MEAM Launches Master's Degree Program in Automotive Engineering
Course content focuses on meeting industry's demand for a new breed of manager/engineer

To be a leader in today's highly competitive automotive industry, top engineering professionals must have command of their own engineering specialty, and be knowledgeable about a wide range of other engineering disciplines as well. They also must be able to lead teams, think strategically, and manage finite human and financial resources while producing optimal outcomes. In the fall of 1995, MEAM launched a new advanced degree program "a Master of Engineering in Automotive Engineering (MEngAE)" which will produce just such leaders. In September of its inaugural year, ten students had enrolled in the program. MEngAE Program Director, Dennis Assanis, projects an enrollment of 30 students by Fall 19 96; and possibly 60Ü100 or more students within two years, as word of this innovative program spreads to U.S. and overseas automotive companies. The MEngAE program focuses on contemporary engineering practice, balancing technical aspects with a strong emphasis on executive skill development. The program also has been structured to accommodate the needs of working engineers who want to acquire graduate-level experience and credentials, but cannot be away from work full time. According to Assanis, the MEngAE program is a direct outgrowth of the departmentÍs close working relationship with its corporate partners in the automotive industry. This is reflected in the programÍs objectives, which are to: (1) strengthen technical competence and depth by teaching advanced skills in automotive engineering; (2) broaden personal technical horizons through exposure to a wide spectrum of interdisciplinary engineering activities; (3) enhance understanding of management and human-factor issues related to the design and marketing of automotive systems; and (4) provide practical experience in team building, interdisciplinary team membership, and team project management.

Left: Finite elementmodel of a lower control arm in an automotive front suspension. Right: Passenger car gasoline engin on the laboratory test stand instrumented for combustion and emissions studies. Image Credits: Zheng-Dong Ma (left), Ahmet Selamet (right).

To earn their MEngAE, students must complete 30 credit hours in the following categories:

  • Engineering Core (9 credits, graded). One course taken from three of the four following areas: power and propulsion, dynamics and controls, aerodynamics and structural dynamics, electronics.

  • Systems Engineering (6 credits, graded). Two, student-choice courses selected from any engineering discipline, such as: design and manufacturing, materials science engineering, quality engineering, intelligent transport systems, etc.

  • Management and Human Factors (9 credits, graded). Three courses selected from among the management and human factors curricula offered by MEAM, the Department of Industrial Operations Engineering, or the U-M Business School. Course selections may inclu de business and management, ergonomics and human factors, law and professional ethics, operations research, or other electives.

  • Automotive Engineering Seminar and Project (6 credits, pass/fail). An interrelated series of seminars spanning a broad spectrum of automotive engineering activities. The course culminates with a project requiring students to synthesize their knowledge and then apply it to solve an industrially relevant problem.

MEngAE admission requirements include: a bachelor's degree in engineering with course work related to automotive engineering, and the equivalent of two years of full-time work experience in automotive engineering.

Image Credits: G-M Cadillac