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IMEE VS Mechatronics vs Mechanical Engineering

Hi everyone, I am an international student in my final year of high school and I'll be going to uni next year. I'd initially planned on studying mechanical engineering because I was unsure about what I wanted to do after uni but now I feel its better to do something like IMEE or mechatronics ( I do not have any particular interest in robotics but I believe mech + elec + Cs knowledge will be nice to have) so that I have a wider skill set and having knowledge of electrical engineering would allow me to know about automation which would help me out. However now I feel mechatronics is a rather dilute program without really being able to specialise in anything. On top of this I'd like a 50/50 or a more mech focused split between elec and mech however IMEE at bath seems to have just 2 modules in their entire 4 year program common with their mech Eng program which is making me question it. I do know however that after uni I'd like to work outside the UK and I'm not sure if I'll be continuing in the engineering sector. Could anyone please help me decide between IMEE mechatronics or just regular mech Eng? Thank you very much.
Original post by Samarth1111
Hi everyone, I am an international student in my final year of high school and I'll be going to uni next year. I'd initially planned on studying mechanical engineering because I was unsure about what I wanted to do after uni but now I feel its better to do something like IMEE or mechatronics ( I do not have any particular interest in robotics but I believe mech + elec + Cs knowledge will be nice to have) so that I have a wider skill set and having knowledge of electrical engineering would allow me to know about automation which would help me out. However now I feel mechatronics is a rather dilute program without really being able to specialise in anything. On top of this I'd like a 50/50 or a more mech focused split between elec and mech however IMEE at bath seems to have just 2 modules in their entire 4 year program common with their mech Eng program which is making me question it. I do know however that after uni I'd like to work outside the UK and I'm not sure if I'll be continuing in the engineering sector. Could anyone please help me decide between IMEE mechatronics or just regular mech Eng? Thank you very much.

Hey @samarth1111,

I get where you’re coming from. It’s a tough choice. If you’re unsure about staying in engineering long-term or want a globally recognized degree, Mechanical Engineering is probably your safest bet since it’s broad and respected everywhere. Mechatronics or IMEE are great if you want to focus on automation, robotics, or multidisciplinary skills, but they can feel less specialized, which might make it harder to stand out in one area. It’s worth checking module breakdowns for each course to see how much mech vs. elec content there is. If you want something mech-heavy with a bit of elec and CS, sticking with MechEng and choosing electives in those areas might give you the best balance.

Ethan (Product Design Engineering)
Original post by Samarth1111
Hi everyone, I am an international student in my final year of high school and I'll be going to uni next year. I'd initially planned on studying mechanical engineering because I was unsure about what I wanted to do after uni but now I feel its better to do something like IMEE or mechatronics ( I do not have any particular interest in robotics but I believe mech + elec + Cs knowledge will be nice to have) so that I have a wider skill set and having knowledge of electrical engineering would allow me to know about automation which would help me out. However now I feel mechatronics is a rather dilute program without really being able to specialise in anything. On top of this I'd like a 50/50 or a more mech focused split between elec and mech however IMEE at bath seems to have just 2 modules in their entire 4 year program common with their mech Eng program which is making me question it. I do know however that after uni I'd like to work outside the UK and I'm not sure if I'll be continuing in the engineering sector. Could anyone please help me decide between IMEE mechatronics or just regular mech Eng? Thank you very much.

Hi Samarth,

I graduated from Bath on the IMEE course, 5 years with placement. I'd say the course offers a broad selection of modules that give you a a pretty good overview of both Mech+Elec streams. Covid kinda threw a wrench in the works for me personally and led to some personal issues which affected my academics/willingness to get involved in uni life and student teams etc, I got my 2:1, but at a loss for what to do now haha. Saying that, many of my peers found niches around year 2/3 and/or on placement which informed their year 4 GBDPs (Group Business and Design Project) and Year 5 FYPs (Final Year Project - Dissertation). Quality of supervision can be spotty in places, I can't really speak to how good the mediation processes are, getting new supervisors etc.

Myself and others generally felt that the ME department was better organised in terms of the quality of teaching overall, the EEE department was a little hit-or-miss in this regard. I can say, the first year set of modules for both ME and EEE are taught pretty well, and everything feels pretty well rehearsed with good resources, slides, notes etc. In the years following, the quality of modules can be inconsistent.

There's quite a big emphasis on student teams at the uni, which I think is positive - and they are a way into placements for many students (Formula Student (TBRe), Team Bath Drones, Team Bath Heart etc.). I would say, get involved in one even if you're not particularly interested at first, because you might find something you like doing through it and you can build on it with your GBDP and FYP and get credit for it!

Some people also switched to Integrated Design Engineering (IDE) during year 3, which gets you a more design project oriented experience. I don't know if they still offer this though. I think the course has undergone a few changes.

Please reach out if you have any other questions about the course, or Bath in general.

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