Mechatronics and Robotics MSc (Eng)

Mechatronics, robotics and autonomous systems represent a range of important technologies which underpin many applications – from manufacturing and automation through to self-driving cars and robotic medical devices.

Delivered by the Schools of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computing, this masters degree programme will equip you with the specialist knowledge and wide range of skills to pursue a career in this dynamic field.

Core modules will give you a foundation in the many applications of mechatronics and robotics and develop your understanding of the wide range of industry sectors that use robotics and mechatronic systems. You will also build research skills with a major project in fields as diverse as robot swarms, sensing and actuation systems, bio-inspired exoskeletons, rehabilitation and surgical robotics.

The diverse optional modules will allow you to focus on topics that suit your interests and career plans, guided by academics whose teaching is informed by their own world-class research.

Specialist facilities

Our School is an exciting and stimulating environment where you will learn from leading researchers in specialist facilities. You will have the chance to gain experience of a wide range of industry-standard software and hardware, including ABB industrial robot arms, RobotStudio, LabVIEW in the National Instruments Academy, SolidWorks3D design in the CAD suite, and electronic design and testing in the Keysight Technologies Electronics Laboratory and the ARM Embedded Systems Laboratory.

For your professional project, you could also have access to research facilities such as the EPSRC National Facility for Innovative Robotic Systems, a national resource for the fabrication of complex systems. The facility specialises in assistive robotics, surgical technologies, exploration robotics and smart cities.

Find out more about our facilities. 

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Accreditation

The MSc is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on behalf of the Engineering Council as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for registration as a Chartered Engineer. Candidates must hold a CEng accredited BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree to comply with full CEng registration requirements.

Accreditation is the assurance that a university course meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students. For this course, these are the quality standards set by the IET.

This programme is also accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) under licence from the UK regulator, the Engineering Council.

Three core modules act as the foundations of the course, developing your understanding of key aspects of mechatronics and robotics and how they fit into the context of the full range of industrial sectors and rapidly-developing everyday applications.

Mechatronics and Robotics Applications will look at the challenges, problems and solutions involved in integrating components such as actuators and computer control into modern engineering systems in domains such as healthcare and the automotive industry.

Over the summer months you will also work on your professional project. This gives you the chance to work on a project allied to one of our research groups, spanning an exceptionally wide range of areas ranging from computer vision and artificial intelligence through robotic communications, sensing and embedded systems to mechanical design, industrial inspection, biomedical engineering and medical robotics.

You will complete your studies by selecting from a range of optional modules that allow you to focus on topics that suit your personal interests or career intentions. You could build your understanding of computational methods, medical robotics, control systems design and more.

Want to find out more about your modules?
Take a look at the Mechatronics and Robotics module descriptions for more detail on what you will study.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Mechatronics and Robotics MSc (Eng) in the course catalogue

Modules

Year 1

Learning and teaching

Our groundbreaking research feeds directly into teaching, and you will have regular contact with staff who are at the forefront of their disciplines through lectures, seminars, tutorials, small group work and project meetings. Independent study is also important to the programme, as you develop your problem-solving and research skills as well as your subject knowledge.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

You will be assessed using a range of techniques including case studies, technical reports, presentations, in-class tests, assignments and exams. Optional modules may also use alternative assessment methods.

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in electronic/electrical engineering or a related subject.

Applicants with a high 2:2 (hons) will be considered from a relevant specialist field such as mechatronics, robotics, automation, control systems or combined electronic and mechanical engineering.

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information please contact the Admissions Team.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component.. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Engineering (6 weeks) and Language for Science: Engineering (10 weeks). 

If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.

How to apply

Application deadline

We operate a staged admissions process for this course with selection deadlines throughout the year.

If you do not receive an offer in a particular round, you will either be notified that your application has been unsuccessful, or we will carry your application forward to be considered in the next round.

Please see our How to Apply page for full details and the application deadlines for each stage.

Apply

This link takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences Postgraduate Admissions Policy 2021

Fees

• UK: £11,250 (total)
• International: £24,750 (total)

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Brexit 
Visit our Brexit page for the latest information on the effect of the UK's exit from the EU on current students and applicants to the University.

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

Scholarships are available.

Mechatronics and robotics is a multidisciplinary field with a strong future, exciting career opportunities and a huge range of applications in robotics, manufacturing, automation, automotive engineering, aerospace, healthcare and medicine, leisure and entertainment, and many more.

After graduating from this masters degree course, you will be in a good position to seek employment as a development, project or graduate engineer with leading organisations, such as: GCHQ, JN Bentley, Oilger Towler Ltd, Airbus UK, Avesta, Crosslee Plc, ABB Ltd, AWE, Ricardo, APV Baker, Jaguar Land Rover and Jacobs Engineering.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

You’ll have access to the wide range of careers resources and support from your Careers Service. You’ll have the chance to attend industry presentations, book appointments with qualified careers consultants and take part in employability workshops and webinars.

Our annual STEM Careers Fairs provide further opportunities to explore your career options with some of the UKs leading employers.

Find out more about the range of services we offer on the Careers Service website and visit MyCareer.leeds.ac.uk once you have registered as a student to access one to one support, events and job vacancies.

The professional project is one of the most satisfying elements of this course. It allows you to apply what you have learned to a piece of research, hardware or software development that is focused on a real-world problem, and it can be used to explore and develop your specific career interests.

Recent projects have included:

• ABB robot arm with Kinect control

• Swarm robotics for mapping and inspection

• Smart bioleg

• Exoskeleton design, construction and test

• Upper limb rehabilitation robot

• Brain computer interface

• Pick-and-place assembly robot

• Design and characterisation of vehicular ad-hoc networks in a motorway scenario

• Robot Jungle

• Node positioning and localisation in wireless sensor networks

• Multiple antenna transmission and OFDMA for WiMax

• Modelling and control of a DC motor simulating a wind turbine

• Radio telescope

• Optimised control of autonomous air vehicle for indoor navigation

• High frequency sensing

• Ultrasound sensing for pipeline inspection

• Surgical inspection robot

• Therapy and tissue repair laparoscopic tools

• Capsule robotics for diagnosis and surgery

A number of projects may be formally linked to industry, and can include spending time at the collaborator’s site over the summer.