Mechatronics isn’t a household word, but it is one of the fastest-growing fields in engineering. To meet demand in the field, Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta established a Bachelor of Science degree in mechatronics engineering in 2007. It’s the only such program in Georgia and one of nine in the United States.
“A lot of people equate mechatronics with robotics, but it’s so much more than that,” said Thomas Currin, dean of SPSU’s engineering department.
Mechatronics is the “synergistic integration of mechanical engineering with electronics and intelligent computer control in the design and manufacturing of industrial products and processes,” according to the first issue of the Transactions on Mechatronics journal in 1996. Think of a cutting-edge medical device, which is mechanical, electrical and has artificial intelligence built in.
“Industry loves these students because they are getting three engineers [software, electrical and mechanical] in one person,” Currin said. “We graduated our first 13 students in May and 90 percent of them had multiple job offers before they graduated, with salaries starting at $65,000 and up.”
SPSU graduate Ronald Rodriguez, who was named Georgia’s 2011 Engineering Student of the Year by the Georgia chapter of the National Society of Professional Engineers, accepted a job with AMEC, a leading engineering, project management and consulting company. He works in Greenville, S.C., as a control systems engineer.
“I first started looking at Southern Polytechnic for architecture, but then decided I’d major in mechanical or electrical engineering,” Rodriguez said. “When I found out that mechatronics was a blend of both, it really caught my attention.
“I was good at math, but had never programmed before college. It was a challenging program, because you almost have to have two mindsets, but I’m glad I did it.”
Rodriguez had planned to attend graduate school, but the offer from AMEC was too good to pass up.
“I’m using all the skills that I learned, and the company is so big that there are many career paths I can take,” he said.
During their first year, mechatronics engineering students take classes in physics, chemistry, math, electricity, computing, mechanics and other basics. Later, they study programmable controllers, automated equipment, robotics analysis and design, the fundamentals of mechanical and electrical engineering, and computer engineering. Senior capstone projects include designing things like robot-controlled helicopters that can be used to pinpoint hazardous waste spills.
“For a three-student team to go from idea to final product in 14 weeks is unheard of in industry, and [it’s] pretty exciting,” Currin said.
To excel in mechatronics, prospective students should be interested in science, be good problem solvers and possess creativity.
“It’s a great field for women, because they know how to think outside the box,” Currin said. “Some of our most creative solutions to today’s problems are coming from female engineers.”
Tuition for full-time undergraduates in the program is $3,262 (plus $698 in fees) for a 15-hour course load per semester. There are 300 students enrolled in the eight-semester program.
For information, go to http://mechatronics.spsu.edu or call program director Chan Ham at 678-915-7318.
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