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SoET Robotics Technology Graduate Degrees - Unofficial Site

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Upcoming Graduate Degrees in Robotics Technology


The School of Engineering Technology is launching two new research-based degree programs in Robotics Technology leading to the M.S. and Ph.D., likely starting this academic year!! The M.S. and Ph.D. in Robotics Technology programs at Purdue will prepare students to effectively respond to current issues, trends, and challenges in robotics and related technologies through a wide variety of platforms and media. These graduate degree programs are designed to respond to the rapidly increasing demand of a highly-skilled workforce to support the adoption of robotics technologies and a plethora of smart products that sense, think and act in various industries in the state of Indiana, the United States, and the world at large.

Plans of Study


The plans of study for both the M.S. and the Ph.D. are based on the same set of core classes that explore the basis of the sense-think-act cycle that defines robotics and other smart systems, including IoT and mechatronics. In addition to math fundamentals, students will take a systems core course, a perception selective, a cognition selective, and a actuation selective.

  • MATH FUNDAMENTALS (Optimization, linear algebra, statistics, etc)
  • SYSTEMS CORE COURSE (Robotics, IoT, or Autonomy)
  • PERCEPTION CORE COURSE (Computer Vision or Sensing)
  • COGNITION CORE COURSE (AI or Machine Learning)
  • ACTUATION CORE COURSE (Actuators, Fluids, or Rotating Machines)
  • FOCUS AREA ELECTIVES
  • RELATED AREA ELECTIVES
  • GRADUATE SEMINAR (Either ENGT or Robotics Seminar)
  • Writing is a key component of this research-based degree. If you have not published a first-author paper, you must take a writing course
To get more detailed information, click the appropriate link below:

Thesis or Dissertation


A thesis is required for both the M.S. and Ph.D. There is no "courework only" option, nor a project-based option. You are expected to perform hands-on research, directed by your major advisor, and to publish those results in conference and journal venues. You will also be required to write and defend your thesis in both oral and written forms to graduate.

Applying to the Program


To apply to either of the programs, start here:

Apply Now

and under "Campus and Program" choose "Purdue West Lafayettte (PWL)" as your campus and select "Robotics Technology" as your proposed graduate major (may not appear for all users at this time).

CODOing to the Program (for existing students)


Contact Niedra Davey in the SoET Main Office in KNOY 150 on when this will be available. (Might be as early as Fall 2024, but stay tuned for more info.)

Research Areas


  • AgRobotics and Digital Agriculture
  • Applied AI
  • Assistive/Healthcare Technologies
  • Bio-Inspired Electronics/Sensors/Systems
  • Co-Design of Smart Systems
  • Collaborative Robotics
  • Human/Robot Interaction
  • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Mechatronics
  • Multi-functional Materials/Additive Manufacturing/Programmable Matter
  • Rehabilitation Robotics
  • Smart Manufacturing
  • Uncrewed Aerial/Ground/Underwater Vehicles

Robotics/Autonomy/IoT Faculty in SoET


  • Prof. Brittany Newell
  • Prof. Daniel Leon-Salas
  • Prof. Dongming Gao
  • Prof. Haiyan "Henry" Zhang
  • Prof. Huachao Mao
  • Prof. Jose Garcia-Bravo
  • Prof. Miad Faezipour
  • Prof. Mo Rastgaar
  • Prof. Ragu Athinarayanan
  • Prof. Richard Voyles
  • Prof. Robert Nawrocki
  • Prof. Suranjan Panigrahi
  • Prof. Xiumin Diao
rvoyles [at] purdue [dot] edu

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-3733