Elective Courses

Students following the comprehensive exam option will complete two elective courses for a total of 8 units. Elective courses are chosen from the options below or any course in the focus areas, as long as it is not used to satisfy focus area requirements. Only one of these two courses can be taken for credit in the program: EE132 and ME121.

New Graduate Student Information

• Health Insurance and Immunization Requirement

  Health Insurance

  All UCR graduate students are required to have medical insurance and are automatically enrolled in the Graduate Student Health Insurance Policy (GSHIP). The fee for the insurance is included in your quarterly fee statement. You can learn more about GSHIP here: https://studenthealth.ucr.edu/graduate-students

  • Insurance waivers
    • If you already have adequate health insurance through  your parent(s) or an outside agency, you can submit an insurance waiver application to avoid double coverage.
    • International students should not purchase health insurance in your home country without first contacting Student Health Services (951)-827-5683.
    • For any questions about the insurance waiver, contact Student Health Services (951)-827-5683.

  Important Notice: The University of California Board of Regents has established a requirement that all graduate students have major medical health insurance as a non-academic condition of enrollment. UCR offers a Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan (GSHIP) to meet this requirement or it may be met by a comparable private health insurance plan as explained here: https://studenthealth.ucr.edu/graduates UCR insurance coverage will not begin until a specific date that will be communicated to you directly by the ISSO. If you arrive earlier than this date, you will need to purchase temporary travel insurance to cover you from the time you enter the U.S. until the insurance start date. Please check directly with the ISSO for details or questions.

  Immunization Requirement

  All incoming UCR students are required to obtain immunizations and undergo a tuberculosis screening prior to reaching campus.  Contact the Student Health Center at (951)-827-3031 or health@ucr.edu with any questions.

• Housing

  On-campus housing information is available from UCR Housing Services at (951) 827-6350, housinginfo@ucr.edu, or visit the housing website.

  Off-campus housing:  Some students prefer to find housing off-campus (this can be more cost-effective especially for students with families). There are helpful resources for off-campus housing here: https://housing.ucr.edu/help-desk/off-campus-housing.

• International Students

  The International Students Office (ISSO) has logistical information that all newly admitted international students must review available here: https://international.ucr.edu/students/new-students

• R’Card: UCR ID Card

  The R'Card (UCR ID card) fee is $30. You may obtain your R'Card by following the instructions online here: http://ucrcard.ucr.edu/students.

  Your R'Card will be used to access buildings within the Bourns College of Engineering. We will go over how to activate your card for access during the ECE Department New Graduate Student Orientation. 

  During COVID: No one should go to campus unless approved by their supervisor and they follow all protocols prior to coming to campus and while on campus.

• UCR NetID and Student ID

  Once you have provided the Office of Graduate Admissions with the information they need, you will be sent a final admission letter. 

  Both your UCR NetID and Student ID numbers are located on the top right corner of the letter. 

• Statement of Legal Residence

  All new students, domestic and international, are required to complete the statement of legal residence as explained in your admission letter. Domestic students who do not complete this online form will be charged non-resident tuition.

• New Students Steps to Complete

  New Graduate Students
  Welcome to the Robotics graduate program! If you haven’t
  already, please take care of the items below as soon as possible:

  1. Get your student ID Card (R’Card) as explained here: https://ucrcard.ucr.edu/graduate-students
  2. Set up your ENGR email account online here: http://systems.engr.ucr.edu/
  3. Log in to R’Web at https://rweb.ucr.edu/ and update your email address and mailing address.
  4. Resolve any holds directly with the office that placed the hold.
  5. Pay any balance you owe on your Student Account in R’Web by the September 23rd deadline.
• Important Fall 2022 Dates

  Sept. 9 - Oct. 7 – Enrollment in R'Web. Enroll in 13 units (including 1 unit of EE 259 colloquium) for full-time student status unless you have been approved by the department for part-time status. Note: New students commonly enroll on an ongoing basis throughout the month of September and the beginning of October.

  Sept. 5 - Campus holiday closure

  Sept. 22 - 

  • Instruction begins
  • Fee payment deadline for graduate students to pay fees by 3pm for Cashier's Office, 4pm for R'Web or Drop Box to avoid a $100 late fee.
• Money and Expenses

  The Student Business Services (SBS) office administers the payment of fees for the university. Please see the quarterly tuition and fees , payment options , and payment deadlines. International Students are strongly encouraged to read the International Students Office New Student Guide.

  Students must bring enough money to pay University fees (tuition, fees, and health insurance)

• UCR Email account

  You can set up your UCR R’Mail account by going to iGuide for R’Mail for instructions.

  In addition to your UCR email account, you will be provided with an Engineering (Robotics) email account. Set up your Engr email account online by following the instructions here: http://systems.engr.ucr.edu/ Once you become a registered student, the Engr email account will be the one the program will use to send you any email correspondence including all events and student announcements. It is important that you check this account often.

• R’Web

  R'Web is UCR's online portal to student affairs information. Students can register for courses, view grades, and change personal information.

  • Log-in to R'Web prior to the start of registration to update your email address, local address, and familiarize yourself with the system. You will need your UCR NetID and Student ID (located on the top right corner of your final admissions letter).