Mechatronics vs aerospace engineering,which is better?

If you were asking what is better for you, mechatronics or aerospace engineering, this article is for you.

In this post, we’re going to discover what mechatronics and aerospace engineers study. Also, know the difference between each major.

In addition, know which is the more rewarding career, so keep reading to prevent falling into some mistakes that many people make.

Mechatronics vs aerospace engineering, which is better?

Mechatronics and aerospace engineering are different subjects. Aerospace engineering is a more narrow and specialized field is a branch of mechanical engineering. While, mechatronics tends to be broader and study multiple areas, including mechanics, electronics, and programming.

So for people who want to work in the robotics industry, mechatronics is better and has multiple choices. But if you are passionate about aeronautics or mechanical design, aerospace is the right place.

To clarify more, let’s make a simple definition of each field.

Mechatronics is a major that combines 3 specializations:

• electronics
• mechanics
• programming

Aerospace engineering is a branch of mechanical engineering that focus in:

• physics
• mechanics
• aeraunotics

which means if you work in aerospace engineering, you will be working in these areas:

• cars aerdynamcs desing
• airplane design
• material design
• work in rocket or propulsion systems

in mechatronics engineering, you will be working in:

• making electronics circuits
• building robots
• make mechanical design
• troubleshooting systems mechanical and electrical systems
• programming machines and robots

So you have to look where you want to be among these specializations.

 But before leaving, it is essential to know what mechatronics and aerospace engineers study because these majors aren’t easy and are not meant for anyone.

What do mechatronics engineers study?

Mechatronics engineers study a lot of subjects, but principally they are categorized into 4 sections:

1 – Math

The first and most important thing mechatronics engineering requires is math, as the principal subject demanded in this field. Mechatronics engineers use math to design their electronics and mechatronics systems.

You will need to be good at algebra and calculus. These 2 subjects are essential in mechatronics engineering. But you have to know that mechatronics engineering is one of the most challenging math majors like computer science.

if you aren’t good at math you can read this article: 4 important steps to learn math from the ground up

2 – Physics

The second important thing in mechatronics is physics. You will study a lot of physics topics related to electricity and mechanics:

• electricity law
• Electromagnetics
• signal processing, etc
• dynamics
• physic statics

So physics is essential in Mechatronics engineering as as math, so if you hate math or physics, you have to think twice before going to this major.

3 – Electronics

The third topic needed is electronics. You will learn to build electronics circuits by studying this 4 step process :

• electronics design
• building
• testing
• modifying

So electronics is very interesting in this field, so you have to focus on it if you want to perform better in mechatronics.

4 – Programming

the other primordial part of electronics is programming software. You will study hardware programming. In other words, program an electronics boards that can run multiples devices like:

• Washing machine
• Refrigerators
• TV
• Computers
• Robots etc

In this case, you will need to learn programming languages like:

• C and C++
• java and python
• MatLab

But the high focus is on C and C++, so if you are interested in taking this major, go and start learning these programming languages. This domain has another name which is called embedded systems.

What do aerospace engineers study?

Aerospace engineers don’t focus on electronics or programming like mechatronics. They are biased more toward mechanical engineering.

In general, aerospace engineers study these aspects that were going to talk about.

1 – Math

As an aerospace engineer, you will need a lot of math, especially calculus and geometry. So if you suck at math, you have to improve yourself.

In calculus, you will use a lot of derivatives and integrals and geometry to design aerodynamics and suitable designs of systems.

2 – physics

The second important part that aerospace engineers focus on is physics. You will study a lot of physics, especially thermodynamics. If you want to know what thermodynamics is, you can watch this video.

In general, this domain focuses on energy exchange, such as how much of litters or gallons you need to put on a rocket tank to fly for a given distance.

Or how to design and find suitable material that can resist high pressure and temperate. Thermodynamics uses a lot of calculus, especially derivatives.

3 – mechanics, 

The second important subject is mechanics. In aerospace engineering, there is a high focus on fluid dynamics. Because all aerospace engines work with hydraulic systems like planes and rockets. So you will study a lot of fluid dynamic terms like:

• pressure of fluid
• debit or the speed of the fluid in tubes
• calculate how much power a liquid train, etc

4 – aerodynamics

Aerodynamics is an important part that aerospace engineers study. In other words, you will learn how to design systems or mechanical objects that flow in the air with minimal resistance.

in this field, you will learn a lot of physical courses related to:

• forces
• drag
• trust
• lift

These 4 aspects are critical for a plane to keep it in the air and not fall to the ground. But the good thing is you won’t work only on airplanes or rockets. You can also work in-vehicle like cars or motors.

mechatronics engineers vs. aerospace the core differences

Mechatronics is for people interested in working in manufacturing industries, especially robotics and electronics. While aerospace engineering is biased toward mechanics and geometries.

• So if you love to program and work on electronics, mechatronics is better for you
• if you love to design mechanics systems, cars, airplanes, and objects, and create dynamic objects, aerospace is for you.

But before making a final decision, let’s go and see which major has significant demand in the market job.

mechatronics engineers vs aerospace market demand

The average salary of mechatronics engineers in the united state is $100,000. As a beginner, you will probably start with 80k.

Currently, as an estimation, there are 140,000 mechatronics jobs in the united state. The growth rate is 6%, meaning only 8000 new occupations are created every year in mechatronics engineering.

According to BLS, the median salary of an aerospace engineer is $118,610. The number of employees in aerospace engineering is 61,400, and every year 5100 jobs are created.

If we look, we find that mechatronics engineering is much more popular than aerospace engineering, but both don’t have considerable potential as mechanical or electrical engineering.

Conclusion

To summarize, if you look for job opportunities and make money, aerospace and even mechatronics majors will not be the best choice. Why?

• Mechatronics is still a novel degree or career, a lot of companies favorise mechanical or electrical engineers over mechatronics engineers.
• Aerospace engineering is a narrow field and fewer job opportunities. Many people struggle to find jobs in this field.

But if you accept that and are ready to take risks, we would say go for mechatronics. It has more potential than aerospace engineering.

But if you look for a saver and a guaranteed engineering degree, you should choose mechanical or electrical engineering. These majors are more popular engineering fields.