Robotics and Automation

Robotics and automation is a discipline at the cutting edge of engineering and technology, concerned with the design, programming, and deployment of machines that can perform tasks autonomously or semi-autonomously. Robots are transforming the world, exploring space, powering global manufacturing, and changing how we live and work. Robotics draws on mechanical engineering, electronics, computer science, and artificial intelligence, combining these disciplines to create systems that can sense their environment, make decisions, and act in the physical world.

At Leeds Beckett University, this part-time degree is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and develops your skills in designing, building, and programming intelligent machines. You will study mechanical and electrical systems alongside control theory, software engineering, computer vision, and the application of artificial intelligence to robotic systems. The programme includes a sandwich year with a year abroad and work placement, giving you direct professional experience in a robotics or automation engineering environment and international exposure to how the field is developing in different industrial contexts.

Robotics and automation graduates are in growing demand across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, agriculture, defence, and the technology industry. The combination of mechanical, electronic, and software skills the degree develops is distinctive and highly valued in a sector that is expanding rapidly as automation technology advances. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study or specialisation in areas such as autonomous systems, machine learning for robotics, or manufacturing systems engineering.