About

From Geir Dullerud - Director, Center for Autonomy

I am thrilled to introduce the Master of Engineering in Autonomy and Robotics degree program.  It is a 12-month program that we have specifically tailored to students looking for an industry-oriented graduate degree which provides training and experience in the field of autonomy and robotics.  Students should typically have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or computer science, though students of any strong academic background are welcome. 

The program is motivated by the Autonomy Revolution that is currently underway worldwide.  At the heart of this revolution are the opportunities for autonomous operation of physical systems that have been enabled by the advances during the past decade in artificial intelligence, software infrastructures, sensors, digital hardware, communication networks, as well as other technologies. These opportunities point to a future in which engineered physical systems will be autonomous, able to provide functionality without human intervention, and greatly beyond what human supervised systems can currently achieve. The phase transition to such systems will involve, and indeed requires, a multi-disciplinary technical workforce with specialized training.   

Students in the Autonomy and Robotics Program will gain the knowledge and technical skills necessary to transition directly to jobs in industries that are focused on autonomy and robotics (for instance, self-driving cars, drones, walking robots, watercraft). They will also receive generalized training that applies across all the application domains of this industrial sector. 

The Program is uniquely designed so that it can be completed in 12 months and will allow students to:  1) acquire skills and knowledge that are core to autonomy and robotics; and 2) customize their curriculum based on interests, background, and goals.  A main theme of the Program is the project-based core curriculum which is centered around hardware platforms (cars, drones, limbed robots), and involve multi-disciplinary team interactions. These core courses have a “hands-on” emphasis, and students will therefore have an exceptional design, implementation, and experimentation experience.  Faculty from six departments are involved with the Program curriculum. 

If you believe that you may be interested in a career in this exciting emerging area I welcome you to apply to the Autonomy and Robotics Master’s Program, and invite you to reach out to us with any questions that you might have either about the program itself or the process of applying.  I look forward to meeting you in due course. 

Geir E. Dullerud
Director of the Center for Autonomy