In a global, competitive marketplace, to sustain the U.S. quest for leadership through the creation of an “innovation economy,” there is an acute need to train tomorrow’s workforce in cooperative, active-learning environments with students from diverse educational backgrounds. Recognizing the challenges and opportunities inherent in interdisciplinary education, in 2015, the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department began offering a new M.S. Degree in Mechatronics and Robotics.

Defined broadly, mechatronics is the synergistic integration of mechanical engineering, control theory, computer science, and electronics to manage complexity, uncertainty, and communication in engineered systems. Moreover, robotics (synergistic integration of mechanical structures, mechanisms, electrical and electronic components, electromechanical sensors and actuators, microcontrollers, and programming) offers an ideal technology platform on which to construct lasting new businesses and entrepreneurial ventures. The exciting fields of mechatronics and robotics can spark intellectual curiosity and engage the interest of students in hands-on engineering education, engineering research, and creative and entrepreneurial explorations. This new M.S. degree offering modernizes our curricula offerings, makes it relevant to students’ interest, and addresses workforce demands for graduates who have broader inter-disciplinary training and practical experience in the field of mechatronics and robotics with project work.