MSc Robotics with Extended Research

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Applications to this course are considered through a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. Due to the competition for places and high quality of applications that we receive, we give preference to students from high-ranking institutions and with grades above our minimum entry requirements

Applications for 2025 entry:

Stage 1 : Application received by 25 October 2024; Decision by 6 December 2024.

Stage 2 : Application received by 13 December 2024; Decision by 7 February 2025.

Stage 3 : Application received by 28 Feb 2025; Decision by 25 April 2025.

Stage 4 : Application received by 2 May 2025; Decision by 20 June 2025.

Applications received after 2 May will be considered depending on course availability.

Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date. If this is the case we will let you know after the deadline date.

Please note: all places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be reaching capacity or be closed to further applications. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early in the cycle to avoid disappointment.

If we make you an offer, you will be given a deadline by which to accept. This is typically 6 weeks but may be shorter. Offers that are not accepted by the deadline will be withdrawn.

Applicants who are made a conditional offer of a place must provide evidence that they have met all the conditions of their offer by 31 July 2025.

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We require the following documents before we can consider your application:

• Official Bachelor degree transcripts, including official translations and original language copies if study not undertaken in English. 2+2 and 3+1 applicants must provide official transcripts and certificates from both institutions.
• An official document from your university verifying your current weighted average mark (not arithmetic average) if this information is not included in your transcript of study.  Please note : where grades are given as a percentage, the weighted average mark must also be recorded as a percentage, not as a GPA grade.
• Degree certificate if you have already graduated.
• If still studying, please provide an official list of all the modules you are taking in your final year.
• A CV if you graduated more than three years ago.
• We require one supporting academic reference. Referees will be contacted and asked to submit a reference directly to us via our referee portal. We will let you know when they have done this. Make sure your referees are aware in advance as they play a vital part in the assessment of your application.

Personal statements are not required for your application for this programme.

If English is not your first language, we also require proof of your English language ability. If you have already taken an English language qualification, please include your certificate with your application.

You must submit all these supporting documents with your application. If any of the above information is missing, we will not be able to consider your application and it may be withdrawn.

Robotics is a multi-disciplinary subject which will have a profound impact on society over the next 50 years. It has already revolutionised the manufacturing industry and it has the potential to have similar impacts in areas such as green energy, social care, transport and logistics and the exploration of hostile environments both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial.

Thiscourse will provide students with an encompassing education in robotics and autonomous systems by incorporating the mechatronic aspects (mechanical and electronic) with computer science. The course is underpinned by world-leading facilities and researchers and emphasises students gaining practical robotic experience using state-of-the-art cyber-physical systems to help address real-world challenges.

The field of robotics is currently one of the most rapidly developing technologies that offers exciting and ample career paths for suitably qualified engineers and scientists. In recent years The University of Manchester has established itself as one of the leading UK and international institutions in the field of robotics, both in terms of fundamental research (such as cognitive robotics, AI, sensors) and also applications (such as nuclear, offshore wind, health and social care), including a significant and wide-ranging portfolio of industrial collaborations.

The MSc Robotics course will offer a truly interdisciplinary course at The University of Manchester. There are four strategic themes that will be followed in this course including:

• a) mechatronics and control; verification, security and trust in autonomous systems;
• b) human-robot interaction and cognitive robotics;
• c) artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science;
• d) ethics and human-centred robotics issues.

This course offers a unique opportunity to blend fundamental aspects with robot system design and integration. The course will be a practically-oriented course with an emphasis on real-world applications of robotics in various real-life scenarios.

• Provide an advanced education in robotic systems engineering.
• Give students the education, knowledge, and theoretical as well as practical skills they need to make sound decisions in the rapidly changing robotics industry.
• Provide a sound understanding of the principles, design techniques, and applications of robotic systems.
• Enable students to appreciate the broad knowledge of the issues and problems faced by robotic systems engineers.
• Enhance students' ability to engage in independent project work both in software and hardware.

All students will be given a laptop when they start the degree. This laptop will be used extensively in all the units for the duration of the studies and will enable students to immerse themselves in robotics software and simulation environments as well as allow innovative teaching methodologies to be adopted.

In our new Home of Engineering and Materials, we’re ripping up the rule book to offer a truly innovative teaching and learning experience. You’ll have access to world-leading sustainable research facilities and some of the most unique, industry-leading equipment and instrumentation in the sector to meet today’s requirements and those of the future.Explore  Our Home for Engineering and Materials .

With access to an extensive range of leading facilities , you will get hands-on with industry-standard equipment - improving your knowledge and skills, and preparing you for work post-graduation. Our flagship facilities include the High Voltage Lab and Photon Science Institute .

Come to our Home of Engineering and Materials - a place like no other. This is where engineers, material scientists, and fashion students collaborate, innovate and make their mark on the world. Unleash your potential in our creative, academic playground that signals the evolution of a proud history of innovation spanning almost 200 years.

In this very special place, we’re ripping up the rule book, offering you a truly innovative teaching and learning experience. As well as our creative classrooms, you’ll also have access to world-leading sustainable research facilities in our new buildings.

Our variety of spaces allows for greater collaboration for all our students, and it is the place to connect and tackle real-life challenges together. So, a chemical engineer could be sat alongside a materials scientist working on clean water or bump into a fashion student developing their own sustainable brand, or an aerospace engineer sending a rocket into space. It is a place like no other for interactions and one of the biggest communities of engineers and materials scientists in any University in the world.

Dive into a world of possibilities, whether you are interested in aerospace, robotics, or sustainable fashion, there’s a home for you here. 

Explore  Our Home for Engineering and Material Science . 

What's more, our strong, ever-growing links with industry not only help to inform our courses, but also boost our excellent teaching and research facilities. These include: 

• National Instruments Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory
• High Voltage Lab
• Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre 
• Oxford Instruments VG Semicon Molecular Beam Epitaxy facility 
• National Graphene Institute
• Dalton Nuclear Institute

The University of Manchester also offers an extensive  library and online services , helping you get the most out of your studies. 

Graduates from the course will be employed in a variety of industries, from start-ups and supply chain companies through to end users. The adoption of robotics is expanding significantly in areas such as nuclear, offshore-wind, transport infrastructure (rail, highways), logistics, automotive (driverless cars), construction, social care, manufacturing, healthcare (surgery), and agriculture. 

The MSc can also be used as a springboard for postgraduate research. There are still many fields within robotics that require significant research to develop further.  

In regards to the extended research programme:   

Prior to your summer break, a preliminary study and outline of your MSc dissertation project is completed, which is fully developed throughout the second year of your course. The year-long enhanced individual research provides great opportunities to develop advanced research skills and to explore in depth some of the topics discussed during the course. This includes training in research methods, and advanced simulation and experimental techniques in robotics, as well as academic publications. 

Our graduates have been prepared for opportunities in firms such as:

• Dyson 
• Airbus 
• Ocado 
• Saab 
• GE Aviation 
• Atkins 
• Labman Automation 
• Street Drone 
• Createc 
• Jacobs 
• Sellafield 
• National Nuclear Laboratory 
• Ross Robotics 
• Oxbotica 

Therefore, a Robotics degree from The University of Manchester will open a world of opportunity, and the skills you develop will be sought across a wide range of industries.

What's more, graduate with a degree from us and you'll be in demand among the top graduate employers by attending one of the most targeted universities according to  The Graduate Market in 2021 - High Fliers Research.

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