Assistance for planning your robotics degree and scheduling courses
If you have a quick question that doesn’t require an advising appointment, you can email robotics-sso@umich.edu or leave a message at 734-763-2369.
While waiting for a response or appointment:
- Make sure to review Robotics BSE degree requirements and policies.
- Jump to more general advising and academic tips.
- See our advisor answers to frequently asked robotics undergraduate questions.
Meeting with an advisor
Schedule an appointment
You can schedule an advising appointment with Robotics to discuss things such as major exploration, course planning, degree requirements and progress, career opportunities, and declaring a major.
While Robotics students can meet with any advisor, the Robotics Undergraduate Academic Advisors organize their administrative responsibilities alphabetically, and students could consider meeting with the advisor in charge of their side of the alphabet as that advisor could be more familiar with their situation.
Students whose last names begin with A-L are with Terran Davis. Students whose last names begin with M-Z are with Kyle Manley.
Drop-in advising
Undergraduate students only, Fall and Winter terms only
Robotics Undergraduate Academic Advisors offer virtual drop-in advising appointments for ROB and UM students who have quick questions pertaining to the Robotics undergraduate program and courses. The goal for each drop-in appointment is 8 to 10 minutes.
Drop-in Fall 2025 Schedule: TBD
ClariTea
Another great way to informally chat with an advisor and hang out with fellow students is a regularly offered event called ClariTea. Enjoy snacks and tea in 2000 FRB.
ClariTea in Fall 2025 is offered: TBD
Advising Super Sessions
Look out for when our next Advising Super Session occurs, covering courses and new degree information for the upcoming semester.
General advising tips for Robotics majors
Discipline Breadth courses
Discipline Breadth courses are typically completed during the second and third years of the program. Each category offers multiple course options, giving you the flexibility to tailor your selections to your interests within robotics. Some courses may also double-count toward a second major or minor, depending on overlap. Be sure to check with an academic advisor to confirm double-counting policies.
Robotics Core planning
When planning to complete the Robotics Core, we recommend taking no more than two 300-level ROB classes in a single semester. Many students have shared that these courses can be time-intensive due to their project-based nature. When building your schedule, consider your extracurricular commitments, research involvement, and overall course load to maintain a manageable balance.
ROB 204: the gateway course
ROB 204 is considered the gateway course for upper-level robotics classes. Most students take it during their third semester, after completing the required courses to declare the Robotics major. Completing ROB 204 earlier allows you to access 300-level and 400-level ROB electives sooner.
ROB 201: Calculus for the Modern Engineer
If you entered the program with AP/IB or dual-enrollment math credit and need an additional upper-level math course, consider taking ROB 201. This course is geared toward first and second year students; it builds a strong mathematical foundation tailored to robotics applications. You can learn more about ROB 201.
Degree audits
Degree Audits are a great tool for tracking your academic progress and ensuring you’re meeting graduation requirements. This is the same system academic advisors use when reviewing your record. You can access your Degree Audit through Wolverine Access under the Student Center tab.
Early engagement opportunities
First-year engineering students can engage with the Robotics Department while completing Engineering Common Core requirements. Courses such as ROB 101 (Linear Algebra), ROB 102 (Introduction to Programming/AI), and ENGR 100 Section 850 (Robotics Mechanisms) provide early exposure to key robotics concepts and help students explore their interest in the major.
Intellectual Breadth & General Electives
Intellectual Breadth and General Electives are essential components of a well-rounded liberal arts education. They help students develop broad, transferable skills and perspectives that are valuable in the workforce. We suggest spreading these courses throughout your four-year plan. Taking too many in your first or second year can result in an unbalanced schedule later, when technical courses become more demanding.
Meet with an advisor regularly
Meeting with an academic advisor at least once per semester is highly recommended. Advisors can support you with course planning, reviewing policies, exploring research or co-op opportunities, and ensuring you’re making satisfactory progress toward your degree.
Create a four-year plan
Creating a four-year plan is an excellent way to visualize your academic journey. It can help you estimate the number of semesters needed to complete your degree and ensure that prerequisite courses and graduation requirements are scheduled appropriately. See below for helpful planning tools.
Robotics sample schedules
This section contains examples of eight-semester (four-year) plans to help students envision how requirements may fit together over their time at Michigan. Each plan is only a sample of what is possible. It is not necessary to follow the plan suggested below exactly, but your degree progress must respect the prerequisite chains.
These sample schedules provide four different pathways in mind for a Robotics Major:
Computing-focused robot autonomy
Oriented towards computing and autonomous robots
Hardware-focused robot mechanisms
Oriented towards robot design and building platforms
Empiricism-focused human-robot interaction
Oriented towards robots working with people
Breadth-focused well-rounded robotics
Covering the breadth of core topics in robotics
These different pathways arise from the choice of courses taken among the intermediate (300-level) Robotics Core courses. Robotics Majors must complete at least 3 out of 5 of these courses, with the flexibility to take all five. This structure of the intermediate level of the degree allows students to customize for either breadth or depth in robotics, taking inspiration from the threaded approach to curriculum design for computing. Students can begin to specialize at the intermediate level while gaining sufficient overlap with the core of the discipline. More specifically, Robotics majors will have touch points into at least two of the three major groupings of core robotics topics.
Each sample schedule shows examples of how your pathway can emphasize different dimensions of robotics. A student striving to be a well-rounded roboticist can take all five of intermediate-level courses, where two can serve as upper-level electives. A student looking to specialize can complement their learning at the intermediate level with upper-level elective courses. Both breadth and depth pathways through the intermediate level provide a suitable foundation for further exploration in upper level courses, as well as continued learning into other core areas of robotics.
In addition, we provide an editable schedule template to help plan out courses over your degree path. You can also access your long term degree plan on the Student Intranet.
Departmental petitions
A Robotics undergraduate student may request an exception to the Robotics degree requirements or guidelines for a specific reason or circumstances through our petition system.
Note: if you are trying to enroll in a ROB course without meeting its enrollment requirements, please use this Course Override request.
It is recommended that the student first consult with an academic advisor to determine if a petition is appropriate and what supporting materials could be necessary. Some common materials would be a syllabus for a course you wish to use towards a requirement, transcripts, email from instructor, etc. It is also recommended that students submit a petition before acting on the reason for the petition.
Instructions for completing the online petition form
- First select the “Type of Petition” that best describes your request.
- Provide a description of the exception request.
- For example, “I wish to request an exception to use a transfer credit: Math 201X, to count as Math 215.”
- Write a succinct but thorough rationale of why this exception should be made for you.
- For example, “I studied abroad in the Summer of 20XX and took a course called Multivariable Calculus at the University of _______. The Math department determined that this course was missing the following topics below in order to count as a Math 215 equivalent. I have covered these same topics in Math 4XX at the University of Michigan.”
- Attach any supporting documentation such as course syllabi or transfer credit evaluations.
After you submit your petition, the Robotics Undergraduate Academic Advisors and the Associate Undergraduate Chair will review your petition. You will be notified automatically via email when a final decision has been made. Processing time may take up to 3-4 weeks; expedited requests should be discussed with your advisor.
College of Engineering petitions
The College of Engineering also has a petition process for select exceptions such as adding a course after the term has ended, withdrawing from a term after its end, reinstatement from Enrollment Withheld, and other exceptions to college rules can be found on the Engineering Center for Academic Success website.
Join our community
Join our vibrant robotics community and stay up-to-date with opportunities, events, and discussions.
Robotics Undergraduate Student Council
The Robotics Undergraduate Student Council (RUSC) is the student-run organization that holds outreach, social, educational, and professional events. RUSC works closely with the Robotics Department on many orders of operation including providing input on curriculum and feedback to department leadership. Any Robotics undergraduate student can join.
Robotics Events Mcommunity
Get notified about workshops, speaker series, and department events
Robotics Jobs Mcommunity
Discover internships, full-time positions, and research opportunities
Additional student resources
We’ve organized relevant resources available at the Department, College, and University level for easy access within our Student Robodex, an index of Robotics student resources.