Carnegie Mellon University: Robotics Courses Reference
A reference of CMU's Robotics Institute undergraduate programs and courses relevant to the AI Hardware Engineer Roadmap — compiled from official course pages and catalogs.
Sources:
- Bachelor of Science in Robotics
- Robotics Program Catalog
1. Bachelor of Science in Robotics (BSR)
Housed in SCS. Announced Fall 2023. Emphasizes problem-solving, systems thinking, and interdisciplinary teams.
Core Concepts
- RoboMath — Mathematical foundations for robotics
- Computer Vision and Sensing
- Mechanisms and Manipulation
- General Robotic Systems
- Planning and Control
- Robotic Building Practices
- Capstone Project
Degree Requirements Summary
| Area |
Courses |
Units |
| Robotics (core + electives) |
11 |
125 |
| Computer Science (core + SCS elective) |
6 |
51 |
| Mathematics |
6 |
67 |
| Ethics |
1 |
12 |
| Science / Engineering |
4 |
36 |
| Humanities / Arts |
7 |
63 |
| Computing @ CMU |
1 |
3 |
| First Year Seminar |
1 |
3 |
| Total |
26 |
360 |
Computer Science Core
| Course |
Name |
| 07-128 |
First Year Immigration Course |
| 15-122 |
Principles of Imperative Computation |
| 15-213 |
Introduction to Computer Systems |
| 15-251 |
Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science |
Robotics Core
| Course |
Name |
| 16-280 or 16-311 |
Intelligent Robot Systems (or Intro to Robotics; 16-281 General Robotics starting Spring 2026) |
| 16-220 |
Robot Building Practices |
| 16-299 |
Introduction to Feedback Control Systems |
| 16-384 |
Robot Kinematics and Dynamics |
| 16-385 |
Computer Vision |
| 16-450 |
Robotics Systems Engineering (senior fall) |
| 16-474 |
Robotics Capstone (senior spring) |
Ethics (one of)
- 16-161 Artificial Intelligence and Humanity
- 16-735 Ethics and Robotics
Mathematics
| Course |
Name |
| 15-151 |
Mathematical Foundations for Computer Science |
| 16-211 |
Foundational Mathematics of Robotics |
| 21-120 |
Differential and Integral Calculus |
| 21-122 |
Integration and Approximation |
| 21-241 |
Matrices and Linear Transformations |
| + Probability (15-259, 21-235, 36-218, or 36-225) |
|
Robotics Electives
3 general robotics electives (16-3xx, 16-4xx). Up to 12 units of 16-597 (Undergraduate Reading and Research) or 99-270 (Summer Undergraduate Research) may count.
Sample Course Sequence (4 years)
| Year |
Fall |
Spring |
| 1 |
07-128, 15-122, 15-151, 21-122, 76-101, 99-101 |
15-213, 16-180, 21-241, Science/Eng, H&A |
| 2 |
Probability, 16-220, 16-211, H&A |
16-299, 15-251, 16-385, H&A |
| 3 |
16-384, H&A, 16-280, H&A, Free |
Robotics Elective x2, H&A, Free |
| 4 |
16-450, Ethics, Science/Eng, Robotics Elective |
16-474, SCS Elective, Science/Eng, Free |
Notable Courses
- 16-281 General Robotics — Rube Goldberg machines, mini Urban Search and Rescue (replaces 16-311 from Spring 2026)
- 16-384 Robot Kinematics and Dynamics — Hebi robotic arm control
- 16-385 Computer Vision — Image processing, detection, recognition, geometry-based vision
2. Robotics Minor & Additional Major
Robotics Minor
- Overview: 16-280 or 16-311 (16-281 from Spring 2026)
- Controls: One of 06-464, 16-299, 18-370, 24-451, 24-773
- Mechanisms: 16-384 or (15-362 + 33-141)
- Robot Building: One of 16-220, 16-362, 16-423, 18-349, 18-500, 18-578, 24-671
- Electives: 2 general robotics electives
- Double-count: Max 2 courses from major
- QPA: 2.5 in minor curriculum
Additional Major in Robotics
- Application: Jan 7-Feb 3
- Prereq: C language, basic programming, algorithms (15-122)
- Double-count: Max 6 courses from primary major (5 for CS majors)
- QPA: 3.0 in additional major
3. Key Robotics Courses (Catalog)
| Code |
Name |
Notes |
| 16-180 |
Concepts of Robotics |
Intro; perception, cognition, action |
| 16-211 |
Foundational Mathematics of Robotics |
Coordinate transforms, Jacobians, optimization, neural nets |
| 16-220 |
Robot Building Practices |
CAD, 3D printing, electronics, PCB, motor controllers |
| 16-280 |
Intelligent Robot Systems |
Search, planning, perception, control, ROS, embedded |
| 16-299 |
Introduction to Feedback Control Systems |
Classical control, state-space, LQR, nonlinear |
| 16-311 |
Introduction to Robotics |
LEGO robots, vision, motion planning, kinematics (-> 16-281) |
| 16-350 |
Planning Techniques for Robotics |
Path/motion planning, ground/aerial/humanoids |
| 16-362 |
Mobile Robot Algorithms Laboratory |
Multirotor autonomy, Python/C++ simulator |
| 16-384 |
Robot Kinematics and Dynamics |
Forward/inverse kinematics, Jacobians |
| 16-385 |
Computer Vision |
Image processing, detection, recognition |
| 16-450 |
Robotics Systems Engineering |
Systems engineering, design, prototyping |
| 16-474 |
Robotics Capstone |
Build, integrate, test robot from 16-450 |
| 16-663 |
F1Tenth Autonomous Racing |
1/10 scale autonomous race car |
| 16-664 |
Self-Driving Cars: Perception & Control |
Deep learning, sensor fusion, localization |
| 16-735 |
Ethics and Robotics |
AI/ML in society, power, ethics |
| 16-831 |
Introduction to Robot Learning |
RL, imitation learning, visual learning |
| 16-884 |
Deep Learning for Robotics |
Robot learning, deep RL, control |
4. Self-Study Mapping to Roadmap
For learners following the AI Hardware Engineer Roadmap, here is how CMU's robotics curriculum aligns:
| Roadmap Phase |
CMU Course(s) |
Overlap |
| Phase 3: Sensor Fusion |
16-299 (Control), 16-385 (Vision) |
Kalman filtering, multi-sensor perception before Phase 4 Jetson integration |
| Phase 4 Track B (Jetson): ROS2 |
16-280 (ROS), 16-220 (Robot Building) |
ROS 2, embedded robot software |
| Phase 5: Robotics |
16-220, 16-280, 16-384, 16-450, 16-474 |
Mechanics, control, planning |
| Phase 5: Autonomous Driving |
16-663 (F1Tenth), 16-664 (Self-Driving Cars) |
Perception, planning, control for autonomy |
Suggested Self-Study Order (CMU-Inspired, Robotics focus)
- 15-122 equivalent — Imperative programming (C/Python)
- 21-120, 21-122, 21-241 — Calculus, linear algebra
- 16-220 — Robot building (CAD, electronics, prototyping)
- 16-299 — Feedback control
- 16-384 — Kinematics and dynamics
- 16-385 — Computer vision
- 16-280 — Intelligent robot systems (ROS, planning, perception)
Links
| Resource |
URL |
| B.S. Robotics |
https://www.ri.cmu.edu/education/academic-programs/bachelor-of-science-in-robotics/ |
| Robotics Catalog |
http://coursecatalog.web.cmu.edu/schools-colleges/schoolofcomputerscience/robotics/ |
| SCS Undergraduate |
https://www.cs.cmu.edu/academics/undergraduate/ |
| CMU Admission |
https://admission.cmu.edu/ |
Last updated: February 2025. Course offerings and requirements may change; verify with CMU official sources.