MSU launches Robotics Engineering and AI degree programs

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - More additions to the technology and research capabilities of MSU Mankato are coming. The university has announced the launch of two new degree programs, both starting this fall.

Students can now pursue a bachelor’s degree in Robotics Engineering or a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence.

The Robotics degree is the first of its kind in Minnesota, and the AI master’s is the first in the Minnesota State System.

Graduates are expected to be able to jump right into the area’s large industrial sector, and the college said that the additions are the result of a demand both from the industry and prospective students.

“We have the industry support, we have the interest from high schoolers,” Department Chair Dr. Xuanhui Wu said. “If you look around the colleges in Minnesota and the neighboring states, there is no universities that offer four-year degrees [or] bachelor’s degrees in robotics engineering.”

The program additions are part of a larger effort by the university to bolster its science technology programs, which includes the launch of a summer robotics camp a couple of weeks ago.

Leaders of the department said that while the excitement is high for the program, it’ll come with a lot of work, as staying on the cutting edge of newly developing technology is a challenge at every level.

“The most important thing there is to prepare our faculty, so they’re ready to teach the material in the class,” MSU’s Dean of the College of Science, Engineering & Technology Dr. Mohammad Alam said. “In general, engineering and science disciplines, they evolve really fast, and in these two particular areas they are changing on a monthly basis.”

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