltimore

Living in Baltimore

Baltimore is Home

• Robotics Minor
• Computer-Integrated Surgery Minor
• Research Experience for Undergraduates in Computational Sensing and Medical Robotics (CSMR REU)
• Combined Five-Year BS/MSE Degree
• MSE Admissions
• MSE Academic Resources
• Research Essay/Internship Option
• Postdoctoral Fellows
• Robo Challenge
• New to LCSR? Start Here

Graduate School

• Resources to Prepare for Graduate School
• Adonara Mucek, Ph.D. Geology '17
• Adriana Mendoza, Ph.D. Mathematics '14
• Andrew Olsen
• Becca Maher ('21, Ph.D.)
• Bryan Lynn, Ph.D. Integrative Biology
• Celeste Frazier Barthel, Ph.D. Education '21
• Diane Brandt
• Francesca Germano, Toxicology, M.S.
• Garrett Rogers
• Jafra Thomas
• Jen Hayes, Horticulture, PhD
• Jordan Jimmie
• Jordan Spradlin, Public Health, MPH
• Kalina Fahey, Psychology, Ph.D.
• Katie Stelling, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Ph.D.
• Kelsey Contreras
• Layla Ghazi
• Marie Tosa, Ph.D. Wildlife Sciences
• Sara Letton
• Tiara Walz, Ph.D. Public Health
• Glossary of Terms
• Master's Students
• Doctoral Students
• Certificate Students
• Graduate School Orientation 2024
• Graduate Teaching Orientation 2024
• Do I Qualify to Attend Graduate Summer Step?
• Orientation for Winter, Spring and Summer Terms
• Co-sponsorships
• Your Graduate Committee
• Student Resources
• Grad Research Photo Competition
• Tips for Scheduling Committee Meetings
• Program of Study
• Formatting a Thesis or Dissertation
• Pretext Pages Templates
• Commencement
• Grad Inspire
• Grievance Procedures
• Request a Workshop
• Earning Concurrent Degrees or Pursuing a Dual Major
• Career Preparation
• Grad Writing Group Challenge
• Graduate Writing Center Online
• Changing or Adding a Degree, Major or Certificate
• GRAD 420 - Graduate School Preparation
• GRAD 512 - Current Issues in Higher Education
• GRAD 513 - Professional Development in College and University Teaching
• GRAD 516 - Graduate Teaching Seminar
• GRAD 520 - Responsible Conduct of Research
• GRAD 521 - Research Data Management
• GRAD 542 - The Inclusive College Classroom
• GRAD 543 - Dialogue Facilitation in Professional Contexts: Skills and Practice for Graduate Students
• GRAD 550 - Introduction to Online Course Development and Facilitation
• GRAD 560 - Theories of Teaching and Learning
• GRAD 561 - Course Design and Methods
• GRAD 599 - Creating Happiness
• GRAD 599 - Cultivating Productive and Positive Academic Relationships for Graduate Success
• WR 599 - Graduate Writing for English Language Learners
• WR 599 - Scientific and Technical Research Writing
• WR 599 - Writing Workshop for Thesis and Dissertation Writers
• OSU Grad Advantage
• Graduate Faculty Membership
• Graduate Council Representatives
• Policy updates
• Holistic Admissions
• Defining the Graduate Mentor
• The Importance of Mentors
• Apprenticeship and Mentoring
• Mentor and Mentee Pairing
• Maintaining and Evaluating Mentoring
• Suggestions for Mentoring Programs
• Handbooks, Manuals, and Guides
• Mentoring Bibliography
• Communication Items
• Detailed Considerations for a Joint Degree Program
• MOU Outline for Creating a Joint Program
• College and Program Recruitment Representatives
• Graduate Recruitment Tips
• Helpful Recruitment Links
• Shared Graduate Recruitment Schedule
• Leave of Absence and Family Medical Leave Eligibility
• Mentor Training for Faculty
• Student Funding
• Student Progress
• Student Progress Information for Programs
• Student Registration Information
• August 2023 Newsletter
• Sept 2023 Newsletter
• October 2023 Newsletter
• November 2023 Newsletter
• April 2024 Newsletter
• Dec 2023 Newsletter
• Feb 2024 Newsletter
• Jan 2024 Newsletter
• June 2024 Newsletter
• March 2024 Newsletter
• May 2024 Newsletter
• Strategic Plan
• Request Info
• Current Students
• Faculty Resources

You are here

Robotics (ph.d., m.s., minor).

The field of robotics has grown significantly in the last decade and continues to do so at an accelerating rate. Robots were, until very recently, in the hands of a few specialists, but are increasingly moving into the mainstream. Household robots, prosthetic limbs, robotic cars, assistive care robots, and search and rescue robots are all becoming a part of our lives. Robots for exploration, monitoring, maintenance, advanced manufacturing, agriculture and health care are shaping our economy and society.

Oregon State University Robotics is at the forefront of this exciting transformation.

The inter-disciplinary robotics program offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Robotics. Master's degree candidates may pursue thesis or nonthesis (project) options. The Ph.D. program prepares students for careers in industry, research laboratories or universities. Students develop their program of study in close cooperation with the faculty members in their areas of interest.

The program covers core areas of robotics, including actuation, manipulation, dynamics, control, artificial intelligence, social and ethical issues, and human-robot interaction. Application areas include marine robotics, agricultural, soft robotics, health care, social interaction, and advanced manufacturing. Additional information concerning courses, advising procedures, faculty, and many other aspects of the program may be found in the Robotics program website.

To be eligible for graduate studies, a baccalaureate or master’s degree in science, mathematics, computer science, or engineering is required.

  Robotics Website

  College of Engineering

  Program Handbook

 Corvallis

Primary Contact for Applications

Admissions requirements, required tests.

GRE scores are not required to apply for admission.

English Language Requirements ?

English language requirements for international applicants to this program are the same as the standard Graduate School requirements .

Additional Requirements

Application requirements, including required documents, letters, and forms, vary by program and may not be completely represented here. The processing of your application will not be completed until these requirements have been met. Please, before applying to this program, always contact the program office to confirm application requirements.

Application Process

More information on the robotics program can be found on the robotics website . Additional information is available on how to write a successful application and Frequently Asked Questions about applications and funding. Please also review the graduate school application process and apply online.

Dates & Deadlines ?

Admissions deadline - priority consideration deadline, admissions deadline stop date deadline (international and domestic), admissions deadline - applications close, mais participation.

This program may serve as a primary, secondary, or third field of study in a MAIS degree .

AMP Participation ?

This program participates in the Accelerated Masters Platform (AMP)

AMP Contact

Contact info.

Graduate School Heckart Lodge 2900 SW Jefferson Way Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331-1102

Phone: 541-737-4881 Fax: 541-737-3313

• Programs - Majors, minors and certificates
• Academic Progress
• Student Success
• Faculty Support
• Staff Directory
• Graduate Catalog

Study at BRL

UWE & UoB Engineering News

Privacy P olicy

Code of Conduct on Applications of Robotics

Copyright 2024 © Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Robotics and Systems Engineering

Blended Delivery

September 2024

In a nutshell

Automation for the Food Industry Research

The food industry is very labour intensive and as a result is under threat from low wage economies. To allow companies to remain competitive they need to embrace automation. Led by Dr Steve Davis you will learn how many of the challenges found in the food industry cannot be addressed by conventional automation and how advanced systems and grippers are required.      

Cognition Robotics and Autonomous Systems

We use the term "cognitive robotics" to refer to robots with higher level cognitive functions that involve knowledge representation and reasoning.

You will work on robots with cognitive capabilities, which are key elements to autonomous systems, such as perception processing, attention allocation, anticipation, planning, reasoning about other agents, and perhaps reasoning about their own mental states. Several projects are currently undertaken in this area in collaboration with psychologists and neuroscientist from European institutions. This course is led by Prof. S. Nefti-Meziani and Dr T. Theodoridis.  

Biologically Inspired Robotics Research

Dr Steve Davis leads this research which covers all areas of biologically inspired robotics. Future robots will move away from operating solely in factories and will interact more closely with humans. This will require a more natural/biological-like human-machine interaction. You will work with new design approaches and learn how they will shape future robotic systems. You will learn how traditional actuators have many shortcomings and how compliance can greatly improve the safety of human robot interaction, and also how these technologies have application in healthcare and rehabilitation applications.  

End-effectors and robot hands

Also led by Dr Steve Davis, this research area is concerned with the development of advanced end effectors. You will learn how innovative approaches can be used to grasp difficult to handle products. This course will also teach you how multi-fingered dexterous end-effectors, similar to the human hand, can handle a broad range of products, and how these technologies can be used in tele-presence tasks.  

Swarm Intelligence and Multi-Agent Systems

This research theme, as led by Prof. S. Nefti Meziani and Dr T. Theodoridis, concerns the development of an Intelligent Collaborative Behaviour using Multi-Agent Systems/robots using novel swarm intelligent techniques. We have introduced the irrationality theory applied in path planning, obstacle avoidance and emergent behaviours, using the Khepera robots (K-Team) and the Webots simulator.  

You will study and implement intelligent algorithms, which can be used for simulating viscoelastic behaviours for particle systems. Other relevant areas you can be involved in are crowd behaviour modelling, space and security robotics, and swarm and cognitive agents.  

Uninhabited Autonomous Systems/Air Vehicles (UAS/UAV)

Prof. S. Nefti Meziani, Dr A. Jones, and Dr E. Chadwick lead the research into how uninhabited autonomous systems (UAS) cope with unscripted procedures when conducting a mission where commands are issued at high levels of abstraction. It is designed around human-centric needs with the ability to perform tasks in accordance with instructions which lack adequate 'terms of reference'. You will work in autonomous systems that involve humans-in-the-loop.

• Research the fields of robotics, mechatronics, automation and control, embedded systems, artificial intelligence, and machine learning
• Undertake research around an area from your own profession and develop solutions that can be implemented in the workplace
• Earn a doctorate-level degree to take you further in your current career or provide a gateway into a research career

students accepted

All about the course

Robotics and systems engineering postgraduate research is available in a range of pathways:

Master by Research (MSc) One year full-time Two years part-time

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) One year full-time Two years part-time

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Three years full-time Five years part-time

Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.

What you need to know

Entry requirements.

A minimum of a 2:1 Honours degree or equivalent in a numerate subject such as Engineering, Science, Mathematics or Computer Science. You should be able to demonstrate the use of structured programming language such as C.

International students will require IELTS 6.5 or equivalent English Language Qualification.

APPLICANT PROFILE

You should have a first degree that provides a foundation in the areas of computer science or engineering. Candidates with a Bachelors and a Masters degree in one of the following areas will be preferred: robotics, mechatronics, automation and control, embedded systems, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Experience of experimental research involving statistical analyses of experimental results on the basis of measuring system performance is preferable but is not essential.  

You will be assigned a supervisory team to help guide and mentor you throughout your postgraduate research and studies. However, you are ultimately expected to take responsibility for managing your learning and will be expected to initiate discussions, ask for the help that you need, and be proactive in your approach to study.  

All students must attend an interview.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY APPROVAL SCHEME (ATAS)

International Students are required by the Home Office and/or the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Certificate before they begin studying their course. You might  need to obtain an ATAS Certificate before you come to the UK in order for you to comply with Home Office regulations. Please refer to your offer conditions.

You can find out if your programme requires an ATAS by checking the FCO website with your JACS code which will be on your offer letter should you choose to make an application. If you cannot find it please contact International Conversion team at  [email protected] . If you have any queries relating directly to ATAS please contact the ATAS team on  [email protected] .

You can apply for your ATAS Certificate via this link:  https://www.academic-technology-approval.service.gov.uk/

Entry requirements

As a postgraduate research student, you will need to pay annual tuition fees. These vary according to the programme you are studying. Both we and other organisations offer a range of scholarships and discounts to postgraduate research students.

More information about fees and funding .

Additional costs

You should consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on residential travel and accommodation visits.

All set? Let's apply

Enrolment dates.

January 2025

September 2025

• Monash Online

Monash Robotics

• Our people Our people
• Facilities Facilities
• Contact us Contact us
• Research topics Research topics
• Industry applications Industry applications
• PhD opportunities PhD opportunities
• News and events
• Latest news
• Are you being served? How humans are warming to robots’ ‘emotions’ Are you being served? How humans are warming to robots’ ‘emotions’
• Events Events
• Skip to content
• Skip to navigation

PhD opportunities

Phd positions in robotics and related areas (domestic students & international students).

We are pleased to announce multiple exciting PhD positions in robotics and related areas at Monash University. Monash University has recently invested $7M AUD to expand its robotics program.

Monash University offers world-class robotics research , testing, and training equipment and facilities. Additional facilities devoted to technology, experimentation, education and entrepreneurship include our Drone Discovery Platform and the Monash Data Futures Institute .

We have recently also invested over $1M AUD to acquire multiple new robot platforms including Fetch Robots, Franka Emika Panda arms, and Clearpath Jackal mobile bases to bolster our existing equipment and facilities (Universal Robots, ABB Yumi, Baxter, MiR100, Microsoft HoloLens 2, HTC VIVE).

Successful PhD candidates will have to opportunity to conduct research on topics related to the following themes:

• Human robot interaction
• Robot learning
• Robot control
• Computer and Robotic vision
• Machine learning
• Multi-robot systems
• Autonomous aerial robots
• Industrial robotics
• Construction robotics
• Field and Agricultural robotics
• Connected autonomous vehicles

As a PhD student at Monash, you will have the opportunity to work with world-leading researchers at the university ranked number one* in Australia for engineering and technology and among the top 100 universities in the world.

Successful candidates will be supervised by our Engineering Faculty members including:

• Prof. Dana Kulic
• Prof. Yu (Barry) Bai
• A/Prof. Chao Chen
• A/Prof. Mehrdad Arashpour
• Dr. Elahe Abdi
• Dr. Yihai Fang
• Dr. Hoam Chung
• Dr. Michael Burke

Entry requirements

• A four year bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, which includes a significant research component or an Honours year, leading to an honours 1 or equivalent; or
• A master’s degree in a relevant field that includes a significant research component (at least 25% of one full time equivalent year of work), including a thesis with a minimum of H1A or equivalent

You will also need to meet minimum English language requirements. Details on eligibility can be found here .

You can check the minimum entry requirements for the  PhD or the  Research Masters in the course handbook. Applicants must also satisfy Monash’s  English Language Proficiency requirements .

Monash Engineering is seeking high calibre engineering students to take part in our graduate research degrees. Your application will be looked upon favourably if you:

• Graduated in the top 10% of your year level
• Graduated from a well ranked university
• Have authored peer-reviewed research publications
• Possess excellent written and verbal English skills
• Scored well in a national graduate entrance exam

How to Apply

Submit Expression of interest

Once you have identified a supervisor in the research area of your choice, please complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) form - Monash University Australia candidates. This form will be forwarded to your nominated supervisor for assessment and you may be requested to attend an interview.

Candidates applying for research degrees at the School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia , please complete this EOI form .

Obtain an invitation to apply

If after assessing your Expression of Interest the potential supervisor has the suitable resources and expertise to take you on as a graduate research student, you will be supplied with an Invitation to Apply .

All applicants are required to upload a copy of their invitation to apply with their formal application. Applications without this will not be considered

Submit an application

After you have received an invitation to apply you can then proceed to submit an application via the online application portal .

Please note the following dates for Monash’s scholarship rounds:

We offer a range of scholarships for Australian and international graduate research students, including tuition fees, stipends and relocation allowances. Scholarships are awarded based on academic merit, and more information can be found at the webpage on  Engineering Scholarship webpage .

Please see here for detailed information on how to apply.

Find a programme

Accounting and finance.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Accounting and Finance, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Advanced Quantitative Methods

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Advanced Quantitative Methods, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Aerosol Science

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Aerosol Science, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Aerospace Engineering

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Aerospace Engineering, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Anthropology and Archaeology

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Anthropology and Archaeology, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Biochemistry

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Biochemistry, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Biological Sciences

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Biological Sciences, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Cellular and Molecular Medicine

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Chemistry, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Civil Engineering

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Civil Engineering, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Classics and Ancient History

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Classics and Ancient History, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Clinical Conscious Sedation and Anxiety Management

Comparative literatures and cultures.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD and MPhil in Comparative Literatures and Cultures, including structure and supervisors.

Computer Science

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Computer Science, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

Creative Writing

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Creative Writing, including entry requirements, supervisiors and research groups.

Cyber Security (Cyber Secure Everywhere)

Dds orthodontics.

Find out about the University of Bristol's Orthodontics Doctorate in Dental Surgery (DDS) research degree, including career prospects and supervisors.

DEdPsy Educational Psychology

Find out about the University of Bristol's Doctor of Educational Psychology (DEdPsy) research degree, including career prospects and supervisors.

Disability Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Disability Studies, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

Dynamic Molecular Cell Biology (Wellcome Trust)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Dynamic Molecular Cell Biology, fully funded by the Wellcome Trust for UK students.

Earth Sciences

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Earth Sciences, including entry requirements, supervisiors and research groups.

East Asian Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in East Asian Studies, including entry requirements and key themes.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Economics, including entry requirements, supervisiors and research groups.

EdD Education: Learning, Leadership and Policy

Find out about the University of Bristol's EdD in Education: Learning, Leadership and Policy, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Education, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, including entry requirements and research groups.

EngD Composites Manufacture

Engd future innovation in non-destructive evaluation, engineering biology, engineering mathematics.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Engineering Mathematics, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

English Literature

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in English Literature, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Exercise, Nutrition and Health

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Exercise, Nutrition and Health, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Film and Television

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Film and Television, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in French, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Geographical Sciences (Human Geography)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Geographical Sciences (Human Geography), including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Geographical Sciences (Physical Geography)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Geographical Sciences (Physical Geography), including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in German, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Global Challenges and Transformations

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Global Challenges and Transformations, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Graduate Diploma Economics

Great western four+ doctoral training partnership (nerc).

Find out about the Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership, a multidisciplinary training environment for postgraduate students in NERC sciences.

Health and Wellbeing

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Health and Wellbeing, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies, including supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in History, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

History of Art

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in History of Art, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Integrative Cardiovascular Science (BHF)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Integrative Cardiovascular Science (BHF), including entry requirements, funding and structure.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Italian, including entry requirements, structure and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Law, including entry requirements, structure and research groups.

Linguistics

Llm law - banking and finance law.

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Banking and Finance Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Commercial Law

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Commercial Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Company Law and Corporate Governance

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Company Law and Corporate Governance, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Employment, Work and Equality

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Employment, Work and Equality Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - General Legal Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in General Legal Studies, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Health, Law and Society

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Health, Law and Society, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Human Rights Law

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Human Rights Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - International Commercial Law

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in International Commercial Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - International Law

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in International Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - International Law and International Relations

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in International Law and International Relations, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Labour Law and Corporate Governance

Llm law - law and globalisation, llm law - public law, llm law, environment, sustainability & business.

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Law, Environment, Sustainability and Business, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law, Environment, Sustainability and Business

Llm law, innovation & technology.

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Law, Innovation and Technology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law, Innovation and Technology

Ma anthropology.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Anthropology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Black Humanities

Ma chinese-english audiovisual translation.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Chinese-English Audiovisual Translation, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Chinese-English Translation

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Chinese-English Translation, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Comparative Literatures and Cultures

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Comparative Literatures and Cultures, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Composition of Music for Film and Television

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Composition of Music for Film and Television, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Creative Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Creative Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Creative Writing

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Creative Writing, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA English Literature

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in English Literature, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Environmental Humanities

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Environmental Humanities, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Film and Television

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Film and Television, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in History, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA History of Art

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in History of Art, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Immersive Arts (Virtual and Augmented Reality)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc, PGCert and PGDip in Immersive Arts (Virtual and Augmented Reality) including structure and career prospects.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Logic and Philosophy of Mathematics

Ma medieval studies.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Medieval Studies, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Music, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Philosophy

Ma philosophy and history of science, ma philosophy of biological and cognitive sciences, ma philosophy of physics, ma religion, ma translation, ma translation (online).

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Management, including entry requirements, structure and research groups.

Mathematics

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Mathematics, including entry requirements, structure and research groups.

Mechanical Engineering

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Mechanical Engineering, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Medieval Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Medieval Studies, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Molecular, Genetic and Lifecourse Epidemiology (Wellcome)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Molecular, Genetic and Lifecourse Epidemiology, fully funded by the Wellcome Trust for UK students.

MRes Advanced Quantitative Methods

Find out about the University of Bristol's MRes in Advanced Quantitative Methods, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MRes Economics

Find out about the University of Bristol's MRes in Economics, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MRes Education

Find out about the University of Bristol's MRes in Education, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MRes Global Political Economy

Mres health sciences research.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MRes in Health Sciences Research, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MRes Security, Conflict and Human Rights

Mres sustainable futures.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MRes in Sustainable Futures, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Accounting and Finance

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Accounting and Finance, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Accounting, Finance and Management

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Accounting, Finance and Management, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Advanced Composites

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Advanced Composites, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Advanced Microelectronic Systems Engineering

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Advanced Microelectronic Systems Engineering, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Aerial Robotics

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Aerial Robotics, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Applied Neuropsychology

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Applied Neuropsychology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Applied Neuropsychology (Distance Learning)

Msc applied neuropsychology (online), msc banking, regulation and financial stability.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Banking, Regulation and Financial Stability, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Bioinformatics

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Bioinformatics, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Biomedical Engineering

Msc biomedical sciences research.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Biomedical Sciences Research, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Biorobotics

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Biorobotics, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Business Analytics

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Business Analytics, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc by research Global Environmental Challenges

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc by research Global Environmental Challenges, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Cardiovascular Perfusion (distance learning)

Msc cardiovascular perfusion (online), msc climate change science and policy.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Climate Change Science and Policy, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Clinical Neuropsychology

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Clinical Neuropsychology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Clinical Perfusion Science

Msc clinical research methods and evidence-based medicine, msc communication networks and signal processing.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Communication Networks and Signal Processing, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Computer Science (Conversion)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc conversion programme in Computer Science, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Contemporary Identities

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Contemporary Identities, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Cyber Security (Infrastructures Security)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Cyber Security (Infrastructures Security), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Data Science

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Data Science, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Data Science (Distance Learning)

Msc data science (online), msc dental implantology.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Dental Implantology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Development and Security

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Development and Security, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Digital Health

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Digital Health, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Earthquake Engineering and Infrastructure Resilience

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Earthquake Engineering and Infrastructure Resilience, including structure and career prospects.

MSc East Asian Development and the Global Economy

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in East Asian Development and the Global Economy, including structure and career prospects.

MSc Economics

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Economics, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Economics and Finance

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Economics and Finance, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Economics with Data Science

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Economics with Data Science, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Economics, Finance and Management

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Economics, Finance and Management including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Education (Education and Climate Change)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Education (Education and Climate Change), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Education (Inclusive Education)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Education (Inclusive Education), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Education (Leadership and Policy)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Education (Leadership and Policy), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Education (Learning, Technology and Society)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Education (Learning, Technology and Society), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Education (Mathematics Education)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Education (Mathematics Education), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Education (Neuroscience and Education)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Education (Neuroscience and Education), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Education (Open Pathway)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Education (Open Pathway), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Education (Policy and International Development)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Education (Policy and International Development) including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Education (Teaching and Learning)

Msc engineering mathematics.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Engineering Mathematics, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Engineering with Management

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Engineering with Management, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Environmental Analytical Chemistry

Msc environmental modelling and data analysis.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Environmental Modelling and Data Analysis, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Environmental Policy and Management

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Environmental Policy and Management, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Epidemiology

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Epidemiology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Finance and Investment

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Finance and Investment, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Financial Technology

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Financial Technology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Financial Technology with Data Science

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Financial Technology with Data Science, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Gender and International Relations

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Gender and International Relations, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Geographic Data Science and Spatial Analytics

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Geographic Data Science and Spatial Analytics, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Global Development and Environment

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Global Development and Environment, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Global Management

Msc global operations and supply chain management.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Global Operations and Supply Chain Management, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Global Wildlife Health and Conservation

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Global Wildlife Health and Conservation, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Health Economics and Health Policy Analysis

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Health Economics and Health Policy Analysis, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Health Professions Education

Msc health professions education (online), msc healthcare management, msc healthcare management (online), msc human geography: society and space.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Human Geography: Society and Space, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Human Resource Management and the Future of Work

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Human Resource Management and the Future of Work, including structure and career prospects.

MSc Human-Computer Interaction (Online)

Msc image and video communications and signal processing.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Image and Video Communications and Signal Processing, including structure and career prospects.

MSc Immersive Technologies (Virtual and Augmented Reality)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Immersive Technologies (Virtual and Augmented Reality), including structure and career prospects.

MSc Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Msc international business and strategy: global challenges.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in International Business and Strategy: Global Challenges), including structure and career prospects.

MSc International Development

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in International Development, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc International Relations

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in International Relations, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc International Security

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in International Security, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Management

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Management, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Management (CSR and Sustainability)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Management (CSR and Sustainability), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Management (Digitalisation and Big Data)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Management (Digitalisation and Big Data), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Management (Entrepreneurship and Innovation)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Management (Entrepreneurship and Innovation), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Management (International Business)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Management (International Business), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Management (International Human Resource Management)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Management (International Human Resource Management), including structure and career prospects.

MSc Management (Marketing)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Management (Marketing), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Management (Project Management)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Management (Project Management), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Marketing

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Marketing, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Mathematical Sciences

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Mathematical Sciences, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Medical Statistics and Health Data Science

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Medical Statistics and Health Data Science, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Molecular Neuroscience

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Molecular Neuroscience, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Nanoscience and Functional Nanomaterials

Msc nuclear science and engineering.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Nuclear Science and Engineering, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Optical Communications and Signal Processing

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Optical Communications and Signal Processing, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Optoelectronic and Quantum Technologies

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Optoelectronic and Quantum Technologies, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Oral Medicine

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Oral Medicine, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Orthopaedic Research Methods and Evidence-Based Medicine

Msc palaeobiology.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Palaeobiology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Perfusion Science

Msc periodontology.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc and Postgraduate Certificate in Perfusion Science, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Policy Research

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Policy Research, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Psychology (Conversion)

Msc psychology of education bps.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc conversion programme in Psychology of Education, accreddiated by the British Psychological Society,

MSc Public Health

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Public Health, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Public Policy

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Public Policy, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Public Policy Analysis (Distance Learning)

Msc reproduction and development.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc, PGCert and PGDip in Reproduction and Development, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Robotics

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Robotics, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Science Communication for a Better Planet

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Science Communication for a Better Planet, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Scientific Computing with Data Science

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Scientific Computing with Data Science, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Social and Cultural Theory

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Social and Cultural Theory, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Social Science Research Methods (Management)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Social Science Research Methods (Management), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Social Science Research Methods (Politics)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Social Science Research Methods (Politics), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Social Science Research Methods (Sociology)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Social Science Research Methods (Sociology), including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Social Work

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Social Work, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Social Work Research

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Social Work Research, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Society, Politics and Climate Change

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Society, Politics and Climate Change, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Socio-Legal Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Socio-Legal Studies, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Sociology

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Sociology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Stem Cells and Regeneration

Msc stem cells and regeneration (online), msc strategy, change and leadership.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc and PGCert in Strategy, Change and Leadership, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Sustainable Engineering

Msc teaching and learning for health professionals, msc teaching english to speakers of other languages (tesol).

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Translational Cardiovascular Medicine

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc, PGCert and PGDip in Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, including structure and entry requirements.

MSc Translational Cardiovascular Medicine (Online)

Msc volcanology, msc water and environmental management.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Water and Environmental Management, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MSc Wireless Communications and Signal Processing

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc in Wireless Communications and Signal Processing, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Music, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Oral and Dental Sciences

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Oral and Dental Sciences, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

PG Certificate (Postgraduate Certificate) Clinical Neuropsychology Practice

Find out about the University of Bristol's Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Neuropsychology Practice, including structure and career prospects.

PG Certificate (Postgraduate Certificate) Clinical Oral Surgery

Find out about the University of Bristol's Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Oral Surgery, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

PG Certificate (Postgraduate Certificate) Clinical Perfusion Science

Pg certificate (postgraduate certificate) healthcare improvement, pg certificate (postgraduate certificate) healthcare improvement (online), pg certificate (postgraduate certificate) perfusion science, pg diploma (postgraduate diploma) applied neuropsychology, pg diploma (postgraduate diploma) applied neuropsychology (bristol-based), pg diploma (postgraduate diploma) applied neuropsychology (distance learning), pg diploma (postgraduate diploma) applied neuropsychology (online), pg diploma (postgraduate diploma) clinical neuropsychology.

Find out about the University of Bristol's Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

PG Diploma (Postgraduate Diploma) Orthodontic Therapy

Pg diploma (postgraduate diploma) philosophy, pg diploma (postgraduate diploma) theoretical and practical clinical neuropsycho, pg diploma (postgraduate diploma) theoretical and practical clinical neuropsychology.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PG Diploma in Theoretical and Practical Clinical Neuropsychology, including structure and entry requirements.

PGCE Education (Secondary)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PGCE in Education (Secondary) including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

PhD Accounting and Finance

Phd advanced composites, phd advanced quantitative methods, phd aerosol science, phd aerospace engineering, phd anthropology and archaeology, phd biochemistry, phd biological sciences, phd cellular and molecular medicine, phd chemistry, phd civil engineering, phd classics and ancient history, phd comparative literatures and cultures, phd computational statistics and data science: compass, phd computer science, phd creative writing, phd cyber security (tips at scale), phd digital health and care, phd disability studies, phd dynamic molecular cell biology (wellcome trust), phd earth sciences, phd east asian studies, phd economics, phd education, phd electrical and electronic engineering, phd engineering mathematics, phd english literature, phd exercise, nutrition and health, phd film and television, phd geographical sciences (human geography), phd geographical sciences (physical geography), phd global political economy, phd great western four+ doctoral training partnership (nerc), phd health and wellbeing, phd hispanic, portuguese and latin american studies, phd history, phd history of art, phd innovation and entrepreneurship, phd integrative cardiovascular science (bhf), phd interactive artificial intelligence, phd italian, phd management, phd mathematics, phd mechanical engineering, phd medieval studies, phd molecular, genetic and lifecourse epidemiology (wellcome), phd oral and dental sciences, phd philosophy, phd physics, phd physiology, pharmacology and neuroscience, phd politics, phd population health sciences, phd psychology, phd quantum engineering, phd religion and theology, phd robotics and autonomous systems, phd russian, phd security, conflict and human rights, phd social policy, phd social work, phd sociology, phd south west biosciences doctoral training partnership (bbsrc), phd south west doctoral training partnership (esrc), phd sustainable futures, phd technology enhanced chemical synthesis, phd theatre and performance, phd translation, phd translational health sciences, phd veterinary sciences.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Philosophy, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Physics, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Politics, including key themes and entry requirements.

Population Health Sciences

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Population Health Sciences, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

Practice-Oriented Artificial Intelligence

Quantum information science and technologies, religion and theology.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Religion and Theology, including structure, entry requirements and supervisors.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Russian, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Social Policy

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Social Policy, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Social Work

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Social Work, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Sociology, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Sociotechnical Futures and Digital Methods

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Sociotechnical Futures and Digital Methods, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (BBSRC)

Find out about the University of Bristol's South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership, including structure and entry requirements.

Sustainable Futures

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Sustainable Futures, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Technology Enhanced Chemical Synthesis

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Technology Enhanced Chemical Synthesis, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Theatre and Performance

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Theatre and Performance, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Translation

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Translation, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Translational Health Sciences

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Translational Health Sciences, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Veterinary Sciences

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Veterinary Sciences, including entry requirements, research groups and career prospects.

Suggestions or feedback?

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Machine learning
• Sustainability
• Black holes
• Classes and programs

Departments

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Architecture
• Political Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Centers, Labs, & Programs

• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
• Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Lincoln Laboratory
• School of Architecture + Planning
• School of Engineering
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Sloan School of Management
• School of Science
• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

Helping robots practice skills independently to adapt to unfamiliar environments

Press contact :.

Previous image Next image

The phrase “practice makes perfect” is usually reserved for humans, but it’s also a great maxim for robots newly deployed in unfamiliar environments.

Picture a robot arriving in a warehouse. It comes packaged with the skills it was trained on, like placing an object, and now it needs to pick items from a shelf it’s not familiar with. At first, the machine struggles with this, since it needs to get acquainted with its new surroundings. To improve, the robot will need to understand which skills within an overall task it needs improvement on, then specialize (or parameterize) that action.

A human onsite could program the robot to optimize its performance, but researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and The AI Institute have developed a more effective alternative. Presented at the Robotics: Science and Systems Conference last month, their “Estimate, Extrapolate, and Situate” (EES) algorithm enables these machines to practice on their own, potentially helping them improve at useful tasks in factories, households, and hospitals.  Sizing up the situation

To help robots get better at activities like sweeping floors, EES works with a vision system that locates and tracks the machine’s surroundings. Then, the algorithm estimates how reliably the robot executes an action (like sweeping) and whether it would be worthwhile to practice more. EES forecasts how well the robot could perform the overall task if it refines that particular skill, and finally, it practices. The vision system subsequently checks whether that skill was done correctly after each attempt.

EES could come in handy in places like a hospital, factory, house, or coffee shop. For example, if you wanted a robot to clean up your living room, it would need help practicing skills like sweeping. According to Nishanth Kumar SM ’24 and his colleagues, though, EES could help that robot improve without human intervention, using only a few practice trials.

“Going into this project, we wondered if this specialization would be possible in a reasonable amount of samples on a real robot,” says Kumar, co-lead author of a paper describing the work, PhD student in electrical engineering and computer science, and a CSAIL affiliate. “Now, we have an algorithm that enables robots to get meaningfully better at specific skills in a reasonable amount of time with tens or hundreds of data points, an upgrade from the thousands or millions of samples that a standard reinforcement learning algorithm requires.”

See Spot sweep

EES’s knack for efficient learning was evident when implemented on Boston Dynamics’ Spot quadruped during research trials at The AI Institute. The robot, which has an arm attached to its back, completed manipulation tasks after practicing for a few hours. In one demonstration, the robot learned how to securely place a ball and ring on a slanted table in roughly three hours. In another, the algorithm guided the machine to improve at sweeping toys into a bin within about two hours. Both results appear to be an upgrade from previous frameworks, which would have likely taken more than 10 hours per task. “We aimed to have the robot collect its own experience so it can better choose which strategies will work well in its deployment,” says co-lead author Tom Silver SM ’20, PhD ’24, an electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) alumnus and CSAIL affiliate who is now an assistant professor at Princeton University. “By focusing on what the robot knows, we sought to answer a key question: In the library of skills that the robot has, which is the one that would be most useful to practice right now?”

EES could eventually help streamline autonomous practice for robots in new deployment environments, but for now, it comes with a few limitations. For starters, they used tables that were low to the ground, which made it easier for the robot to see its objects. Kumar and Silver also 3D printed an attachable handle that made the brush easier for Spot to grab. The robot didn’t detect some items and identified objects in the wrong places, so the researchers counted those errors as failures.

Giving robots homework

The researchers note that the practice speeds from the physical experiments could be accelerated further with the help of a simulator. Instead of physically working at each skill autonomously, the robot could eventually combine real and virtual practice. They hope to make their system faster with less latency, engineering EES to overcome the imaging delays the researchers experienced. In the future, they may investigate an algorithm that reasons over sequences of practice attempts instead of planning which skills to refine. “Enabling robots to learn on their own is both incredibly useful and extremely challenging,” says Danfei Xu, an assistant professor in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech and a research scientist at NVIDIA AI, who was not involved with this work. “In the future, home robots will be sold to all sorts of households and expected to perform a wide range of tasks. We can't possibly program everything they need to know beforehand, so it’s essential that they can learn on the job. However, letting robots loose to explore and learn without guidance can be very slow and might lead to unintended consequences. The research by Silver and his colleagues introduces an algorithm that allows robots to practice their skills autonomously in a structured way. This is a big step towards creating home robots that can continuously evolve and improve on their own.” Silver and Kumar’s co-authors are The AI Institute researchers Stephen Proulx and Jennifer Barry, plus four CSAIL members: Northeastern University PhD student and visiting researcher Linfeng Zhao, MIT EECS PhD student Willie McClinton, and MIT EECS professors Leslie Pack Kaelbling and Tomás Lozano-Pérez. Their work was supported, in part, by The AI Institute, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Army Research Office, and MIT Quest for Intelligence, with high-performance computing resources from the MIT SuperCloud and Lincoln Laboratory Supercomputing Center.

Share this news article on:

Related links.

• Project website
• Leslie Pack Kaelbling
• Nishanth Kumar
• Tomás Lozano-Pérez
• Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)
• Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Related Topics

• Computer science and technology
• Artificial intelligence
• Computer vision
• Quest for Intelligence
• Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (eecs)
• National Science Foundation (NSF)

Related Articles

Multiple AI models help robots execute complex plans more transparently

Using language to give robots a better grasp of an open-ended world

New technique helps robots pack objects into a tight space

AI helps household robots cut planning time in half

Previous item Next item

More MIT News

A new approach to fine-tuning quantum materials

Read full story →

D-Lab off-grid brooder saves chicks and money using locally manufactured thermal batteries

MIT chemists synthesize plant-derived molecules that hold potential as pharmaceuticals

Alex Shalek named director of the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science

New framework empowers pavement life-cycle decision-making while reducing data collection burden

A new model offers robots precise pick-and-place solutions

• More news on MIT News homepage →

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA

• Map (opens in new window)
• Events (opens in new window)
• People (opens in new window)
• Careers (opens in new window)
• Accessibility
• Social Media Hub
• MIT on Facebook
• MIT on YouTube
• MIT on Instagram