KENT – The College of Aeronautics and Engineering (CAE) will offer a Master of Science degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in mechatronics engineering starting Fall 2022. These new offerings come on the heels of the College breaking ground on a 44,000 square foot expansion to the Aeronautics and Engineering Building located on the Kent campus.
The mechatronics programs provide an advanced theoretical and research-oriented curriculum with depth in mechatronic-specific disciplines, beyond the general fundamentals of the engineering bachelor’s degree. These two offerings are the second engineering graduate program offerings in Kent State’s history.
“The Mechatronics program blends mechanical, electrical, computer, and controls engineering principles for a cross-disciplinary education that is being demanded by the industry to create ever-expanding solutions,” says Stephanie G. Fussell, Ph.D., associate professor and acting graduate coordinator. “The College plans to aid in the development of a workforce with advanced training and research capability in areas including electric vehicles, integrated propulsion, unmanned air vehicles, automated systems, and medical robotics.”
The combination of skills refined in this program produce agents of change equipped to solve the challenges of tomorrow. “Advanced knowledge and research in these multidisciplinary areas will provide a strong base for our graduates to solve complex engineering problems,” says Joycelyn Harrison, Ph.D., associate dean, research and faculty affairs, CAE. “Kent State’s new graduate degrees in mechatronics engineering will enhance Ohio’s capabilities in developing future multidisciplinary innovations that meet the challenges of the 21st Century.”
The CAE faculty includes eight full-time engineering faculty members. Since 2018, seven new tenure-track, research-active engineering faculty have been hired, significantly increasing capacity for growing research, student enrollment and course offerings.
Mentors, internships and university investments in state-of-the-industry capabilities including an industrial robotics laboratory, FANUC robots, industry certification opportunities, programable logic controllers, human factors, unmanned aircraft systems and additive manufacturing place CAE students at an advantage when entering the workforce.
“We believe an investment in mechatronics education will provide vast opportunities for our students and contribute to both a global need as well as a critical regional need,” says Christina L. Bloebaum, Ph.D., dean, CAE.
The CAE intends to increase its focus on research areas including spacecraft and space mission design, alternative energy for aerospace systems, autonomous systems (cognition, AI, machine learning, robotics), aviation, cybersecurity and air traffic control and aviation logistics.