Robotics BS/MS Option

Recommended Program Timeline

• Undergraduate Junior Year

  • Apply for pre-screening to the BS/MS program (Do NOT apply the the Graduate School yet!)
  • Check with your undergraduate advisor to make sure you will have 120-122 minimum credits for your BS degree
    •  not including the 6-12 credits you plan to transfer as BS/MS classes

• Undergraduate Senior Year - Complete 4 tech electives (12 cr) for your Mech E BS degree, 2/4 will be Grad Courses for MSSE or MEM

  • Take 6 credits at the 3000-5999 level   AND   6 credits  at the 6000+ level
  • You MAY take 6 more credits at the 6000+ level if you have room in your schedule (18 tech elective credits total)
  • Do NOT exceed 12 graduate credits (6000+ level) as an undergraduate student

• 2nd semester, Undergraduate Senior Year

  • Check your Degree Audit and meet with your undergraduate advisor
  • Do NOT apply for your Graduation for the BS degree yet

• 2nd semester, Undergraduate Senior Year - Meet with your graduate advisor to

  • Apply to the Graduate School
    • 3.0 GPA minimum required
    • Pre-screening into the BS/MS program does not guarantee Grad School admission
  • Transfer the 6-12 graduate (6000+ level) credits taken as an undergraduate student

• 1st semester, Graduate Student

  • Fill out the Program of Study in Grad Tracker
  • Complete 18-24 more graduate-level credits for the Robotics MS degree; 30 credits total
  • Continue to meet with your graduate advisor and/or director as necessary

• 2nd semester, Graduate Student

  • Apply for graduation for both the BS and MS (first week of semester)
  • Successfully defend your capstone experience

The University of Utah BS/MS program makes it possible for students to get both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years.

Beginning Fall 2026, a Master of Science (MS) degree in Robotics will be available as a BS/MS option for Mechanical Engineering students to allow for an early start to the Robotics Master's degree. Completion of a BS/MS in Robotics for ME EN students would result in a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Robotics. Other College of Engineering students interested in an early start on a Robotics MS degree should consult with the Robotics Graduate Student Coordinator.

Admittance to the BS/MS program allows students to start taking graduate-level courses during the senior year. Close advisement from the undergraduate and graduate advisors is imperative for choosing the correct coursework to count for each degree.

A Robotics Master's degree will provide knowledge for integrating hardware and software with algorithms to create the next generation of intelligent machines. Robotics researchers are employed in a wide range of occupations that are creating the next generation of technological devices. Roboticists create assistive robots [prosthetics, wearable robots], autonomous vehicles [cars, mining equipment, underwater, and aerial], automated warehouses, manufacturing systems, medical devices, and consumer products [vacuums, 3d printers, craft machines].

Program Policies

• A minimum of 30 semester credit hours must satisfy the MS degree (thesis or non-thesis) requirements
• A minimum of 120 semester credit hours must meet the BS degree requirements of the University of Utah

Courses listed at both the 5000 and 6000 level must be taken at the 6000 level if they are to be applied to the MS degree. Students must take a minimum of 6 credit hours of graduate credit senior year. They may take up to a maximum of 12 credit hours of graduate credit to be applied to the MS degree.

Transfer from undergraduate to graduate status occurs after completion of the BS degree requirements and admission to the Graduate School. A student is eligible for the Tuition Benefit Program administered by the Graduate School after graduate status is conferred.  Both the BS and MS degrees are conferred simultaneously following completion of the program. No student will be awarded a separate MS degree without satisfying all requirements for the BS degree.

Students wishing to exit the combined program can apply qualified coursework toward the traditional BS and MS degree requirements without penalty but wouldn’t get the benefit of counting the graduate courses taken as an undergraduate towards the MS degree unless they took more than 4 total technical electives needed for their BS degree.

Program Requirements

To be accepted into the BS/MS Program, students must meet the following requirements:

• Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Major (seeking BS degree) at the University of Utah
• Pre-Screening during third or fourth year of BS program
• Undergraduate GPA – minimum 3.0
• Research advisor reference (thesis master’s only; list on screening form)

Under the BS/MS option, students may take graduate courses (suggested one per semester) in their undergraduate senior year. Students should consult with their undergraduate advisor about scheduling needs to complete the BS degree and to make room for one grad course per semester. These two courses (6 credits) should be pre-approved and flagged by the Robotics Graduate Advisor.

MS requirements

21 course credits (12 required, 6 elective, 3 remaining); AND
2-3 seminar credits; AND
6 credits of thesis or project or “mixed option” (combination of project-intensive courses, internship, or project)

Minimum total of 30 credits

BS/MS students will work in with their undergraduate advisor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and

Kelly Pearson
Robotics Graduate Student Coordinator
kelly.pearson@utah.edu

Interested students may also contact the Director of Robotics Studies, Dr. Stephen Mascaro or the Director of Graduate Studies, Mark Fehlberg.

Interested in an MS-Thesis? Review the Robotics Faculty