Lakehead University is rolling out a new mechatronics engineering undergraduate degree program, starting this fall in Thunder Bay.
Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary branch of engineering that combines elements of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, and computer science. Practitioners are in demand for their expertise in the design and fabrication of computer-controlled electromechanical systems, such as robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles.
The school announced in an Aug. 17 news release it had received Ministry of Education approval to offer the program.
“We are exceptionally proud to receive approval from the Government of Ontario for mechatronics at Lakehead,” said Dr. Wilson Wang, who spearheaded the program and will serve as its coordinator, in the release.
“We know that employers in Northwest Ontario and across Canada are increasingly seeking graduates with the interdisciplinary skills and practical experience that this program offers.
“We have already seen a high demand for this program from students in high school and colleges, and we look forward to welcoming our first cohort in September.”
Students applying to the bachelor of engineering – mechatronics program can either apply directly from high school or through Lakehead’s college transfer pathway that gives engineering technology diploma graduates the opportunity to complete their bachelor of engineering degree in just two years.
Lakehead said the program has been designed to prepare students to create technologies that support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
The program will integrate business, law, and public safety into the learning experience, the school said, “giving students a deeper and broader insight to accompany their engineering expertise,” the school said.
