Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering

Mechatronics and robotics engineering is the discipline that brings together mechanical engineering, electronics, computing and control systems to design intelligent machines and automated systems. It sits at the heart of technological development across transport, healthcare, manufacturing, energy and entertainment, and the demand for engineers who can work across all four contributing disciplines rather than within just one of them has grown substantially as technology has become more integrated and more sophisticated. At the University of Leeds this five-year programme, which includes an industrial placement year, develops exactly the cross-disciplinary competence the field requires.

You will study mechanical design, electrical and electronic systems, programming, signal processing, control theory and artificial intelligence, building the breadth of technical knowledge needed to design, build and programme real mechatronic and robotic systems. Laboratory and project work run throughout the programme, giving you hands-on experience of building and testing systems at increasing levels of complexity. The industrial placement, which forms a substantial part of the five-year structure, places you within a real engineering organisation for an extended period, developing your professional capability and giving you direct exposure to how mechatronics and robotics are applied in industry.

Work placements are also embedded within the taught years of the programme.

Graduates of mechatronics and robotics engineering are in strong demand across sectors including automotive, aerospace, medical devices, consumer electronics, logistics and defence. Roles in systems engineering, robotics development, automation engineering, control systems and research and development are among the most common destinations. The interdisciplinary training makes graduates adaptable across industries, and many pursue chartered engineer status through relevant professional institutions.

Some go on to postgraduate study or PhD research, particularly in areas such as autonomous systems, soft robotics or machine learning applied to engineering problems.