S. Vishnu Sharma
Mechatronics Engineering course is a multidisciplinary science that combines knowledge from various other engineering disciplines. While many students are coming forward to choose Mechantronics Engineering course, the origins of Mechatronics lies in 1960s.
Mechatronics is a portmanteau of Mechanics and Electronics. However, it is indeed a combination of many other disciplines like electrical engineering, computer engineering, systems engineering.
Mechatronics Engineering course is an interdisciplinary science where students get to learn concepts that actually are from various other disciplines.
History
The expansion of Mechanical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Science Engineering subsequently led to the genesis of Mechatronics. The word is said to be a combination of Mechanics and Electronics.
The word had its origins in Japan and is said to be a creation of Tetsuro Mori who was an engineer with Yaskawa Electric Corporation. Initially it combined the knowledge of Mechanical Engineering and Electronics Engineering.
As the time moved ahead, knowledge of other disciplines like computer science, automation, telecommunications also got included into it. Currently, it is an integration of more than one scientific disciplines.
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Mechatronics Engineering course VS Mechatronics
Mechatronics as a field that uses the knowledge of many disciplines like robotics, electronics, mechanics, computer science and brings out products that can be used in various sectors.
Mechatronics Engineering course on the other hand is the study of Mechatronics as a subject from the academic point of view, it familiarises the students with the theories, principles that govern the various practical applications of mechatronics in different sectors.
Study
Mechantronics Engineering course can be studied at undergraduation, post graduation levels. Those who wish to delve deeper into Mechantronics Engineering course consider pursuing a doctorate degree.
The course at undergraduation level is offered in many colleges in India as BTech Mechatronics Engineering. A few colleges may be offering Mechatronics at undergraduate level as BE Mechatronics.
When it comes to postgraduation, Mechatronics Engineering course is offered as MTech in Mechatronics Engineering, few other instituttions offer it as ME in Mechatronics Engineering.
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The name could be anything, but the subject taught in most of the colleges almost remains the same. The duration of undergraduate Mechatronics Engineering course is of four years.
The duration of postgraduate engineering course is two years. A few colleges may offer Mechantronics Engineering course at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in yearly system, few others may offer the course in semester system.
Point to remember
Mechatronics Engineering course in couple of colleges is offered as one of the courses by some department. Certain other educational institutions may be having a separate department for offering the course.
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria depends on the level of the course, students aspire to study. The levels of Mechantronics Engineering course are – undergraduation, postgraduation and doctorate.
Undergraduate
Students who have passed plus-two with maths, physics and chemistry as subjects can apply for BE or BTech Mechatronics Engineering course.
Postgraduate
Individuals who have passed Mechatronics Engineering at undergraduation level can apply to study postgraduation. A few colleges even allow students of Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering to study Mechatronics Engineering course at postgraduation.
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Point to remember
The eligibility condition for studying Mechatronics Engineering course at postgraduation varies from a college to a college. Students willing to apply can visit the website of the colleges and gain information about the eligibility condition and admission procedure before applying.
Doctorate
Students who have passed postgraduation in Mechatronics Engineering course are eligible to apply for a doctorate. A few colleges may allow even those who studied postgraduation in Electronics Engineering or Computer Science Engineering to also apply for a doctorate in Mechatronics Engineering.
However, the condition of eligibility may vary from one college to another. Students can visit the college website or contact the authorities concerned there to obtain more information regarding eligibility conditions before applying.
Admission procedure
The admission process for Mechatronics Engineering course is of two types – merit based and entrance exam based. Students seeking admission can choose any of the above two methods.
Merit based
Students seeking a seat in through this procedure to study Mechatronics Engineering course have must have good performance in the qualifying exam. Seat is provided based on the marks in the qualifying exam.
The qualifying exam depends on the course the applicant wishes to apply. If the individual wants to apply for a undergraduate course, the qualifying exam would be plus-two. The same when applying for a postgraduate course is bachelors degree in the relevant discipline.
The qualification for a doctorate degree is a pass in postgraduate degree in the respective discipline.
Entrance Exam
The other way to admit students into Mechatronics Engineering course is through entrance exam. Individuals seeking admission under this process have to write an entrance test.
Students who have fulfilled the required eligibility condition can write the entrance test and pass it with required score. Those who pass with required score have to take part in the counselling process where they can choose the college where they wish to study Mechatronics Engineering course.
Entrance tests
There are lot of entrance exams students willing to study Electronics Engineering have to attempt and get the required score. Some of the well-known exams are given below:
JEE Mains
This entrance exam is conducted by National Testing Agency and students who pass this test can get admission into National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs).
Students willing to study Mechatronics Engineering course in NITs or IIITs have to pass this exam with required score. Students who wish to study Mechatronics Engineering course in IITs have to pass the same exam with a rank in top 2.5 lakhs on a national level to qualify for attempting JEE Advanced.
JEE Advanced
Students who wish to study in IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) have to pass JEE Advanced exam with the required score. Post passing JEE Advanced, students can take part in counselling where they can choose the IIT and the course they want to study there.
SRMJEE
The exam is known as SRM Joint Engineering Entrance Exam and is conducted by SRM Institute of Science and Technology which is based at Kattankulathur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu.
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VITEEE
This exam is known as VIT Engineering Entrance Exam and is conducted by Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) which is based in Vellore in Tamil Nadu. Students who pass this entrance exam with required score can get admission to study engineering courses of their choice in Vellore campus or other campuses of the institute.
GATE
This is an exam for students willing to study postgraduation in Mechatronics Engineering. Candidates who pass the exam with required score can take part in the further process of admission. Students willing to study in IITs can take this examination.
TANCET
Anna University conducts this exam and students who pass this with required score can get admission into various ME/MTech/MArch/MPlan courses offered by colleges across Tamil Nadu.
Point to remember
Students who wish to not attend written tests can try admission into Mechatronics Engineering course through merit based system where the admission is provided based on performance in qualifying exam and availability of seats.
The course
Mechatronics Engineering course covers various aspects. Students will study concepts related to Engineering Chemistry, Mathematics, Theory of Machines, Design of Machine Elements.
The other topics learnt as a part of the course are Industrial Management, Mechatronics Systems Lab, Robotics, Design of Machine Elements. Even fundamentals of Electrical Engineering, Electronic Devices and Circuits are among the topics taught as a part of Mechatronics Engineering course.
Fees
The fees for studying Mechatronics Engineering course at undergraduate level could range from Rs 30,000 to Rs 70,000 in a government college. The same for studying in a private college could vary from Rs 60,000 to Rs 1.5 lakhs in a private college.
The students willing to study at postgraduate level, have to pay the fees ranging from Rs 70,000 to Rs 2.5 lakhs in a government college. The same ranges from Rs 90,000 to Rs 3.5 lakhs.
The fees for pursuing a doctorate degree in Mechatronics Engineering course may be upto Rs 1.5 lakhs.
Point to remember
The exact amount could vary due to various reasons. Students can visit the websites of colleges and know more information.
Career
The career prospects for those who have studied Mechatronics Engineering course are bright. They can apply for jobs in various sectors. The subject of Mechatronics have applications in many industries.
Some of the sectors where students of Mechatronics Engineering can find jobs are in manufacturing industry, automation industry, electronics industry.
Jobs for Mechatronics Engineering students are Mechatronics Engineer, Design and Development Engineer, Automation Engineer and Researcher.
Design and Development Engineer
People active in this role have to design and develop various products or systems. Their responsibility even extends to testing the designed products for efficiency and quality. The salary ranges from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakhs per annum.
Automation Engineer
As an Automation Engineer, one is in charge of automation systems in an organisation. They design, develop and test automation systems that are used for used for completing respective tasks.
Senior professionals with considerable experience can take up the role as test engineers for automation engineers. The salary would usually range from Rs 2.5 to Rs 4 lakhs per annum.
Researcher
These people conduct research on various aspects related to the subject to keep themselves in touch with latest developments. The knowledge gained through continuous research is used for either developing new products or improving the existing products by adding new features to it. The annual salary would be about Rs 3 to Rs 5 lakhs.
