Mechatronics is a junior level course taught in the senior year (my little joke to move the course to the junior year) that should introduce students to the world of smart product design.  The purpose of the course is to provide mechanical engineers with an introduction to the design and use of embedded microcontrollers.  Look around you and see how many products are smart products and then try to estimate how important it is for engineers from any major to understand these very integrated products. The course covers a wide variety of interdisciplinary topics that combine concepts from mechanical engineering, computer science, electronics, and controls.