Multidisciplinary Engineering Systems Graduate Education: Master of Engineering in Mechatronics
Abstract - The masters graduate degree program in engineering must change to respond to the needs of the modern practicing engineer. What is needed is a balance between theory and practice, between academic rigor and the best practices of industry, presented in an integrated way that feeds the needs of modern practicing engineers and the companies they work for. The new Master of Engineering in Mechatronics program attempts to remedy these deficiencies. The key element is the one-credit module which: balances theory and practice where concepts are application-driven, not theory-driven; identifies and understands industrial best practices by dissecting them into engineering and mathematical fundamental models; achieves innovation by assembling these fundamental models into new products and processes; analyzes both existing and new products and processes using computer simulations within a topic area; demonstrates hardware to show system realization and validity of modeling and analysis results; shows videos of industry systems and interviews with industry experts; discusses best practices to achieve sustainability of products; and maintains flexibility through 15 one-hour blocks of instruction - a 5-week mini-course or longer if preferred.