WPI became the first university in the nation to offer a bachelor’s degree program in the emerging field of robotics engineering, back in the fall of 2007. The  groundbreaking program is now the first in the nation to receive accreditation from ABET (formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), the organization that accredits engineering programs nationwide. The action, announced last month, is retroactive to October 2009.

“WPI took the lead four years ago to establish the first undergraduate program specifically designed to prepare a new breed of engineers with the cross-disciplinary skills and the business savvy needed to drive the emerging robotics industry,” said WPI Provost Eric Overström. “As the pioneering program in the field, our robotics engineering major was carefully crafted to produce graduates who can design the next generation of robotics systems, advance the science and technology behind robots and autonomous machines, and found and lead tomorrow’s robotics ventures.”

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