Job prospects for master of science in robotics graduate students

A practical job guide for students thinking about getting their master’s in robotics

2020 was a landmark year for the homegrown robotics company Boston Dynamics. After ownership passed from Google to Japan’s SoftBank, South Korean carmaker Hyundai swooped in and snapped up an 80% stake in the company. Yes, the company that brought us gems like dancing robots is now owned by a car manufacturer. Why? The move was probably less about owning a cool company, and more about prepping for the next stage in industrial manufacturing. Science fiction writers had it right this whole time: robots are the future.

How do you stake your claim in the future of robotics? You get a master’s in robotics, of course. Or a PhD. Today we’re talking about the future of just about everything, and your job prospects with a graduate degree in robotics. We’ll also devote a good portion of this guide to dissecting (no screwdrivers required), robotics as a career choice and whether degree holders are happy with their jobs. Let’s dive in, starting with some big questions, like, “What is robotics engineering?”

Learn About the Graduate Robotics Program at Colorado School of Mines »

What Is Robotics Engineering?

You might have an idealized image of a robot in your head already—an autonomous, human-like machine, wires tucked away neatly into a sleek metal case, riveted with glowing LEDs that do who knows what. It moves and talks like a person, bereft of science fiction’s bleeps and bloops, and might even be advanced enough to talk back to you if you pose a simple question like, “What is your name?” At least, that’s what most people think of when they think of robots. And according to a simple Google search, they’re not entirely wrong.

Those idealized, human-like automatons are just one part of the robotics spectrum, however. Robotics engineering is a diverse academic field that covers robotics from circuit to cerebellum, and is concerned more with industrial applications of robots than it is about teaching a robotic dog to play fetch (that’s still part of this equation, though!). Robotics engineers study and build robots. They use mechanical and electrical engineering to build the robots, and then computer science to program them to complete tasks, or even learn on their own.

In industrial settings, robotics engineering is crucial to the economy. If you drove to work this morning, it’s likely robots had a hand in the creation and assembly of your vehicle. If you’re glued to your phone or laptop, you’re also using the work of robots. These handy engineers are the driving force behind autonomous manufacturing techniques that have helped make our modern economy more viable.

You might be thinking that robotics engineering is all about manufacturing and industry, but that’s not true. Robotics engineers work in tandem with other engineers to bring us products for the home, such as self-propelled vacuums or mops. They’re also the same people who help put rovers on distant planets. Contrary to the very definition to the word “robot,” there is a very human element to this discipline. After all, NASA’s Curiosity rover is still tooling around on Mars collecting data for us, but it still sings itself “Happy Birthday.” Indeed, robotics engineers have to worry about moral and philosophical topics as much as they have to worry about manufacturing. It’s more interdisciplinary than most people think.

Is a master’s in robotics worth it?

In short, yes. We’re defining “worth it” in terms of degree outcomes. You might be going to school to cultivate knowledge, to gain personal experience or just for the heck of it. But the majority of people attend graduate school to get a good job and ply their craft, or contribute to their chosen field. You can absolutely enter the field with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, physics, computer science or mathematics—that’s not up for debate. You’ll also need to graduate from an ABET-accredited program, pass your Fundamentals of Engineering exam and have four years of experience in engineering.

Here’s where that master’s of science in robotics engineering becomes more valuable than a bachelor’s:

You Get a Bachelor’s and Then Some

You’ll get the same education as a student studying for their bachelor’s degree with the bonus of having advanced research experience and graduate level classes to tie to your resume, which will come into play when you’re studying for your F.E.

Your Master’s in Robotics Counts as Experience Towards your P.E. Exam

In order to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam, there’s a handful of requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited program.
• A passing score on the F.E. exam.
• Four years of verifiable work experience under a P.E. holder.

The last bit is particularly important, because a master of science in robotics, mechanical engineering or any other engineering discipline counts as verifiable work experience. So, you can take those extra two years of school and count them as verifiable work experience toward the next steps in your career.

Graduate Degree Holders Earn More and are Happier With Their Careers

We’ll take a deeper dive into earnings for robotics graduates below, but in general, people with graduate degrees (in this case, we’re looking at master’s degrees) earn an average salary of $75,368. For comparison, those holding bachelor’s degrees earn, on average, earn $50,944 according to 2019 data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. And when it comes to career enjoyment and happiness levels, graduate degree holders are even happier than their bachelor-holding counterparts. The more education one has, the happier they tend to be.

You Can Get Into Management and Research

It’s true: you can get into robotics without a master of science degree. That said, on top of higher pay and overall higher overall levels of happiness, an advanced degree enables you to quickly move up into management or research roles, which often require a master’s or higher. And because graduate students often need to complete research to graduate, they start with at least two years of experience.

Job Satisfaction for Robotics Engineers

Are people happy with their robotics engineering degrees? There are two ways to reach an answer to this question:

• Are people happy with their mechanical engineering jobs?
• Are engineers in general happy with their jobs?

Are People Happy With Their Mechanical Engineering Jobs?

“Hey, what gives? I thought this post was about robotics engineering and not mechanical engineering?” If you’re wondering why we’ve suddenly changed subjects in this section, then you should know that robotics is actually a small part of the larger field of mechanical engineering, so in order to talk about job satisfaction for robotics engineers we have to discuss mechanical engineering.

So, are mechanical engineers happy with their jobs? They’re rated as having high levels of upward mobility, average levels of stress, and well-above average levels of flexibility, according to US News. Mechanical engineers enjoy a low unemployment rate of 1.9%, with high median wages starting at $83,430. Rounding out their job outlook, mechanical engineering as a field has an average growth rate, at 4% per year. So, there’s not much to complain about when it comes to being a mechanical engineer.

Are Engineers in General Happy With Their Jobs?

Engineers have to work their way around (and sometimes through) society’s greatest challenges. Whether they’re building bridges, designing robots or launching rockets, engineers make things happen, and making things happen can lead to job satisfaction. Glassdoor’s annual job satisfaction survey for 2018 revealed that of the top 50 careers reporting high levels of job satisfaction; most of them were engineering jobs.

Master of Science in Robotics Salaries and Titles

Getting a master’s of science (or higher) in Robotics enables you to work in a variety of different fields (and earn a pretty nice salary as well). Like we discussed earlier, though you may be working in robotics, your work is closely related to that of mechanical engineers, so expect to see similar salary ranges. Keep in mind these are current salaries as of 2021, so they’re bound to change with age, experience and location.

• Robotics Engineer: $75,487
• Aerospace Engineer: $116,500
• Computer and Information Scientist: $115,740
• Automation Systems Engineer: $77,768
• Development Engineer: $77,096
• CAD Designer: $47,444
• Process Engineer: $74,822
• Controls Engineer: $73,951
• Hardware Engineer: $89,641
• Software Engineer: $92,046

For additional perspective, 2019-2020 Mines master’s graduates in computer science and electrical engineering were offered a median salary of $95,000 per year, while graduates in mechanical engineering received a median salary offer of $81,000. See more outcomes for master’s graduates in the Career Center’s annual report.

Learn About the Graduate Robotics Program at Colorado School of Mines »