A New Mechatronics Curriculum Within An Accredited B.S.E. Program

In 2002, an engineering program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree was initiated at the University of Southern Indiana (USI). Requirements of the degree include 30 credit hours of engineering core, which covers most of the material in the general portion on the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. With approval from an advisor, students select an additional 30 credit hours in their area of interest civil, electrical, or mechanical. After receiving ABET accreditation in 2007, a committee was formed to study the feasibility of combining mechanical and electrical courses in a way that would be desired by the region’s manufacturing employers, and to accommodate students with broader interests. The resulting curriculum in mechatronics engineering fits within the BSE framework and only requires the development of one new course. This multidisciplinary field combines aspects of mechanical engineering and electrical engineering for the design and analysis of products, components, and/or systems; such as electronic control of mechanical machines, electronic control of manufacturing systems, robotics, and design of electrical-mechanical-hydraulic machines, vehicles, and aerospace applications. The development of the Mechatronics program takes advantage of the flexibility of the BSE program, which allows for the addition of courses and programs without requiring additional ABET accreditation. This paper should be of interest to other BSE program facilitators who are considering starting a specialty in mechatronics.