Fifth Year Masters Program
The Fifth Year Masters Program provides Carnegie Mellon undergraduates an alternative admission process to the existing Masters program in
Robotics in which admitted undergraduates may complete their Masters Degree in their "fifth year". This quicker path to admission allows
Carnegie Mellon students to better utilize their undergraduate years to make inroads toward completing the Masters degree in Robotics. As with the regular admission process, the high standards for admissions to the MS Program in Robotics include strong evidence of research potential based on close interaction with one or more faculty members - whether in projects, summer jobs, or advanced classes. If admitted to this program, undergraduates then become involved with research that broadens their undergraduate experience.
The formal application deadline is December 1 in the Fall Semester of the student's senior year. Official notification of acceptance to the Fifth Year Masters Program will be given before the beginning of the Spring semester. The goal is to confirm acceptance prior to the normal job search and graduate school acceptance times. Early admission may also allow students to tailor the remainder of their undergraduate program to prepare for the Fifth Year Masters Program.
It is strongly recommended that students choose an advisor prior to appying to the Fifth Year Masters Program.
- Find out admission to Fifth Year Masters program early in the graduate school application process, bypassing the tedious process of filling out applications to other graduate schools
- Complete the MS program more quickly, jumpstarting their careers
- Provide an opportunity to work with RI faculty members on in-depth projects
| Requirements for Masters Degree in Robotics |
- Course requirements: 96 units total with:
- 72 Units of coursework (which includes 4 core courses plus 24 - 36 units of electives)
- 12 - 24 units of supervised research
- Qualifiers
- Writing skills (written technical report)
- Speaking skills (public final presentation)
- As with all Masters students in Robotics, it is the responsibility of the students to ensure that they fulfill the correct requirements. It is advised that students consult with the Director of the Masters Program, Illah Nourbakhsh, to ensure the correct requirements are satisfied. Email illah@cs.cmu.edu and cc Suzanne at scrow@andrew.cmu.edu
| Overlap with undergraduate degree |
- Any MS course requirement taken while an undergraduate to fulfill a requirement for the BS could apply to the student's MS degree once they are admitted to the program.
- Courses taken as an undergraduate which satisfy the elective requirement for the MS program could apply to the student's MS degree as well. Students must receive approval from Illah Nourkbash to apply such courses toward the MS requirements.
- A senior thesis cannot double count as supervised research.
- Supervised research can begin in the summer between senior and fifth year.
| Eligibility and Admissions |
- A statement of purpose
- Three recommendations from faculty and other professionals
- No GRE requirement
- The deadline for admissions is Dec 1st. This is strict.
- Notification of admissions will occur the following January.
Last Update 16 Oct 2008
Last Major Revision 16 Sep 2008
We attempt to provide and maintain accurate information at this web site. While revisions will be issued periodically as changes occur, The Robotics Institute and Carnegie Mellon University cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.
The Robotics Institute is part of the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.
This page maintained by robotwebmaster@ri.cmu.edu.
