Course description
Course Description:Robotics is one of the most discussed topics in recent years; robots are becoming ubiquitous in industrial environments as well as in everyday life. However, as the adoption of robotic technology progressively rises, the skill shortage in robotic engineers will also widen accordingly. This Robotics MSc course will offer students the opportunity to gain practical robot programming experience. Start Months:OctoberSchool:School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing Theme:Aerospace Entry Requirements:A first or second class UK Honours degree (or equivalent), in Aeronautics/ Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/ Electronic Engineering, Pure mathematics, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mechatronic Engineering, Information Technology, or be applying as part of a recognised double-degree programme with their home EU institution. Applications from candidates with lesser qualifications but with considerable relevant work experience will be considered.Applicants who do not fulfil the standard entry requirements can apply for the Pre-Masters programme, successful completion of which will qualify them for entry to this course for a second year of study.English Language:If you are an international student you will need to provide evidence that you have achieved a satisfactory test result in an English qualification. Our minimum requirements are as follows:IELTS Academic – 7TOEFL – 100Pearson PTE Academic - 68Cambridge English Scale – 190Cambridge English: Advanced - CCambridge English: Proficiency – CIn addition to these minimum scores you are also expected to achieve a balanced score across all elements of the test. We reserve the right to reject any test score if any one element of the test score is too low.We can only accept tests taken within two years of your registration date (with the exception of Cambridge English tests which have no expiry date).Students requiring a Tier 4 (General) visa must ensure they can meet the English language requirements set out by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and we recommend booking a IELTS for UKVI test.Applicants who do not already meet the English language entry requirement for their chosen Cranfield course can apply to attend one of our Presessional English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. We offer Winter/Spring and Summer programmes each year to offer holders.Duration:Full-time MSc - one year, Part-time MSc - up to three yearsCourse format:TaughtMScWho is it for?:As the demand for robotics engineer is increasing this course has been developed for graduates to equip themselves with the skills and knowledge required for associated careers. This course is suitable for those with essential engineering mathematics knowledge and basic computer programming skills.A unique experience of the breadth of the field of robotics providing students with not only a broad understanding of their uses and applications in modern society but also the fundamental science behind them.Why this course?:Robotics technologies are being increasingly adopted across various industries, these include automotive, oil and gas, aerospace and energy as well as potential significant future growth in the service robot domain. This course will improve the employment prospects of students by providing them with relevant theoretical knowledge and practical skills to become robotics engineers and experts in robotics, to meet the rising global demands. It is unique in its focus on human aspects supported by practical applications.This masters course provides insight into multiple application domains for intelligent and autonomous robot systems including industry, hazardous environments, health care, domestic / assistive robotics and autonomous vehicles.We are very well located for visiting part-time students from all over the world, and offer a range of library and support facilities to support your studies. This enables students from all over the world to complete this qualification whilst balancing work/life commitments.This MSc programme benefits from a wide range of cultural backgrounds which significantly enhances the learning experience for both staff and students.Informed by Industry:The course is directed by an industrial advisory panel who meet twice a year to ensure that it provides the right mix of hands-on skills and up-to-date knowledge suitable for to the wide variety of applications that this field addresses.A number of members also attend the annual student thesis presentations which take place at the end of July, a month or so before the end of the course. This provides a good opportunity for students to meet key employers.Our industrial partner ABB Robotics will deliver practical workshops at their state-of-the-art Milton Keynes training facility.Your teaching team:Cranfield University is a leader in Applied Mathematics and Computing applications, and you will be taught by leading academic staff. Professor Phil Webb - Head of Centre for Structures, Assembly and Intelligent Automation Dr Karl Jenkins - Head of Centre for Computational Engineering Sciences Dr Gilbert Tang - Course Director Dr Antonios Antoniadis - Lecturer in Computational Engineering Science Dr Irene Moulitsas - Lecturer in Scientific Computing Dr Sarah Fletcher - Head of Industrial Psychology and Human Factors Group Dr Zeeshan Rana - Lecturer in Computational Engineering Sciences Professor Antonios Tsourdos - Head of Centre for Autonomous and Cyber-Physical Systems Seemal Asif - Research Fellow in Intelligent Automation The course also includes lectures by leading academics and industry specialists.External speakers include Simon Turner of ABB Robotics who is highly experienced in delivering professional robot training.Course details:Eight one-week assessed modules, a group project and an individual project. Students are also supported in their learning and personal development through exposure to; industry seminars, group poster session, group discussions, group presentations, video demonstrations, case studies, laboratory experiments, coursework and project work. Students will receive hands-on experience with our range of conventional and collaborative robots located in the Aerospace Integration Research Centre - supporting practice workshops, student group projects and individual projects. You will participate in a study tour carried out at ABB Robotics in Milton Keynes where you will spend up to a week at our industrial partner ABB Robotics’ training centre receiving practical robot training.The new MSc in Robotics will use standard teaching and assessment methods as well as technology enhanced teaching (TET) methods such as a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to support different learning styles. Theories and fundamental of robotics will be taught in both lecture and workshop formats where videos and technology demonstrators will be used as teaching aids. For example, a collaborative robot will be used in the teaching of Human-Robot Interaction and Virtual Reality technology will be used in teaching Digital Robotics. Lecture videos will be available on VLE to provide an interactive learning experience. Students will receive hands-on experience on programming industrial robots initially in a robot simulation lab, which follows by a practical robot-programming workshop using real industrial robot supported by ABB Robotics. The use of robotics technology will enable students to see robot engineering phenomena first-hand where they can test engineering principles and theories with real devices.Group project:The group design project is intended to provide you with invaluable experience of delivering a project within an industry structured team. The project allows you to develop a range of skills including learning how to establish team member roles and responsibilities, project management, delivering technical presentations and gaining experience of working in teams that include members with a variety of expertise and often with members who are based remotely.Part-time students are encouraged to participate in a group project as it provides a wealth of learning opportunities. However, an option of an individual dissertation is available if agreed with the Course Director.Individual project:The individual research project allows you to delve deeper into an area of specific interest. It is very common for industrial partners to put forward real world problems or areas of development as potential research thesis topics. For part-time students it is common that their research thesis is undertaken in collaboration with their place of work. Assessment:Taught modules 40%, Group project 20%, Individual research project 40%Funding Opportunities:Finding the money to complete an MSc or PhD course may at first seem a daunting task. Here at Cranfield we find that many of our students fund their studies by putting together a funding package drawn from savings, small grants, loans or bursaries. The University may offer postgraduate taught bursaries for high quality applicants and our funding finder provides a search facility for suitable sources of funding by filtering the results to suit your needs. Bursaries may be available, however please be aware that funding will, in most cases, only be discussed once you have secured a firm offer of a place on the course. There are also a number of helpful contacts in the funding and advice section below. Our enquiries office can arrange a conversation for you on the availability of bursaries to support your studies. Please contact the Enquiries Office for further details.Cranfield Postgraduate Loan Scheme (CPLS)The Cranfield Postgraduate Loan Scheme (CPLS) is a funding programme providing affordable tuition fee and maintenance loans for full-time UK/EU students studying technology-based MSc courses.Conacyt (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia)Cranfield offers competitive scholarships for Mexican students in conjunction with Conacyt (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia) in science, technology and engineering.Your career:The MSc in Robotics is designed to equip you with the skills required to pursue a successful career working in the UK and overseas.The International Federation of Robotics’ Executive Summary report shows that the deployment of industrial robots had constantly increased in the last decade and it is predicted that global robot installations will increase by at least 15% annually in the next 3 years. Mike Wilson, the President of British Automation and Robot Association, has highlighted that robotics is one of the key technologies in ensuring UK’s manufacturing can be as competitive and productive as possible and the UK needs to address skill pipeline issues in order to meet the skills that are required by the industry going forward. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the mechanical engineering field - which includes robotics engineers - was projected to experience five percent employment growth over ten years to 2022. It is important to recognise these increasing needs which will lead to a high demand for highly trained robotic engineers.
