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Robotics engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a robotics engineer. Robotics engineers usually study mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or mechatronics and robotics. 65% of robotics engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 396 real robotics engineer resumes to see exactly what robotics engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for robotics engineers are the Texas A&M; University and the Texas A&M; University.
There are also many online robotics engineer courses to help get the education required to be a robotics engineer.
What education do you need to become a robotics engineer?
What degree do you need to be a robotics engineer?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Associate, 15%
- Master's, 13%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a robotics engineer?
- Computer Science, 5%
- Other Majors, 36%
Most common colleges for robotics engineers
| Robotics engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Texas A&M University | 5.88% |
| Ohio State University | 5.88% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.88% |
| University of California, Berkeley | 5.88% |
| Lake Superior State University | 5.88% |
Best majors for robotics engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical Engineering | 26.8% |
| 2 | Electrical Engineering | 21.8% |
| 3 | Mechatronics And Robotics | 9.5% |
| 4 | Computer Science | 5.5% |
| 5 | Computer Engineering | 4.5% |
Best colleges for robotics engineers
The best colleges for robotics engineers are Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A robotics engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for robotics engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become robotics engineers.
1. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
2. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
3. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
20 best online courses for robotics engineers
Advertising disclosure
1. Modern Robotics, Course 6: Capstone Project, Mobile Manipulation
The capstone project of the Modern Robotics specialization is on mobile manipulation: simultaneously controlling the motion of a wheeled mobile base and its robot arm to achieve a manipulation task. This project integrates several topics from the specialization, including trajectory planning, odometry for mobile robots, and feedback control. Beginning from the Modern Robotics software library provided to you (written in Python, Mathematica, and MATLAB), and software you have written for...
2. Modern Robotics, Course 1: Foundations of Robot Motion
Do you want to know how robots work? Are you interested in robotics as a career? Are you willing to invest the effort to learn fundamental mathematical modeling techniques that are used in all subfields of robotics? If so, then the "Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control" specialization may be for you. This specialization, consisting of six short courses, is serious preparation for serious students who hope to work in the field of robotics or to undertake advanced study. It is not a...
3. Hands-On Robotics with Arduino, Build 13 robot projects
Using Arduino build a Voice control robot, Black line follower, Light follower/repeller robot, Smartphone control robot...
4. ROS2 Robotics Developer Course - Using ROS2 In Python
Gain expertise in the latest version of the Robot Operating System (ROS 2) in Python to program your own robots...
5. Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control
This Specialization provides a rigorous treatment of spatial motion and the dynamics of rigid bodies, employing representations from modern screw theory and the product of exponentials formula. Students with a freshman-level engineering background will quickly learn to apply these tools to analysis, planning, and control of robot motion. Students' understanding of the mathematics of robotics will be solidified by writing robotics software. Students will test their software on a free...
6. Robotics: Computational Motion Planning
Robotic systems typically include three components: a mechanism which is capable of exerting forces and torques on the environment, a perception system for sensing the world and a decision and control system which modulates the robot's behavior to achieve the desired ends. In this course we will consider the problem of how a robot decides what to do to achieve its goals. This problem is often referred to as Motion Planning and it has been formulated in various ways to model different situations...
7. Learn Robot Studio
Industrial Robot Jogging & Programming using Virtual Teach Pendant...
8. Control Systems: From Mathematical Modelling to PID Control
Learn the mathematics that will allow you to model and control any engineering system. Make machines do what you want!...
9. Modern Robotics, Course 2: Robot Kinematics
Do you want to know how robots work? Are you interested in robotics as a career? Are you willing to invest the effort to learn fundamental mathematical modeling techniques that are used in all subfields of robotics? If so, then the "Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control" specialization may be for you. This specialization, consisting of six short courses, is serious preparation for serious students who hope to work in the field of robotics or to undertake advanced study. It is not a...
10. Robotics: Aerial Robotics
How can we create agile micro aerial vehicles that are able to operate autonomously in cluttered indoor and outdoor environments? You will gain an introduction to the mechanics of flight and the design of quadrotor flying robots and will be able to develop dynamic models, derive controllers, and synthesize planners for operating in three dimensional environments. You will be exposed to the challenges of using noisy sensors for localization and maneuvering in complex, three-dimensional...
11. Applied Control Systems 3: UAV drone (3D Dynamics & control)
Modeling + state space systems + Model Predictive Control + feedback control + Python simulation: UAV quadcopter drone...
12. Robot Framework - Jenkins CI & Git Version Control
Robot Framework Agile best practices and automated continuous testing!...
13. ROS for Beginners: Basics, Motion, and OpenCV
Become an expert and learn robotics with Robot Operating System (ROS) in little time and don't be lost in broad docs...
14. Electricity & electronics - Robotics, learn by building
Over 31,000 enrolled! Open career opportunities and have fun learning electronics focused on building robots/automation!...
15. Control Systems Made Simple Beginner's Guide
Learn fundamentals of Mechanical & electrical system modeling, simulation and control with this unique practical course!...
16. Autonomous Robots: Model Predictive Control
Learn to make a Self-Driving or Autonomous Car follow the speed limit, pull into parking spaces, and avoid obstacles!...
17. Robotic Drives & Physics: Robotics, learn by building III
With over 45,000 enrolled in the first two courses, and over a 4.6 star rating!...
18. ROS2 (Foxy-Humble) For Beginners I: Basics, Motion & Lasers
Master the Next-Gen ROS2 Robot Software Development Framework and Unlock the Power of Robotics!...
19. Model, Simulate and Control a Drone in MATLAB & SIMULINK
Simulate a DJI Mavic Pro in Matlab & SIMULINK and design your own PID controllers for altitude and attitude control...
20. Robot Framework with Python- Selenium/API Automation Testing
Build Selenium UI & API Tests in fastest & easiest way using Robot Framework from this Step by step tutorial...
Top 10 most affordable universities for robotics engineers
The most affordable schools for robotics engineers are California State University - Long Beach, california state university - los angeles, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for robotics engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for robotics engineers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
10. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for robotics engineers
The hardest universities for robotics engineers to get into are Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for robotics engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for robotics engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for robotics engineers
The easiest schools for robotics engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, san francisco state university, and texas a&m; university - kingsville.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a robotics engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for robotics engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
3. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
4. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
5. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
6. Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
1,086
7. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
8. Portland State University
Portland, OR • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,111
9. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
10. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,080
Average robotics engineer salary by education level
| Robotics engineer education level | Robotics engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $112,368 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $99,309 |
| Doctorate Degree | $124,995 |
Robotics engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025