Combined Degree? (1 Viewer)

[mattmcg]

Hey, i'm a year 12 student and i've been thinking heavily on the topic of which course i should take up for next year...

I've pretty much decided on UTS as the open day was hugely informative, and i really like the internship

I'm thinking of mechatronics & mechanical engineering over my original choice of ICT Software, mainly because i see mechatronics as having far more diverse future prospects and more interesting (the idea of making a 16-bit computer from scratch as well as its operating system seems interesting but i think my calculator out does it )

So i'm fairly set on mechatronics though around a year ago I was set on nanotechnology and decided it was a bad decision as there is probably less of a realistic chance of securing a job following the completion of that degree

Recently i though of a combined degree encompassing both mechatronics and nanotechnology.. though I'm unsure of how this works.. is the course the same length? are extra hours attended at uni during the course? I have no idea :S

Also would it be worth it to study nanotechnology? i figured that once i complete it I'd rely on the mechatronics course for a job, and then maybe pursure further education into nanotechnology (honours etc) as i would think post-grad study would be needed to obtain a job in the field

I'm pretty much undecided now whether or not I should pursue a combined degree and whether its worth it in the long run in that mechatronics would be enough...

please provide any and all insight into my query.. and don't let the size of this post deter you I just can't help it when I start rambling

 

[mattmcg]

ohh i see.. so no internship.. i really liked the internship part though

well at the open day when i queried the ICT Software course, i had the most insightful and informative instructor i could imagine.. (i feel as this posting may change my mind to ICT Software instead of Mechatronics .. lol )

He explained me the course as well as the threads (2 mandatory ones and the optional subjects) using the course diagram which is a great resources... I found the software course fairly interesting though I assumed the propects would be fairly limited, basically sitting in front of a computer day in and day out... though i do love programming like C# as the main one and a fair amount of web development PHP/SQL though I'd think that this field would have a few con's such as: would outsourcing to developing countries ruin future prospects, plus I found out I would just need to complete a Microsoft course to be a certified programmer.

The more I think of it though the more I am leaning towards the ICT Software Course

The mechatronics, as i saw it, seemed to be more diverse... as it incorporates mechanical, software and electrical. I do love programming but I don't exactly want to solely practice this, I'd rather mix it with moving parts, i guess thats robotics, i then saw the combining of the degree with nanotechnology as a good option as I assume they are in a way similar, though if this means i cannot go on the two six month internship's then I may rethink it as this work experience is a major plus for me and the main, if not sole reason, for my choice to attend UTS over other uni's

 

[mattmcg]

hmm owch 6 years.. i guess its only one more

but since the mechatronics is 5 years and nano is 3 how is this made into 6 years

Are extra hours per week spent at uni?

also would it be worth it, in your opinion to attend uni for an extra year doing nanotechnology, as i'd only do it if it somehow relates to mechatronics in the long term, so i may find a job which incorporates both streams