| Department / school |
Housed within the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, drawing on Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. robotics. |
Housed in the Baskin School of Engineering, offered by Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) with strong computer engineering and controls focus. catalog. |
| Curriculum emphasis |
Broad robotics engineering with many electives across CS, ECE, and ME; topics include autonomous robots, control, embedded systems, computer vision, and machine learning. robotics. |
Course‑intensive, sequential ECE‑based program emphasizing dynamics, feedback control, sensing, embedded systems, and algorithms for manipulation and locomotion. catalog. |
| Structure / sequencing |
Standard engineering sequencing with math/physics then core engineering and robotics; flexible elective set from three departments plus robotics labs and maker spaces. robotics. |
Very structured 4‑year plan; students must start in the major from the first quarter and follow a tight sequence of math, physics, CS, and ECE courses. |
| Key lower‑division courses |
Calculus, physics, introductory programming, basic circuits, statics, plus intro engineering courses similar to other UCR engineering majors before branching into robotics. |
MATH 19A/B, AM 10/20/30, PHYS 5A/L and 5C/N, CSE 12/12L, CSE 13E (embedded C), CSE 16 (discrete math), early ECE 9 (statics) and ECE 10 (robot kinematics & dynamics). |
| Upper‑division robotics core |
Control and robotics focus area in ECE (e.g., automatic control, sensing and actuation, intro to robotics, robotic planning & kinematics, computer vision, digital control). |
Required courses such as ECE 101/101L (circuits), ECE 103 (signals), ECE 118/118L (robotics), ECE 141 (feedback control), ECE 167/167L (sensing tech), plus advanced robotics elective. |
| Capstone / design |
Robotics B.S. includes hands‑on labs, maker‑spaces, and project‑focused courses; students build a portfolio and many participate in research labs or CRIS projects. |
Mandatory three‑quarter capstone sequence ECE 129A/B/C, where students design and implement a substantial robotics project as a team. |
| Research ecosystem |
Center for Robotics and Intelligent Systems (CRIS) plus multiple robotics and AI labs (autonomous vehicles, explainable AI, medical systems, embedded and real‑time systems). |
Robotics research embedded in Baskin Engineering, with faculty in manipulation, locomotion, sensing, cyber‑physical systems, and AI‑related topics; integrates with ECE and CSE research areas. |
| Industry / career framing |
Markets itself around robotics for logistics, healthcare, agriculture, sustainability, transportation, and national defense; emphasizes career connections and grad school in CS, CE, EE, or ME. |
Program map highlights preparation for careers at the interface of electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering; strong pipeline into embedded systems, controls, and robotics‑adjacent roles. |
| Program intensity |
Students and advising materials describe the major as essentially combining three hard majors (CS, EE, ME) into one, so workload is heavy but with some elective flexibility. |
Catalog calls it “highly course intensive and sequential”; limited flexibility in scheduling, and missing early prerequisites can delay graduation. |
| Location / environment |
Inland SoCal (Riverside), hot climate, more suburban; framed as “sunny Southern California” with proximity to SoCal logistics, agriculture, and defense tech industries. |
Coastal Northern California (Santa Cruz), smaller city near the Bay Area, with access to Silicon Valley embedded systems, robotics, and software companies. |