Types of majors that involve robotics - think Eureka tv show?

Question

I love the idea of the tv show Eureka, and I've always been interested in robots and the theoretical physics that they talk about. But the question is, what would/could you major in to make new inventions and dabble with physics like they do? Yes, I know it's a tv show, but there has to be something I can research on.

I know there's Computer Science and Computer Engineering, but which is better and how are they different? Would Computer Engineering be more towards hardware parts instead of just programming like Computer Science, or is it a mix of both? And are there other majors than just these two?

And what companies would hire people from these fields? I know NASA-JPL does, but what others?

Answer 1

They actually have a robotics major.  I know that it's a graduate program Ohio State, which is where I want to go!

GO BUCKS!!!

Answer 2

Oregon State is a strong engineering school that offers an undergraduate program in mechanical engineering, which I imagine is along the lines of what you're looking for (though it's not explicitly robots). There are also undergrad degree options in physics or engineering physics. OSU is also heavily into research, so that may be to your advantage for exploring your interests and getting internships and jobs locally (if not on campus). As a female, your chances would probably be higher than the average applicant for admissions and scholarships, too.

The largest college (department) at Oregon State is the college of liberal arts and so the campus doesn't feel like just a science school.

I found this robots minor (not at OSU) that you might look into, but I don't personally know anything about it:

http://www.ri.cmu.edu/education/ugrad_mi...

My understanding of computer science is that it's more programming-based than computer engineering. I'm not entirely clear on the difference and you may want to continue to research that. I know OSU has a cs degree, but not computer engineering (cs is grouped with electrical engineering, so maybe that's why).

There are LOTS of companies that hire engineers. Most schools offer internship opportunities (or in the case of OSU, internships are required spring term of the student's junior year) that offer experience in the field, the opportunity to build connections and your resume, and often lead to job offers upon graduation. I don't know specific companies, but engineers are in demand and you may not be doing the work right out of college that you're looking for. Starting salaries are incredible and I imagine you can move up reasonably fast.

Also I checked out the other OSU's engineering website (Ohio State) for the robotics program that the first guy mentioned, but couldn't find anything specific to robotics for undergrad or grad. They interestingly enough combine computer science and engineering into one program if that helps you at all.

Here's their engineering programs site: http://www.eng.ohio-state.edu/department...

As always, you may want to speak with an adviser who is familiar with undergrad programs (often times they'll be familiar with programs at other schools, too) and out-of-school career options.

So good luck with your search and your studies - sorry if the information seems too OSU-based, but it's all that I'm actually familiar with in the realm of engineering (I'm a liberal arts graduate myself). :)