Robotics with Foundation Year
Robotics is a discipline that brings together mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence to design and build physical systems that can perceive their environment and act within it autonomously or semi-autonomously. From industrial automation and precision manufacturing through to surgical robots, autonomous vehicles, and assistive devices for people with disabilities, robots are transforming virtually every sector of the economy and opening new possibilities for human capability. This four-year full-time degree at the University of Plymouth includes a foundation year entry route, making it accessible to students who need to build their mathematical and scientific foundations before entering the main programme.
You will develop expertise across the disciplines that robotics draws on, including programming, sensor systems, actuators, control theory, machine learning, and the integration of hardware and software into functional autonomous systems. The programme engages with both the theoretical foundations and the practical engineering challenges of robotics, developing your ability to design, build, and evaluate robotic systems for real-world applications. You will learn to program in languages including Python and to apply computational skills to problems in robotics, gaining the quantitative and practical competencies that professional robotics engineers need.
A typical entry tariff of 72 UCAS points reflects an exceptionally inclusive admissions approach, with the foundation year ensuring that students from a wide range of prior academic backgrounds can access this technically demanding discipline. Graduates from robotics programmes move into careers in robotics engineering, automation and manufacturing, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, medical device engineering, defence and aerospace, and a wide range of other technology sectors where autonomous systems are in growing demand. Many continue to postgraduate research in robotics, AI, or engineering.