Undergraduate Program

Michigan Robotics received state approval from the Michigan Association of State Universities on June 2, 2022 to establish an undergraduate program. We are working to launch the Robotics undergraduate major for the Fall 2022 term. We will post more information about declaring Robotics as a major as soon as it is available. Currently, we do not offer a Robotics minor but we plan to establish one in the near-term future after launching the major. We do not yet have a timeline for when the minor may be available as we are still working hard to launch the major.

100-level Robotics classes cover topics such as computational linear algebra, robotic mechanisms, and introduction to programming and artificial intelligence. 

This brings the typical upper-level topics to first-year undergraduates, allowing you to cover engineering fundamentals of math and science through robotics projects, an approach we call “coding is believing.”

Get a greater sense of each course below:

• ROB 101: Computational Linear Algebra
• ROB 102: Introduction to AI and Programming
• ROB 103: Robotic Mechanisms
• ROB 204: Introduction to Human-Robot Systems

To get on a course waitlist, follow these instructions:

1. Go to your Backpack and search for the class you want to join.  In this example, we will use ROB 101.

2. Based on the search criteria you selected, you will see a list of Robotics classes.

3. Click on the class you want to add to your backpack.  PLEASE NOTE: For classes with a lecture and lab section, you want to enroll in the lab section.  You will be automatically enrolled in the lecture section when you enroll in a lab. For this example, we selected the in-person lab section for ROB 101. We will see the lecture section momentarily. Once on this screen, click “Next”.

4. The following screen shows you the lecture section, which you will be automatically enrolled in by joining the lab. Confirm your selection by clicking “Next” again.

5. Select the box that says “Wait list if class is full.” This will add you to the waitlist.  Then, click “Next”.

6. The following screen confirms that both the lecture and lab sections have been added to your backpack.

7. Go to the “Backpack/ Registration” tab.  Select the term you want (in this case, Fall 2022) and click “Continue”.

8. Select the relevant class by clicking the checkbox next to it.  Then click “Proceed to Step 2 of 3”.

9. Click “Finish Registering”.

10. You will now see a message stating that the class is full and that you have been added to the waitlist.  You can also see that you have been waitlisted through the yellow triangles that display next to the class instead of the green checkmark.

11. If you are moved off the waitlist, you will receive an email stating that “You have been issued a permission to enroll in class ROB[courseNumber].” The email will contain instructions for how to use your permission to enroll.  Each permission has an expiration date–please pay careful attention to the expiration dates and enroll promptly! If your permission expires, you are not added back onto the waitlist. 

Building tours are currently in development. As of now, we recommend that interested prospective undergraduates sign up for a tour with the College of Engineering Undergraduate Admissions.

M-Air can be used by research groups, student teams, or courses. More information on M-Air and how to reserve it can be found on the M-Air site.

The Makerspace is designed for use by student teams and MDP projects.

Interested prospective undergraduates can find out more about applying to the College of Engineering. Please note that students coming to U-M will be admitted to the College of Engineering (not a specific department) and will declare their major afterwards. Please see the College of Engineering Bulletin for more information on declaring a major.

However, as robotics is so interdisciplinary, most undergraduate disciplines can offer routes into robotics. Many students in our graduate program come from mechanical, electrical, or computer engineering backgrounds, but also from aerospace engineering, naval engineering, information science, kinesiology, biomedicine, or other fields. 

More information on financial aid for undergraduates can be found at the College of Engineering’s scholarship and funding site. 

We have reserved 75 seats in ROB 101 for incoming First Year Engineering students.  First Year students should register in the following lab sections (you are automatically enrolled in the appropriate lecture section when you register for the lab): 

In Person: 

ROB 101 – 012

Remote: 

ROB 101 – 883

These sections are exactly the same—same instructor, meeting times, locations, etc—as sections 011 (in person) and 882 (remote) except that all seats are reserved for First Year Engineering students.  If you are NOT a First Year Engineering student, please join the waitlist for one of the other sections of ROB 101.  Once first year students have a chance to register, we will admit as many other students as we can to fill the class! ROB 101 will also be offered again in WN 23.

For more information on ROB 101 please see the course webpage.

• Meet with an Undergraduate Advisor through the Engineering Advising Center
• Consider ROB 101 in F-22. We also plan to offer ROB 101 in WN-23.
• Consider ROB 102 as a means to meet your ENGR 101 requirement
• Be aware that there is a section of ENGR 100 called Robotics Mechanisms
• While in startup mode (F22 and WN 23 only), the prerequisites for ROB 204 are: ENGR 100 and one of (ROB 102, ENGR 101, EECS 183, or ENGR 151)
• Be aware that when not in startup mode, ROB 204 has as pre-requisites of one of (ROB 102, ENGR 101, EECS 183, or ENGR 151) and ENGR 100, and a co-requisite of one of (ROB 101, MATH 214, MATH 217, MATH 417, or MATH 419)
  • These will be enforced starting in F-23

Let’s assume you have completed ENGR 101 or ROB 102, ENGR 100, Calc I and Calc II, and Phys 140.

Our suggestions are: 

• Plan on ROB 204 for W-23
  • While in startup mode (F22 and WN 23 only), the prerequisites for ROB 204 are: ENGR 100 and one of (ROB 102, ENGR 101, EECS 183, or ENGR 151).
• Over F-22 and W-23 semesters,
  • Complete one of (IOE 265, BME 241, EECS 301) 
  • Complete one of (ME 240, ME 360) . Note that Math 216 (or equivalent) is required for ME 240.
  • Complete one of (EECS 215, BME 211, EECS 270). Note that Math 216 (or equivalent) is required for EECS 215 and BME 211.
  • Complete EECS 280
  • Complete one of (ROB 101, MATH 214, MATH, 217, MATH 417, MATH 419)
• This will set you up for all of our 300-level classes. Of course, you are not required to take all of them, only three in fact. Hence, by studying the prerequisites more closely, you can be prepared for a subset of the 300-level courses, but not all of them.

Attend our drop-in office hours held every Wednesday to discuss your degree plan with members of the Robotics Undergraduate Committee.  If you can’t attend office hours because of a consistent conflict (such as a class) please email ugrad-robotics@umich.edu to inquire about setting up an individual meeting.

For many students, it will be difficult to complete the undergraduate program in a total of 4 years with a switch in majors at this time point, but the Robotics degree could be completed with additional term(s) depending on previous course credits. It may be more appropriate to be targeting an MS degree in Robotics.

Before attending office hours, please review the program requirements and flow chart below. It would be helpful to bring along a list of the requirements and prerequisites that you’ve already met with your previous coursework. Please also note that while in startup mode, the Undergraduate Committee will consider individual students’ petitions to waive certain prerequisites.  

College of Engineering Core Program Requirements

1. Introductory Engineering
   1. Introduction to Engineering: Engineering 100 or introductory engineering equivalent
   2. Computational Thinking: Robotics 102 (Introduction to AI and Programming) or Engineering 101 or Engineering 151 or approved introductory programming equivalent
   3. Linear Algebra: Robotics 101  or Math 214 or Math 217 or Math 417 or Math 419 or approved linear algebra equivalent
2. Calculus requirements
   1. Introductory Calculus: Math 115 or Math 120 (AP); and Math 116 or Math 121 (AP)
   2. Intermediate Calculus: Math 216
3. Physics 140/141 and Physics 240/241
4. Chemistry 130 and 125/126
5. Intellectual Breadth (16 credits as specified by the College of Engineering Core Requirements Bulletin)
6. General Electives (15 credits)
   1. 15 credits are “required”; College degrees require 128 total credits, and more or fewer GE credits may be needed to achieve this total depending on individual factors in a student’s record.

Robotics in Engineering Program Requirements

1. Teamwork in Robotics: Robotics 204 (Human-Robot Systems)
2. Robotics Core: at least three of the following courses:
   1. Robotics 310 (Robot Sensors and Signals)
   2. Robotics 311 (Build Robots and Make Them Move)
   3. Robotics 320 (Robot Operating Systems)
   4. Robotics 330 (Localization, Mapping, and Navigation)
   5. Robotics 340 (Human-Robot Interaction)
3. Discipline Breadth: at least one approved course from all of the following areas:
   1. Data Structures and Programming: EECS 280
   2. Probability, Statistics, and Visualization: IOE 265 or EECS 301 or BME 241
   3. Electronics and Circuits: EECS 215 or EECS 270 or BME 211
   4. Kinematics and Dynamics: ME 240 or ME 360
4. Discipline Depth: at least one of the following courses: AERO 201, EECS 216, EECS 281, EECS 351,  EECS 370, EECS 373, IOE 333, IOE 434, MSE 220, NAVARCH 270
5. Technical Electives: a minimum of 18 credit hours of approved technical electives, with a minimum 8 credit hours from either the approved set of Upper Level Robotics Courses (described “Robotics Technical Electives” section below)
6. Major Design: all of the following courses
   1. TCHNCLCM 350 (Technical Communication for Robotics)
   2. Robotics 450 (Robotics Capstone) or EECS 467 (Autonomous Robotics Laboratory)

The following 300-Level courses will be offered in Fall 2022. Please note that the prerequisites listed below are modified for startup mode.  The regular prerequisites are listed in the College of Engineering Bulletin. 

If you meet the startup mode prerequisite requirements for Fall 2022, but not the regular prerequisite requirements, you will need to fill out this form to request an override in order to register.  

Below are the planned course offerings for Winter 2023. Please note that the prerequisites listed below are modified for startup mode.  The regular prerequisites are listed in the College of Engineering Bulletin. 

If you meet the startup mode prerequisite requirements for Winter 2023, but not the regular prerequisite requirements, you will need to email ugrad-robotics@umich.edu to request an override in order to register.  

In startup mode (Fall 22 and Winter 23), several 300-level prerequisites that are usually enforced have been waived. For instance, in startup mode ROB 204 is not an enforced prerequisite for ROB 310, 311, 320, or 330.  Below is a comprehensive list of which prerequisites are enforced and waived in startup mode. If you are eligible to take one of these classes under the relaxed prerequisites, you will need to fill out this form to receive an override to register for Fall 2022. If you have any questions, please email ugrad-robotics@umich.edu.