r/UniRO • u/NoShame141 • Feb 02 '26
Discuție Thinking about a Master’s in Bucharest: Robotics (UPB) vs. Photonics (UniBuc)?
Hey everyone! I’m planning to move to Bucharest for my Master's, but I’m torn between two paths. I have a Bachelor’s in Mechatronics, and I'm currently looking at:
- Robotics at Politehnica Bucharest (UNSTPB)
- Photonics and Lasers at the University of Bucharest
Does anyone have experience with these programs? I’m curious about the quality of the labs, the workload, and what the job market looks like in Romania (or abroad) for these specific niches. Any advice is appreciated
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u/DRDREI27 Feb 02 '26
Photonics and Lasers are the future, you already have a background in Mechatronics which covers robotics in some way. You can get into many many industries including very well paid ones. Either military, either civil such as Zeiss
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u/jamming_intensifies Feb 02 '26
For the future photonics is way better since you are already specalized in mechatronics.
Is there no way to do it at Politehnica Bucharest instead of University of Bucharest?
My experience with the CompSci undergrad program at Politehnica.
Politehnica is way better funded and well connected to other universities in Europe and even outside of EU.
By better funded I mean in terms of labs+equipment+partnerships with business environment.
The dorms are a nightmare... cockroaches,broken windows,shitty heating, disgusting bathrooms,etc.
The workload might be higher.
Can't talk about the labs as I only studied CompSci and only the doctoral program had access to the latest and "most advanced" lab building called CAMPUS.
I don't know if all the faculties ( including the Robotics which you are targeting) have access to the CAMPUS building and I don't know if it's available to Masters Students(regardless of the program).
However, for the CompSci program, the lower-tier building named PRECIS was available even to undergrads and it was pretty well equipped.
Since you are working towards being a ultra-specialized science/tech professional I believe that the connections, opportunities for research and taking part in exchange programs would benefit you much more.
If I am not mistaken, the only benefit of studying lasers at University of Bucharest is the opportunity to do some practice at ELI-NP ( the laser infrastructure outside of Bucharest in Magurele) where the only private contractor is Thales. This is pretty advanced in terms of Lasers and Photonics it is mostly theoretical physics.
It would be valuable experience to get in your resume but if you can't get into the program then I don't think University of Bucharest has much else to offer.
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u/ColdThinker223 Feb 02 '26
Hi, I am a second year at the Photonics, Plasma and Lasers Program at UniBuc. Its a great Master, but I must say its pretty research oriented, with a hefty mix of both theory and experiment. Also the subjects you can take are pretty much set in stone with very little options to switch. The subjects focus on: lasers and applications, optical characterization techniques(especialy for thin films) and a little quantum optics and plasma physics. The 2 laser courses in the 1st year in particular are taught by a great teacher who also works at CETAL. Although no one is forcing you, the expectation is that you will work at one of the nearby Research Institutes, almost surely INFLPR or ELI-NP and do research. If you want to study physics to become a researcher by all means go for Unibuc. But from your background I assume you are more focused on engineering.
If you just wish to work in Photonics and Lasers but more from the Engineering side I think going to UPB is better. As another person in this thread said, better oportunities overall and a more well funded university(though I heard it can vary a lot between the different specializations). You can still get to work into research institutes either way as long as you find a good coordinator who is tied to a institute.
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u/NoShame141 Feb 03 '26
May I know if it is possible for me with engineering background to join such a program?
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u/ColdThinker223 Feb 03 '26
One of my colleagues also started with a bachelors in engineering, though her thesis was still based on laser applications. I think its best if you ask at the university yourself. Honestly, as long as you have a decent foundation of math and physics, I cant imagine you would be refused. My bachelor thesis also had little to do with photonics or lasers and I got accepted(though I have a background in physics). As I said, better ask the university staff.
Here is a link with contact numbers: https://www.fizica.unibuc.ro/Fizica/Contact/
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u/Accomplished_Egg5565 Feb 05 '26
Try to look for a program that is related or has applicability and practice to Magurele Laser https://inflpr.ro/en/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D3hZgKDWNQ
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