Mechanical vs. Mechatronics Engineering: How the Degrees Differ

Mechanical engineering and mechatronics engineering overlap heavily. Both deal with machines, motion and physical systems, and many mechatronics students take the same early courses as mechanical students. The difference is in emphasis: mechanical engineering goes deep on thermal and mechanical systems, while mechatronics is built around integrating mechanical hardware with electronics, sensors, control and software. This guide explains how ABET's own criteria draw that line, how the two fields actually show up in online programs, and what to check before you choose.

What each discipline covers, according to ABET

ABET writes "program criteria" for engineering disciplines, and they are the clearest neutral description of what a degree with a given name must include. They apply to accredited bachelor's programs, but they are a useful map of each field.

Mechanical engineering. ABET's mechanical criteria (lead society: the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) require mathematics including multivariate calculus and differential equations; applying engineering, science and math to the modeling, analysis, design and realization of physical systems; coverage of both thermal and mechanical systems; and in-depth coverage of either thermal or mechanical systems.

Mechatronics and robotics. ABET groups these together under "Mechatronics, Robotics, and Similarly Named Engineering Programs," co-led by ASME and IEEE, with CSAB and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers as cooperating societies. The curriculum must include differential and integral calculus, differential equations, linear algebra and calculus-based physics; engineering topics including mechanical systems, electronic circuits, control systems and computer science; the application of sensors, actuators and embedded controllers; and the modeling, analysis and design of systems that integrate hardware and software to control mechanical systems.

The practical reading: a mechanical degree must cover thermal systems as well as mechanical ones, and the mechatronics criteria do not name thermal systems at all. A mechatronics or robotics degree trades some of that depth for electronics, embedded control and programming.

How the two fields show up online

The online market for these two fields looks very different. In our directory (October 2026), 47 programs list mechanical engineering as a major and 6 list robotics engineering; no program in the directory currently carries a mechatronics engineering major (how we count). All six robotics programs are master's degrees. You can browse both groups under mechanical engineering and robotics engineering.

Online robotics master's programs tend to sit inside an existing mechanical or electrical department, which shapes their content:

• Stevens Institute of Technology's MEng in Robotics comes from its Department of Mechanical Engineering; the published online course sequence includes introduction to robotics and autonomous navigation for mobile robots.
• The University of Michigan-Dearborn's MSE in Robotics Engineering is run by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and requires 6 credit hours of graduate courses from non-ECE engineering disciplines.
• The University of Cincinnati's MEng in Robotics & Intelligent Autonomous Systems is listed as 100% online, requires at least 30 semester credit hours including a 3-credit capstone, and prefers applicants with an electrical, mechanical or robotics engineering bachelor's.
• Purdue's online robotics master's awards an MS or MSE depending on your undergraduate degree and lists Calculus I, Calculus II and either linear algebra or differential equations as the math background.

On the mechanical side, Purdue's online MSME is a 30-credit, coursework-based program, and online students are in the non-thesis track. Mechanical master's programs often let you concentrate in controls, dynamics or robotics electives, so a mechanical master's can move you toward mechatronics-style work without changing your degree title. Check the course list rather than assuming.

Mechatronics engineering vs. mechatronics engineering technology

The word "mechatronics" appears in engineering technology programs too, and the two are not interchangeable. Oklahoma State University's online MS in Engineering Technology in Mechatronics and Robotics, for example, describes applied, hands-on coursework in sensing, actuation, hardware-software integration, modeling and control, and admits applicants with a BS in engineering or engineering technology. It is a legitimate degree, but it is an engineering technology degree, and many state licensing boards treat engineering technology differently from engineering.

Our directory keeps engineering technology programs in a separate engineering technology category, and our guide to engineering vs. engineering technology covers the broader distinction.

Labs and hands-on work at a distance

Both fields are hardware-heavy at the bachelor's level, and that affects how "online" a program can be. The University of Alabama's primarily online BSME is a good illustration: three lab courses require a total of six weekend visits to Tuscaloosa, exams require live, in-person proctoring within the US or at testing centers on US military installations, and the university states the BSME is accredited by ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission.

Master's programs in both fields are more often coursework-only, but capstones and projects may still involve physical builds or simulation work. Before you enroll, ask how labs, kits and project hardware are handled, and whether anything requires a campus visit.

Accreditation and licensure considerations

ABET accredits individual programs, not universities. If you are choosing a bachelor's degree and might pursue a Professional Engineer (PE) license, look up the specific program, degree title and delivery mode in ABET's database. NCEES, which develops and administers the licensing exams, says that licensing boards generally require PE candidates to hold a bachelor's degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program, that most states require four years of acceptable work experience, and that candidates typically must pass the FE and PE exams. It also notes that many states provide additional paths, and that requirements should be verified in the state where you plan to practice. That state's board, not your school, decides whether your education qualifies.

On the exam side, NCEES lists discipline-specific FE exams including FE Mechanical and FE Electrical and Computer, plus FE Other Disciplines. Its PE exam list includes three mechanical exams (HVAC and Refrigeration; Machine Design and Materials; Thermal and Fluids Systems) and a Control Systems exam. None is titled mechatronics, so if licensure matters to you, read each exam's specifications and your board's rules before deciding which path fits your coursework.

A master's degree in either field does not automatically make up for a bachelor's that a board does not accept. See Engineering Licensure and Online Degrees for the full picture.

How to decide

• Choose mechanical if you want breadth across thermal and mechanical systems, many more online programs to choose from, and a degree title that maps directly to discipline-specific FE and PE exams.
• Choose mechatronics or robotics if your work is mostly about automated machines, sensors, embedded control and the software that runs them, and you are comfortable with a smaller set of online options, currently all at the master's level in our directory.
• Check the department. A robotics master's housed in mechanical engineering and one housed in electrical engineering can feel quite different.
• Read prerequisites closely. Purdue's robotics master's lists linear algebra or differential equations, and Cincinnati's prefers specific bachelor's majors; check each program's own list.
• Separate engineering from engineering technology when a program name includes "mechatronics."

Once you have a shortlist, compare the programs on the same points: department, prerequisites, attendance, labs and total cost.