Starting this Fall, the School of Engineering is offering a new degree in Robotics Engineering. This Bachelor of Science is a joint venture between the Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering and the Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering departments. Robotics Engineering, sometimes abbreviated to ROBT or RobE, seeks to combine RPI’s existing course offerings in robotics, autonomy, AI, control systems, and mechatronics under one degree. The stage for a robotics program at RPI has been set for many years, with many interested students finding ways to break into the robotics field, whether through the already established robotics courses in ECSE and MANE or the Center for Smart and Convergent Manufacturing Systems.
Dr. John Wen, former head of the ECSE department and current Program Director of Robotics Engineering, spoke at an information session detailing the motivations of introducing robotics as its own major. Dr. Wen discussed the positive economic future of robotics, including a market projection of $200 billion by 2035, a fivefold increase in ten years from $38 billion in 2025. When accounting for related markets, such as autonomous vehicles and physical AI, that figure skyrockets to $2.5 trillion. He also spoke on the increasing presence of robots in industrial and manufacturing settings. These figures create a demand for specialized knowledge of how to build these systems, which drove the creation of the program. Considering the variety of fields that robotics can apply to, including but not limited to transportation, healthcare, and infrastructure, Dr. Wen highlighted the importance of students demonstrating their skills in project-based work. Through the creation of a portfolio in the major’s introductory course to be kept throughout the four years of the degree program, graduated students will leave with a reserve of project work to present for future opportunities.
In terms of the program itself, which can be viewed in the catalog, the class offerings clearly show the program’s roots as a joint effort between ECSE and MANE. After taking the new ROBT 1010 - Introduction to Robotics in their first semester, students take a blend of dynamics, controls, and systems classes offered from the two departments, with many being cross-listed to the ROBT course code. For Humanities, Arts, and Social Science electives, students are encouraged to explore classes from the Cognitive Science and Psychology departments, which bolsters other electives in machine learning and AI.
For students who may only be partially interested in robotics, a minor in Robotics Engineering is also in the works. While not currently available in the catalog or the RPI Student Information System, this shorter program allows interested students in other majors to dip their toes into the robotics world. It includes taking ROBT-4010 Manipulator Kinematics and Dynamics, two other ROBT courses, and filling out the rest of the 15 credit minimum for minors with any ECSE or MANE courses. Note that certain restrictions on Pass/No Credit and courses applying to majors exist.
One important note with this new program has to do with accreditation. On August 11, the Robotics Engineering degree was officially approved by the New York State Education Department. This approval does allow for the program to be officially offered at RPI, but is not the only benchmark to look at. Beyond state approval, an engineering degree is expected to receive accreditation from ABET.
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology is a nearly century-old institution focused on vetting engineering and other STEM degrees. Their approval process is rigorous, and their accreditation is often seen as a seal of approval for a “real” engineering degree. Between graduate school applications, employment opportunities, and Professional Engineering Licenses, ABET accreditation is all but necessary for an engineering degree.
As a new engineering program, Robotics Engineering has yet to be ABET accredited. This is completely normal, as there are several requirements before the 18-month accreditation process can even begin, mainly the need to graduate one student from the program, which of course has not yet happened. Once at least one student graduates, this process can begin, which will involve a comprehensive look at the program and its outcomes. If accepted, the accreditation status will apply to graduates of that review year as well as previous graduates up to two years before. While no one can guarantee that the program will be accredited, RPI has a good track record with ABET. During our most recent round of reviews last Fall, which happen every few years to ensure continuation of ABET’s high standards, we saw all programs pass with flying colors. Considering the Robotics Engineering’s program shares most of its coursework with established, long-accredited degrees such as Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, there is little doubt that the program will be ABET accredited. Yet, until that officially happens, interested students should keep up to date with the process and be informed.
For those interested in either the major or the minor, you can find more information here.
