Professional Masters (MEng)
Master of Engineering in Autonomy & Robotics (M.Eng.)
Our fast-paced professional master's degree prepares you for leadership in the fields of robotics and autonomous systems.
Designed for those looking for a stepping stone to technical and managerial careers in the autonomy and robotics industries, the Master of Engineering in Autonomy & Robotics (M.Eng. in Autonomy & Robotics) program harnesses the strength of several leading academic departments at The Grainger College of Engineering to provide students with an in-depth, interdisciplinary program.
The Master of Engineering in Engineering with Concentration in Autonomy and Robotics program is a fast-paced, professionally-oriented curriculum that aims to provide students with solid foundational and operational knowledge in the integration of principles of autonomy and robotics across a wide range of enterprises—including the aerospace, automotive, agriculture, medical, construction, and entertainment industries. Students will learn to work with components of software systems, electronics, tools for algorithm design and machine learning, and physics-based dynamics, control and sensor systems.
The program's core coursework includes interdisciplinary project experiences that present key topics in the context of practical applications. Students can customize their degree by choosing from a rich set of elective courses from several relevant disciplinary domains.
Grainger Engineering provides opportunities to engage with industry partners through a professional development capstone project or practicum, focused on skills relevant for industry careers.
UPCOMING SEMINAR
Physical Intelligence for Physical Care: Towards Stakeholder-Informed Caregiving Robots in the Real World
Friday, May 8, 2026
2:00pm Central Time
In Person Event - 1232 CSL Studio
Speaker: Tapomayukh Bhattacharjee (Cornell University)
How can we build robots that meaningfully assist people with mobility limitations in their daily lives? To support complex caregiving tasks such as robot-assisted feeding, bathing, transferring, and meal preparation, robots must physically interact with people and objects in dynamic, unstructured environments while maintaining safety. In this talk, I will present an overview of projects from the EmPRISE Lab that showcase fundamental advances in physical robot caregiving. I will highlight how we design stakeholder-informed systems with personalized contact-rich control policies and user functionality- and behavior-aware physical robot assistance. I will also share insights from deploying these systems with real users in real-world settings. Together, these efforts move us closer to building caregiving robots that are not only technically capable, but are also safe, deployable, and responsive to the real needs of people in care settings.
Careers in Autonomy & Robotics
The global robotics market is expected to grow from USD 37.81 Billion in 2017 to USD 158.21 Billion by 2025 at a compound annual growth rate of 19.11% (Fior Markets, 2020.)
Here are just a few potential career paths in the robotics and automation industry.
senior systems engineer
IT manager
principal electrical engineer / systems engineer
aeronautical engineer
project engineer
design engineer
software engineer
user experience (UX) designer
data scientist
machine learning engineer
autonomous vehicle engineer
computer programmer
data analyst / data scientist
predictive modeler
machine learning engineer
Learn more about the application process
ADMISSIONS CRITERIA
Not sure if the Autonomy & Robotics MEng program is right for you? Learn about the application evaluation process and if you may qualify for admission.
HOW TO APPLY
Ready to apply? Learn more about the required materials you need to submit with your online application through The Graduate College.
TUITION & FEES
The tuition for the program follows the campus graduate and professional engineering program rates. Find out more about fees and financial aid options.
The Autonomy and Robotics Professional Master's program is a collaboration between five top-ranked programs in Grainger Engineering: Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Science and Engineering, and Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering.
“We believe that students with undergraduate degrees in any of these departments may be interested in our program because of its interdisciplinary- and project-oriented architecture. We’re excited to welcome students to campus.”
— Geir Dullerud, Founding Director, Autonomy & Robotics Professional Master's Program