Mechatronics by Online at Sligo IT

doolox

I am making enquiries about studying Mechatronics by online access at Sligo IT as a mature student on a part-time basis starting next Sept 09.
What is the course like? Are the practicals good? Are they run in sync with the course material so you have a good understanding of what is required?
Are the lecturers good? What level of maths do they require and what are the lecturers like in Maths?

Most importantly what are the jobs prospects like after completion?
I currently am doing a FETAC level 6 course in Industrial Automation in FAS at Cabra which I hope to complete in June 09. I also have level 7 Diploma in Engineering ( Electronics). In view of the course cost of €3800 per year over two years for a level 7 in this area I cannot afford to make a mistake and follow another career cul-de-sac such as Electronics has become.
Any frank assesments or warnings of job situation for mechatronics graduates would be most welcome.

Max08

I can't really help but I'm also thinking of doing a online degree at Sligo IT. I have a level 7 degree in Electronics and want to do a level 8 one year addon.
But I don't see how it would work. What about practicals? Obviously you can't do lab work if you're at home, as well as using certain computer
software programs that they have students doing at college. Do you know?

eoineoin

I highly reccomend the mechatronics course in sligo - i completed the level 8 full time in may and had no difficulty getting a job.

your level 7 electronics will probably give you the knowledge to get straight in to the level 8 course and will almost definately get you onto the course. i found the level of maths fairy low - your electronics course probably covered some of it. control systems can be fairy challenging but again you probably covered some of that in your level 7 electronics.

the subjects covered are very broad but there is scope for you to go into great depth in any relevant technical area if you are actively looking to do that (unfortunately i wasnt)

mechatronics graduates are among the most sought after by employers at th emoment your future employment opportunities will be very good.

look at the course - plan what you want to get from it, you will not be dissapointed.

mr.jay

hey guys I am looking for some info on mechatronics course, would you need a good knowledge of maths or would you learn all in the course? I enjoy maths but its been a while, also what kind of questions do they ask in a mature student interview? And finally what do you think are a once upon a time carpenters chances of getting on this course?

ciaranmac

Mr.jay - I did the level 6 electronic engineering online qualifier last year, which had the same maths module as the mechatronics course. We covered trig, differentiation, integration, complex numbers, etc. from a fairly basic starting level up. It's basically a crash course with not much prior knowledge assumed, but it covers a lot of ground in a short time.

It's not clear what course you're looking at from your post. If it's the level 6 and your maths isn't great to begin with, you should be able to keep up if you are prepared to work hard. For level 7 the expectation is you have already reached this standard.