NDSU will offer a minor in robotics, starting in fall 2020. The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education Academic and Student Affairs Committee approved the proposal during its Oct. 15 meeting.

NDSU was notified of the approval in an Oct. 23 letter from Lisa A. Johnson, vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.

The minor will be available for any student majoring in the various engineering or computer science programs in the NDSU College of Engineering. Those programs include mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, agricultural and biosystems engineering, civil engineering and computer science.

“At middle schools and high schools across the region and the country, participation in robotics competitions has flourished over the past decade,” said Michael Kessler, dean of engineering. “At the same time, there’s been rapid growth in the need for engineers and computer scientists with the technical skills to work in the field of robotics. We believe our new minor in robotics will meet the needs of industry and attract new students to NDSU by offering extensive hands-on learning activities that directly relate to real-life applications.”

The new program will offer 18 additional credits to engineering students covering microprocessor programming, perception sensors, instrumentation, actuations systems, control principles and robot manipulation for various applications.

Students will learn the skills needed for designing and developing robotic devices to help solve real-life problems.

Potential employers for graduates of the program include drone manufacturing companies, civil structure inspection agencies, precision agriculture consulting firms, industrial manufacturers and automotive companies.

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