Automotive Engineering Degree Program
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MS Degree in Automotive Engineering
The curriculum is designed as a two-year post BS degree program consisting of 42 credit hours. While the program is housed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, it will be interdisciplinary in nature with students taking courses in departments other than ME. Download the The Automotive Engineering Master Program Overview (Track) (pdf) here.
The curriculum as currently planned is divided into five content areas as follows:1. Core Courses. 12 hours, 4 courses in automotive systems integration in the following areas:
- Vehicle design/manufacture project management
- Automotive systems overview
- Systems integration methods
- Systems integration application.
Students will be required to take the first three of these in the first semester of study
2. Automotive Engineering Tracks. 18 hours, 6 courses in two or three track areas. At least 3 courses must be AuE courses while the other three courses may be taken based on the student’s interests and area of specialization.
- Vehicle materials and mechanics (including structures and light-weight design)
- Vehicle electronics, mechatronics and computer systems
- Vehicle design and integration methods and tools
- Vehicle manufacturing and production (including environmental challenges)
- Vehicle performance (vehicle physics)
- Vehicle power systems and transmission (including low emission, electric, and hybrid designs)
3. Courses in Business or related fields. A minimum of 6 hours, 2 courses in a concentration area or minor approved by the advisory committee.
4. Six-month industrial internship. 6 credit hours for industrial project.
5. Foreign Language proficiency and a foreign culture experience are required as an outcome of the program. For students lacking this experience, industrial residency in a foreign country along with a language immersion course will be required. Courses required to achieve the language proficiency will be above and beyond the 42-credit hr. requirement.
PhD in Automotive Engineering
The student and advisory committee will craft the PhD study plan within the following framework:
1. Core Courses. 9 hours, 3 courses in automotive systems integration in the following areas:
- Vehicle design/manufacture project management
- Automotive systems overview
- Systems integration methods.
- Students will be required to take these courses the first semester they are available to them.
2. Automotive Engineering Tracks. A minimum of 6 hours, 2 AuE courses from two track areas.
- Vehicle materials and mechanics (including structures and light-weight design)
- Vehicle electronics, mechatronics and computer systems
- Vehicle design and integration methods and tools
- Vehicle manufacturing and production (including environmental challenges)
- Vehicle performance (vehicle physics)
- Vehicle power systems and transmission (including low emission, electric, and hybrid designs)
3. Courses in Business or related fields. At a minimum, 3 hours, 1 course in a directed non-technical field.
4. Technical courses outside the discipline. A minimum of 9 hours, 3 courses in a concentration area outside the discipline or a technical minor (to be integrated in dissertation work).
5. Courses in the discipline. No minimum requirements. Typically, 15 hours or 5 additional courses in major discipline.
6. Dissertation. 18 hours
7. Foreign Residency Requirement. 6-month residency at a foreign research lab or university.
Students coming into the PhD program with MS in Automotive Engineering will typically take the technical minor and disciplinary courses and work on their research. Students with MS in another technical area will take the full spectrum of courses required by the Ph.D. program. Students with existing cross-cultural experience will be exempt from the foreign residency requirement.
