Master's structure

YOU HAVE A LOT OF FREEDOM IN CUSTOMISING YOUR MASTER’S IN Robotics.

While building your expertise in one of the three specialisations, you can tailor the programme to your interests and ambitions by choosing one of the three profiles as well as a number of elective courses. This way, you get to develop your own expertise and become the professional you wish to be. Our challenge-based learning approach supports this personalisation. As you get involved in real-life, hands-on robotics projects, you will not only add valuable team and soft skills to your personal toolbox, but also get better prepared for your master’s thesis project and further career.

How to design your Master's

What your study programme will look like exactly, depends on the choices you make in composing your Master’s. The process consists of three steps:

Step 1 Choose a specialisation
At the start of the programme, you need to choose a specialisation. The Master's in Robotics has three specialisations:
- Mechatronics and Physical AI (MPAI)
- Algorithms and Software AI (ASAI)
- Human-Robot Interaction and Social AI (HRISAI)
Step 2 Choose a profile
Next to a specialisation, you also choose a profile to further specialise. The profile you choose depends on what kind of person you are and which roles and working environments in the field of Robotics appeal to you. Each profile involves two profile-specific courses.
Research
If you are aiming for a career in the academic world, this is the profile for you. It exposes you to math, robotics and research methodology – advanced courses related to your specialisation. With this profile, you become a ‘multidisciplinary researcher’.
Design
If you see yourself becoming a robotic systems developer in a company, this is most likely your profile. It involves advanced courses on design methodologies and techniques and you get to practice with the design cycle itself in challenge-based projects and in your thesis. This profile equips you as an ‘academic designer’.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
If you want to play a leading role in a robotics-related business, or launch your own start-up, this is the profile to choose. It takes you through the whole innovation cycle in an innovation tournament and expose you to advanced courses on innovation and entrepreneurship. This profile helps you develop into a typical ‘robotics innovator / entrepreneur’.
Step 3 Select electives
In addition to the courses connected with your specialisation (30 EC) and profile (10 EC), you can choose a number of electives to shape your programme in the first year (at least 20 EC).
In the second year, you can attend further electives, do an internship or an academic skills project ( in case you have a BSc's degree from a university of applied sciences) (20 EC).
You end your Master’s in Robotics by conducting your master’s thesis project (40 EC).

Master's structure

During your Master's in Robotics, you will collect a total of 120 EC within two years. In addition to six compulsory courses of the Master’s, you attend two additional courses within the profile of your choice and at least four free electives.

European Credit Transfer System

Student workload at Dutch universities is expressed in EC, also named ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System), which is widely used throughout the European Union. In the Netherlands, each credit represents 28 hours of work.

Below, you can find the general structure of the Master’s, it serves as an example of what your curriculum might look like. Which exact courses you will follow at what moment, depends on the choices you make, as well as the starting date of your Master’s.

Master's structure
Year 1
Specialisation courses	30 EC	Each specialisation consists of a set of compulsory courses.
Profile courses	10 EC	Each profile consists of two courses, you can select from a specific list.
Elective courses	20 EC	When choosing your elective courses, you always consult with your Programme Mentor. If you are interested in electives from outside the Master’s in Robotics, you will need approval from our Exam Committee. Examples of elective courses: Courses from other specialisations and profiles Courses related to specific robotic application areas (lists are available on request) Courses from other Master's at or outside UT
Year 2
Internship, academic project and/or elective courses	20 EC	You have a lot of freedom to compose the first semester of year 2, however in some situations these choices depend on your pre-knowledge and choices in year 1. Again, you make your choices in close consultation with your Programme Mentor. Some examples of choices you can make are: Internship (20 EC) Academic project (10 EC) & elective courses (10 EC) Elective courses (20 EC)
Master’s thesis	40 EC	You end your Master’s in Robotics by conducting your master’s thesis project, including writing your thesis.
Total EC	120 EC

Your programme mentor is here to help

The Master’s in Robotics offers a lot of elective space. As long as your choices fit into the programme as a whole, you can even opt for courses from other Master’s in engineering! You are required to get your programme choices approved by your Programme Mentor and he or she is on hand to help you compose the perfect mix for your talents and ambitions.