How much electrical engineering in taught in Ms Mechatronic?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the extent of electrical engineering content in a master's degree in mechatronics compared to a traditional bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. Participants explore the implications of this educational choice for future learning and career prospects, as well as personal experiences in mechatronic programs.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about the amount of electrical engineering taught in a master's program in mechatronics compared to a traditional electrical engineering degree, questioning if it will be sufficient for their goals as an inventor.
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of continuous learning beyond formal education, suggesting that the specific content of the mechatronics program may be less critical than the ability to learn independently.
  • A participant studying mechatronics shares their experience, noting that their program has a heavier focus on electronics than mechanical topics due to practical constraints in lab availability.
  • This participant details their learning in areas such as circuit analysis, digital electronics, and microcontrollers, while also expressing challenges in mastering more complex topics due to inadequate instruction in analog electronics and power electronics.
  • They advise future students to develop self-learning habits and seek additional resources to supplement their education.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the adequacy of electrical engineering content in mechatronics programs. There are differing views on the importance of formal education versus self-directed learning, as well as varied experiences regarding the curriculum and instructional quality.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include potential variability in curriculum across institutions, differing levels of instructional quality, and the necessity for self-study in certain areas of electrical engineering.

Natcu
Messages
16
Reaction score
2
I have always been interested in Engineering and a while back I could not decide between Electrical and Mechanical. However, I chose Mechanical, but now that I see that almost every invention nowadays are in electrical engineering field (I want to be an inventor) I am upset!

So anyhow I was wondering how much electrical engineering would a master's degree in mechatronic teach me? compared to the normal BE/BS in electrical engineering? will it be enough ?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Natcu said:
So anyhow I was wondering how much electrical engineering would a master's degree in mechatronic teach me? compared to the normal BE/BS in electrical engineering? will it be enough ?

Enough for What?

If you think you're going to stop learning once you get out of school THINK AGAIN! If you aren't constantly learning new stuff, you'll be out of a job in no time.

So you ask whether an MS in mechatronics is full of enough electrical engineering. Who cares? If you can't learn this stuff on your own, you need to find a new field to study, because you won't cut it as an engineer.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: gmax137 and Natcu
JakeBrodskyPE said:
So you ask whether an MS in mechatronics is full of enough electrical engineering. Who cares? If you can't learn this stuff on your own, you need to find a new field to study, because you won't cut it as an engineer.
That is quite true and accurate. It is also the reason I asked this question, I am not one of those guys who study only what they opt for in college. I am in 1st year of mechanical engineering (which means I haven't even started studying Mech E yet) and I can design complex stuff like Turbines and clock mechanisms on Autocad which I learned on youtube.

I just need an approximation of how much keeping up with Electrical E I will need to do after studying Mechatronics so I can start working on it early

Thanks for the reply,
 
I'm studying Mechatronic engineering in a 3 year program. I've learned more stuff involving electronics than mechanical stuff. It's easier to have electronics labs than mechanics labs equipped with dynamometers etc. so everything involved mechanics is almost purely theoretical as we don't have labs for putting what we learn about mechanics in practice. You may be in the same situation depending on the infrastructure of the institution you're planning to study at.
What I've learned about electronics involves circuit analysis, AC analysis, digital electronics, some analogs, very few things about power electronics, sensors,electric machines and micro controllers. However, I'm not able to understand circuit diagrams that are composed of several transistors, capacitors, MOSFET,JFET for I was unlucky for having an incompetent analog electronics teacher. I've tried to learn analogs on my own but there's little time to do so and teachers willing to give the course extra officially are really few or even none. My knowledge in power electronics is little as well for similar reasons as analogs.
I'm not encouraging you to blame bad teachers, I'm just telling you what I think you may have to learn before you get to mechatronics. Make yourself the habit of learning from technical books and to ask as much as you need.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
4K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
6K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
4K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
8K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K