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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State University's graduate robotics program in the College of Engineering has been ranked as the best in the western United States and fourth in the nation, according to Grad School Hub.

Organization officials say the rankings are based on the specificity of the degrees offered and the quality of the research programs.

"This is a great acknowledgment of our strong start," said Jonathan Hurst, OSU associate professor of mechanical engineering and College of Engineering Dean's Professor.

"We are building our program in a very entrepreneurial way, like a startup company. Robotics is a relatively new field, and our students have the opportunity to conduct truly revolutionary research. They will go on to start new businesses, lead new efforts at established companies, and lead new academic programs at other universities."

In this ranking, programs offering more focused degrees, such as the one at OSU, scored higher than those favoring comprehensive degrees. The rankings also reflected a school's research program, which the report called "an extremely important consideration for graduate students -- especially Ph.D. students, and especially robotics engineers." Consideration was given to the number of faculty conducting work in robotics or related fields, and the number of focus areas and major labs included under the robotics program umbrella.

The graduate robotics program at OSU was established in the fall of 2014. It spans several departments in the College of Engineering, with core faculty from mechanical engineering, computer science, and electrical and computer engineering. Students may earn doctoral, master's, or master of engineering degrees in robotics; or choose an appropriate double major, such as robotics and computer science.

The growing OSU program includes core areas of robotics, including actuation, locomotion, manipulation, dynamics, control, sensing, artificial intelligence, and human/robot interaction.

Grad School Hub officials say their rankings provide the latest information about the top master's, doctoral, and professional degrees offered by the nation's best universities, to help students find the programs that fit their needs. To see the complete rankings, visit http://www.gradschoolhub.com/best/robotics-engineering-schools/  

More information about the OSU graduate program in robotics is available online at http://robotics.oregonstate.edu/graduate-program-robotics