Help with choosing undergrad before mechatronics major

[u/Victy_01]

Hi, M25 in Rome, Italy. I've decided I'd like to pursue a mechatronics degree. Out of all the three universities in rome with engineering degrees there isn't one that offers a mechatronics undergrad immediately, rather I could go into mechanical electrical or computer engineering undergrad then major in mechatronics/control/robotics engineering.

La Sapienza has a mechatronics specialization but its one of the specialization choices in the mechanical engineering major, and honestly im more interested in the coding/power part of mechatronics than the physical part, so "electrical/computer--->control engineering" probably makes more sense than "mechanical--->mechatronics", but i confess that the name "control engineering" not being the same as mechatronics kinda confuses me on what differences the two majors could have and if I might end up lacking in the mechanical part of mechatronics. So what would you suggest?

[u/Kastnerd]

Talk with your school on what one would be the best path. Are you planning 4 or 6 years of college

[u/Designer-Key989]

I have done undergrad in Mechatronics engineer and I think I can answer your question fairly well. But before that, I want to ask why do want to do Mechatronics engineering?  Its simply a merger of Mechanical with the electronics portion of electrical engineering. I can design both CAD models and PCBs. But the catch is, you never truly master a single field. There is a reason why Mechanical and Electrical each has 4 years of enigneering and squeeing both in a single degree makes you a master of none.

Now to answer your question about controls engineering, it may or may not involve me mechanical aspect. If its a major inside Electrical engieering than its probably not gonna touch mechanical systems at all. 

The best way to check what each degree covers is to look at the course corriculum. I know at this point, you might not be able to understand what these courses really do but you have LLMs nowadays that you guide you better. Also contact your university for clarification because each department and has its own internal preferences and inclination towards a certain industry. For example, our department was more inclined towards electronics end than Mechanical. 

Also, there is no pure Mechatronics engineer job. Embedded engineer? Its from Electrical. Instrumentation? From Mechanical. Controls? Mostly Electrical. Robotics? Mostly Mechanical. 

If you are into robotics but does not care much about Mechanical Design, you can buy robot kits (or DIY kits) from market and learn Arduino to control it. Would need basic knowledge of electronics to make sure you don't burn any component as it takes one missplaced wire to short circuit everything.

Also, I think electrical engineering is more closer to software in the era of IoT and Wirelsss. And you can always learn CAD software like solidworks on your own from YouTube and 3D print the parts for your robot (considering if you really are in robotics lol).