The 3 best mechatronics bachelor's programs in Tennessee, ranked
All three TN mechatronics-titled BS programs are at public universities with in-state tuition under $10,000 per year. The differentiator is ABET commission (EAC vs ETAC) and geographic employer pipeline. MTSU is the engineer-track pick. UTC is built for the VW Chattanooga workforce. APSU specializes in the Clarksville-area Korean OEM cluster (Hankook, LG).
Murfreesboro, TN
BS in Mechatronics Engineering
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University's BS in Mechatronics Engineering is ABET-EAC accredited under the General Criteria, with an industry advisory base spanning the entire middle-Tennessee manufacturing cluster: Nissan Smyrna, Bridgestone La Vergne, Marelli, GM, plus automation integrators (Automation Nth, Spring Automation, Fives International), defense (Boeing), and logistics (FedEx, Amazon, Schneider Electric). The Academic Common Market program lets Alabama and South Carolina residents pay in-state Tennessee tuition. Murfreesboro location puts graduates 30 minutes from Nashville.
Tuition
$9,500/yr
Duration
48 mo
Format
On-campus
Accred.
ABET-EAC
Hiring employers
Overall
77
of 100
Click any factor for details
Clarksville, TN
BS in Engineering Technology, Mechatronics concentration
Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State's BS in Engineering Technology with Mechatronics concentration is one of only two institutions in Tennessee partnered with the Siemens Level 3 Mechatronic Systems Certification Program (SMSCP) — all graduating students have the option to sit for the Level 3 exam, the highest tier in the SMSCP credentialing ladder. The program was built specifically to feed the Clarksville-area Korean OEM manufacturing cluster — Hankook Tire's Tennessee plant, LG Electronics' Clarksville home-appliance facility, and the broader middle-Tennessee automotive-supplier base. Curriculum culminates in a two-course capstone project sequence with heavy project-management emphasis.
Tuition
$9,974/yr
Duration
48 mo
Format
On-campus
Accred.
ABET-ETAC
Hiring employers
Vendor partnerships
Overall
75
of 100
Click any factor for details
Chattanooga, TN
BAS in Mechatronics Engineering Technology
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
UTC's Mechatronics Engineering Technology degree is officially structured as a BAS (Bachelor of Applied Science) rather than a traditional BS — common in ETAC programs designed to articulate cleanly from AAS transfers. The program is built around the Volkswagen Chattanooga assembly plant's workforce pipeline plus broader TVA-region manufacturers, with curriculum covering robotics, control systems, sensors, actuators, and AI-integration coursework. Two dedicated state-of-the-art labs anchor the hands-on training. Qualified students can enter the UTC Joint Undergraduate-to-Master's (JUMP) program to earn graduate credit while completing the BAS.
Tuition
$9,550/yr
Duration
48 mo
Format
On-campus
Accred.
ABET-ETAC
Hiring employers
Overall
74
of 100
Click any factor for details
Why Tennessee is one of the top states for a mechatronics engineering career
Tennessee is the most-aggressive auto-manufacturing recruitment state in the country. Nissan Smyrna (built 1983) is the largest auto plant in North America by production volume. VW Chattanooga assembles the Atlas SUV and the ID.4 EV. Ford's $5.6 billion BlueOval City near Stanton (west TN) will produce F-Series EVs and battery cells, ramping through 2026 with 6,000+ jobs at first phase. GM Spring Hill runs an Ultium Cells battery joint venture with LG Energy Solution. Bridgestone, Hankook Tire, and Marelli round out the Tier-1 supplier base.
What this means for mechatronics engineers specifically: TN manufacturing is heavily automated and getting more so as the EV transition accelerates. Robotics, controls, battery cell assembly automation, and power electronics are all growing engineering disciplines in the state. The three TN mechatronics BS programs feed directly into these employers, and TN's overall engineering employment is growing faster than the national average.
Top Tennessee employers hiring mechatronics engineers
Nissan Smyrna
8,500+ direct employees. Largest North American auto plant by production volume. Three-shift heavily-automated operation. Mechatronics engineers work across body shop, paint, final assembly, and the growing EV-production lines (Nissan Leaf). MTSU is the closest TN engineering school feeding Nissan Smyrna hiring.
Volkswagen Chattanooga
Builds Atlas SUV and ID.4 EV plus a co-located battery manufacturing operation. UTC sits 5 miles from the VW plant; the BAS in Mechatronics Engineering Technology was built specifically to feed VW's technician and engineering hiring.
Ford BlueOval City (Stanton, west TN)
Ford's $5.6 billion mega-campus. F-Series EV truck assembly plus battery cell manufacturing co-located. 6,000+ jobs at first ramp by 2026, expected to expand through the end of the decade. The largest mechatronics-engineering hiring wave in TN history is ramping over the next 5 years.
Hankook Tire and LG Electronics (Clarksville)
Korean OEM cluster in Clarksville. Hankook Tire's Tennessee plant (tire manufacturing) plus LG Electronics' home appliance manufacturing facility. APSU is across town; the program's Siemens SMSCP Level 3 partnership was set up specifically to feed Korean-OEM-style equipment maintenance.
GM Spring Hill (Ultium Cells)
GM's Spring Hill plant has transitioned to battery cell manufacturing through the Ultium Cells joint venture with LG Energy Solution. Battery cell assembly is heavily automated mechatronics work, very different from traditional auto assembly.
Bridgestone La Vergne
Tire manufacturing. Long-running middle-TN employer. Heavy automation across tire-building and curing operations.
Tier-1 supplier base
Marelli (formerly Calsonic Kansei) automotive electronics. Magna, Bosch, ZF, Continental, Plastic Omnium, plus several hundred smaller automotive and aerospace suppliers across middle and east TN. Together they add thousands more mechatronics-engineering positions.
Mechatronics engineer salary in Tennessee
- Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141) in TN: median around $85,000 to $93,000.
- Engineers, All Other (SOC 17-2199, includes mechatronics engineers) in TN: median around $87,000 to $95,000.
- Electrical Engineers (SOC 17-2071) in TN: median around $93,000 to $103,000.
- Entry-level BS graduate wages: $65,000 to $78,000 typical in TN manufacturing. Nissan, VW Chattanooga, and Ford BlueOval City pay at or above the upper end.
- Cost of living in Nashville metro runs around 100 percent of US average. Chattanooga, Knoxville, and west TN run around 90 percent of US average.
Paying for a mechatronics bachelor's in Tennessee
- MTSU in-state tuition: around $9,500 per year. Out-of-state about $26,000.
- UTC in-state tuition: around $9,550 per year. Out-of-state about $26,000.
- Austin Peay State in-state tuition: around $9,974 per year.
- TN HOPE Lottery Scholarship: up to $4,500 per year for TN residents with HS GPA 3.0+ or ACT 21+.
- Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA): need-based state grant up to $4,500 per year.
- Federal Pell Grants: up to $7,395 per year for eligible students.
The Academic Common Market: out-of-state students at in-state tuition
The Academic Common Market is a Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) tuition-reciprocity program. SREB-state residents can attend out-of-state schools at in-state tuition if their home state does not offer the same major. MTSU's ABET-EAC accredited Mechatronics Engineering BS is on the ACM list for Alabama and South Carolina residents.
Practical impact: an Alabama or South Carolina resident can attend MTSU's mechatronics engineering BS at around $9,500 per year instead of out-of-state $26,000+. For students in those states who want EAC-accredited mechatronics engineering (and AL has no EAC mechatronics BS at all), this is the cheapest engineer-track path in the Southeast. Apply through your home state's ACM coordinator before enrolling.
Best Tennessee cities for mechatronics careers
Murfreesboro / Nashville metro
Home to MTSU. Major Nashville-metro employer base. Nissan Smyrna 30 minutes away. Bridgestone La Vergne 20 minutes away. Strong cost-of-living value.
Chattanooga
Home to UTC. VW Chattanooga is the primary employer gravity. Volkswagen Group of America operations, battery manufacturing, plus broader automotive supplier base.
Clarksville
Home to Austin Peay State. Hankook Tire Tennessee, LG Electronics home appliance plant, Bridgestone Aiken supplier operations. Korean OEM cluster keeps growing.
Stanton / west TN
Ford BlueOval City. The biggest new TN manufacturing wave in decades. Hiring through 2026 and beyond.
Spring Hill
GM Ultium Cells battery joint venture. Different mechatronics work than traditional auto manufacturing. Specialized battery-assembly automation.
How we ranked Tennessee mechatronics programs
Every program scored on our 7-factor methodology: accreditation (25 percent), program leadership (15 percent), pathways and laddering (15 percent), delivery format (15 percent), employer signal (15 percent), cost and affordability (10 percent), reputation (5 percent). See the full methodology breakdown. MTSU scores highest on accreditation (EAC > ETAC). UTC and APSU score competitively on employer signal because of tight employer-specific partnerships.
Tennessee mechatronics bachelor's: frequently asked questions
Which Tennessee school has the best mechatronics bachelor's degree?
What does a mechatronics engineer earn in Tennessee?
What is the Academic Common Market for Tennessee mechatronics programs?
How is MTSU's mechatronics program different from UTC's and APSU's?
Can I do a mechatronics bachelor's online in Tennessee?
Sources
- BLS OEWS for SOC 17-2141, 17-2199, 17-2071 in Tennessee, May 2024 release.
- Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development: state manufacturing investment data including Ford BlueOval City.
- SREB Academic Common Market: tuition-reciprocity program details for AL and SC residents.
- MTSU BS in Mechatronics Engineering program page.
- UTC BAS in Mechatronics Engineering Technology program page.
- Austin Peay State BS in Engineering Technology with Mechatronics concentration program page.
- ABET Accredited Program Search: MTSU (EAC), UTC (ETAC), APSU (ETAC) accreditation status.
- SACSCOC: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission institutional accreditation for all three universities.
- CollegeForTN: TN HOPE Lottery Scholarship and TSAA eligibility rules.