M.S. Humanitarian Engineering and Science: Robotics
Broadly defined, Humanitarian Robotics focuses on combining the principles of humanitarian engineering with RObotics applications to meet the needs of people and sociotechnical systems.
Humanitarian Robotics spans a wide range of topics including
- Human-robot interactions
- Robots and humans working together as team
- The ethics around robotics, including their design and use
- Citizen science applications of robotics, particularly as related to remote sensing
- Applications of robotics to humanitarian activities, such as disaster response and relief
Application Requirements
- Degree candidates should have an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent coursework. In addition, candidates will need to complete necessary prerequisite courses for the graduate courses, also found in the Mines graduate catalog.
- HES students selecting this track will need to have prerequisite knowledge in areas such as Data Structures, Probability and Statistics, and Linear Algebra as required by specific courses.
- Statement of purpose, updated curriculum vitae or resume and transcripts for post-secondary degrees are required for all students.
- Three letters of recommendation are required for students pursuing the MS thesis option.
- Non-native English speakers must meet one of the following minimum requirements: TOEFL iBT score of 79; TOEFL paper-based test score of 550; TOEFL computer-based test score of 213; IELTS score of 6.5 or have received a prior degree from an English-speaking university.
- Mines undergraduate students may count up to six credits from their undergraduate program toward a combined BS/MS degree. External applicants may substitute approved electives with courses brought from elsewhere with written permission from the HES program director.
Required Courses
Engineering, Design and Society courses:
- EDNS 577: Engineering and Sustainable Community Development (3 credits)
- EDNS 479: Community-Based Research (3 credits)
- EDNS 580: HES Capstone Practicum (3 credits) — only required for non-thesis/professional master’s degree
- EDNS 590: Risks in Humanitarian Engineering and Science (3 credits)
- One elective, such as Introduction to Engineering & Society.
Humanitarian Robotics courses:
- CSCI 532: Robot Ethics (3 credits)
- CSCI 536: Human-Robot Interaction (3 credits)
- CSCI 573: Human-Centered Robotics (3 credits)
- Humanitarian Robotics elective (3 credits)
- Non-thesis/professional students take one additional Humanitarian Robotics elective, and thesis students take independent research credit hours.
At least two courses from the following:
- CSCI 404: Artificial Intelligence (3 Credits)
- CSCI 507: Introduction to Computer Vision (3 Credits)
- CSCI 534: Robot Planning and Manipulation (3 Credits)
- CSCI 575: Advanced Machine Learning (3 Credits)
- EENG 517: Theory and Design of Advanced Control Systems (3 Credits)
- EENG 519: Estimation Theory and Kalman Filtering (3 Credits)
- MEGN 540: Mechatronics (3 Credits)
- MEGN 544: Robot Mechanics: Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control (3 Credits)
- MEGN 545: Advanced Robot Control (3 Credits)
