New MEng Program Off to a Quick Start
The College of Engineering now offers a new Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree program in Global Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering (GAME), thanks in large part to the work of two ME faculty, Professors Huei Peng and S. Jack Hu. Peng and Hu played key leadership roles in the development of the program, in their capacities as Directors of the Automotive Engineering Program (AUTO) and the Program in Manufacturing (PIM), respectively.
Jack Hu
The GAME program represents an evolution of the College's interdisciplinary and professional education. ME has been a leader in this effort, pioneering the development of the PIM Program in 1993 (Professor A. Galip Ulsoy was Founding Director) and the AUTO Program in 1995 (Professor Dennis Assanis was Founding Director). Both grew to more than 100 students each in their peak times and have been part of the Interdisciplinary and Professional Programs (INTERPRO) in the College of Engineering since 1998.
More recently Hu and Peng saw the need for a new degree program that integrates elements of both automotive systems and manufacturing. "It's critical that students studying design know about manufacturability, and vice versa," said Peng. The two also saw the need for such a program that is available to professional engineers globally. In 2004 Peng and Hu began working with leaders of the General Motors Technical Education Program on the new degree program. Collaboratively, UM and GM leaders performed global needs assessment and designed the new curriculum to address these needs. They envisioned a program that would cultivate a global community of technical leaders with several attributes: outstanding depth and breadth in core engineering disciplines; knowledge of related management and systems issues; the ability to work virtually and collaboratively and to lead global teams.
Huei Peng
Launched in Fall 2005, GAME's first year was a tremendous success. One hundred thirty three students from General Motors enrolled, hailing from the United States, Australia, Mexico and Canada.
What sets the program apart, said Hu, is how it incorporates carefully selected courses from nearly two dozen universities around the world. All students must take a course in "High Performance Distributed Technical Teams," taught by the University of California at Los Angeles. To reflect the truly global nature of education, a student can take up to 12 credits of pre-approved courses from these partner universities and transfer them to UM toward their degree. "That way we can provide the best educational experience for these global students." said Peng. Most engineering schools allow only six transfer credits, he explained.
Admission requirements are similar to other master's programs in Engineering, with an additional requirement of at least one year of industrial experience.
"Working with GM, we've done something unique," said Peng. "It's a one-of-a-kind partnership characterized by inter-disciplinary content, multi-university curriculum design and delivery and our expertise in serving global audiences."
Since the time the GAME degree program was launched, Professor Jack Hu and Professor Huei Peng have assumed new roles. Professor Hu is now the Associate Director for Research in the College of Engineering, and Professor Peng is directing a new organization merging INTERPRO with the former Center for Professional Development (CPD). Replacing them as Directors of AUTO and PIM are Professor Margaret Wooldridge and Professor Jan Shi, respectively.
