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Proposed MS/PhD Concentration in Automotive Manufacturing, Simulation and Design in Mechanical Engineering

Tennessee has become one of the top ten states for employment pertaining to automotive manufacturing with more than 900 automotive manufacturers and suppliers. In 2015 alone, 20 automotive projects have committed 4,565 new jobs across the state and nearly $1.1 billion in capital investment. This has put increased demands from original equipment manufacturers (e.g. GM, Nissan and Volkswagen) to find trained engineers and scientists with the requisite skills for design, manufacture and testing of automotive structures and power trains. In order to meet this growing demand for engineering students at all levels with specialization in automotive manufacturing, design and simulation, a concentration has been developed and is being offered for the (MS/PhD) graduate students.

Definition, Requirements and Certificate of Completion
For graduate students in mechanical engineering, a set of basic course requirements taken from a menu of available courses will qualify for this concentration to appear on the student’s transcript. Other requirements for the overall MS and PhD also apply.  The menu of courses offered for the concentration can change as available courses and needs of students change with time. For the MS degree, the student must take 12 or more credits from the approved menu for concentration, and PhD students must take 24 or more credits from the departmentally approved menu of courses.  Some video-based courses offered in collaboration with the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga are also planned. A 3-credit course (max of 6) of internship or project relevant to automotive engineering can be used to satisfy some of the requirements as well.  Upon completion of these concentration specific credits, the students will receive a certificate of completion, in addition to their regular diploma, indicating this concentration. The course lists and any substitutions must be approved by the MABE department chair and the major professor.

Menu of Existing and Planned Courses for Concentration

Typical Study Program for Automotive Concentration in MS/PhD Degree

Potential Courses Offered by Other Departments at UTK