Introduction of Mechatronics Specialization through Concentration Areas in the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Technology Programs

The last few decades have experienced an explosion of technology, both in industry and in customer products. A large variety of embedded systems from various areas of applications, digital electronics, internet of things, automatically controlled products, and ultimately mechatronics systems are part of the everyday life. The changes in the industries, consumer markets and implicitly in the job markets, impose changes in the academic programs and curricula. Recently, mechatronics undergraduate programs started being developed in 2 or 4 years colleges across the nation, mainly driven by international companies operating in countries that already offer mechatronics degrees ranging from high school to doctoral programs. Most of the time there are independent mechatronics programs, mainly at the community college level, but mechatronics areas of specialization were also developed under either electrical or mechanical engineering programs, through senior elective courses. In the College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University there are currently well established, accredited electrical and mechanical engineering technology programs, and steps are being taken to introduce the option for mechatronics specialization. A mechatronics concentration area was already introduced under the mechanical engineering technology (MET) program with new courses developed to provide skills in mechatronics, hydraulics, and simulation of mechatronics systems, complementing the existing courses focusing on automation, industrial robotics, computer integrated manufacturing, and computer numerical control. The electrical engineering technology (EET) program, with a current curriculum that includes a large number of courses to provide the foundation for mechatronics, is taking its turn in the development of a mechatronics concentration area. This paper discusses the introduction of mechatronics specialization through concertation areas in the mechanical and electrical engineering technology programs at Old Dominion University, with emphasis on the implementation challenges. This specialization model offers students the choice to incline the balance between the electrical and mechanical components of their mechatronics education through their major and minor selection, and in consonance with their individual strengths and preferences