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M.S. Program Requirements

All three departments, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, offer an M.S. degree in human-robot interaction (HRI). Students in each department share the same set of five required core courses with the Ph.D. program, but electives and other requirements vary. All core courses will be offered annually, so that one-year M.S. students will be able to take them within one year.

Computer Science-Specific Requirements

Duration
The Department of Computer Science offers two M.S. options to students in HRI: a course-based option and a thesis-based option. The course-based option can be completed within one year and requires students to complete 30 SHUs of courses. The degree will stipulate "non-thesis."

To earn the stipulation "with thesis," the student must work with a mentor to perform research which will then be written into a thesis and defended. This is usually done during a second year, as the thesis can take one or two semesters to complete.

Electives
All HRI students are required to take HRI electives from a pool of approved courses. Below is the list of approved electives for computer science HRI students:

  • CS 131: Artificial Intelligence (3 SHUs)
  • CS 135: Introduction to Machine Learning (3 SHUs)
  • CS 136: Statistical Pattern Recognition (3 SHUs)
  • CS 150-AAA: Artificial Agents and Autonomy (3 SHUs)
  • CS 150-CMCS: Computational Models in Cognitive Science (3 SHUs)
  • CS 150-NLD: Situated Natural Language Dialogues with Robots (3 SHUs)
  • CS 150-NLP: Natural Language Processing (3 SHUs)
  • CS 150-RML: Research in Applied Machine Learning (3 SHUs)
  • CS 150-UIM: User Interfaces for Mobile Platforms (3 SHUs)
  • CS 160: Algorithms (4 SHUs)
  • CS 171: Human-Computer Interaction (3 SHUs)
  • CS 250-AFI: Affective Interfaces (3 SHUs)
  • CS 250-HCI: Human-Computer Interaction Seminar (3 SHUs)
  • CS 250-MLS: Machine Learning Seminar (3 SHUs)
  • CS 250-PBI: Physiological and Brain Interfaces (3 SHUs)

Thesis
Computer science HRI master’s students writing a thesis are required to submit a thesis prospectus by the end of their first semester. The prospectus, which should provide a detailed description of research achievements and future plans, should be pre-approved by the thesis advisor. The prospectus will be vetted by the graduate committee, which will respond in writing to the student to provide the outcome.

The student's advisor will propose a committee to the faculty for approval. The thesis committee, chaired by the advisor, will include at least three faculty members, including one member from outside the Department of Computer Science (ideally, a faculty member associated with the HRI program). Upon completion of the research, the student must prepare a thesis and publicly defend it. The defense includes a 45-minute talk, open to the public, where the student presents their research. The public presentation must be advertised to the entire department at least one week prior to the presentation.

Advising
Advising of HRI M.S. students without a thesis requirement will be handled by a designated faculty or staff member. Thesis students will already have an assigned faculty advisor.

Foreign Language Requirement
There is no foreign language requirement in HRI.

Electrical and Computer Engineering-Specific Requirements

Duration
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers students in human-robot interaction (HRI) a course-based, one-year M.S. program. This requires students to complete 30 SHUs of courses, including five core HRI courses and five additional courses. The degree will stipulate “non-thesis.” The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering does not offer a thesis option in HRI.

Elective courses
The 15 remaining SHUs must fulfill the following requirements:

  • At least three of the five required electives must be taken from the list of approved Electrical and Computer Engineering electives
    • EE-0105: Feedback-Control Systems (3 SHUs
    • EE-0106: Advanced Feedback-Control Systems (3 SHUs)
    • EE-0109: Convex Optimization (3 SHUs)
    • EE-0125: Digital Signal Processing (3 SHUs)
    • EE-0133: Digital Image Processing (3 SHUs)
    • EE-0140: Stochastic Processes, Detection and Estimation (3 SHUs)
    • EE-0107: Communication Systems (4 SHUs)
    • EE-0127: Information Theory (3 SHUs)
    • EE-0130: Networked Estimation and Control (3 SHUs)
       
  • Each remaining elective must be a 100-level or 200-level course from one of the following departments: Bio, BME, CEE, Chem, ChemE, CS, Math, MechE, and Physics. Only courses listed with 3 or more SHUs can count as electives

Advising
Advising of Electrical and Computer Engineering HRI students will be handled by a designated faculty or staff member formally affiliated with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Foreign Language Requirement
There is no foreign language requirement in HRI.

Mechanical Engineering-Specific Requirements

Duration
The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers students in human-robot interaction (HRI) a course-based, one-year M.S. program. This requires students to complete 30 SHUs of courses, including five core HRI courses and five additional courses from a list of electives approved by the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The degree will stipulate "non-thesis." The Department of Mechanical Engineering does not offer a thesis option in HRI.

Elective courses
At least three of the five required electives must be taken from the list of approved Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Psychology electives. Each remaining elective must either be (i) a 100-level course with an attribute of SoE-Engineering, SoE-Computing, or SoE-Mathematics or (ii) a 200-level course in CS, EE, ME, or ENP. Only courses listed with 3 or more SHUs can count as electives.

Seminar
During each semester of full-time study, mechanical engineering HRI students should enroll in and complete the HRI-focused section of the department seminar (ME291).

Advising
Advising of mechanical engineering HRI students will be handled by a designated faculty or staff member formally affiliated with the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Foreign Language Requirement
There is no foreign language requirement in HRI.
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