Excellent M.E. Graduate Programs?

[Daves]

What universities do you recommend for a masters in mechanical engineering? Right now I am looking at Lawrence Tech, University of Michigan, University of Michigan at Dearborn, Ohio State, University of Washington, and University of Texas at Arlington.

I have only applied to Lawrence Tech so far. I am really interested in mechanical with an automotive concentration, but people keep telling me that automotive has little future in the U.S. I find this hard to believe.

[Daves]

Also, please post (if you know) whether or not they require the GRE.

Thanks,

Dave

[Dan G]

No GRE necessary for UMich-Dearborn, as long as your grades are in good shape. Ditto for UMich-Ann Arbor.

UM-D is cheap enough to get 4 courses a year on my company's tuition plan. That gets me through the 10 courses I need for the ME masters in only 2.5 years. The school is very full-time work friendly, all the classes start after 5pm.

Our Baja team is in great shape, with a pretty successful history. The formula team has been weak or a no-show in previous years, hopefully this year we'll turn that around. Good group of guys that are easy to work with. No big egos to deal with.

[Charlie]

Not sure what you are looking for automotive-wise, but Auburn's Vehicle Dynamics professor has some grad students working on automotive-based projects, mostly modeling vehicle dynamics. Auburn has a large test track & facility nearby too (Search for NCAT). Auburn doesn't have an automotive program per say but there is the possibility to have that type of concentration. The professor's name is Dr. Bevly.

[Adam Zemke]

I have heard great things about OSU's Vehicle Dynamics Program as well. A friend of mine is currently wrapping up his thesis there now, and he began last Summer.

[MikeWaggoner at UW]

The UW prof's don't deal with cars, but I think we may soon get funding from Paccar for truck engine research. The FSAE team here is in pretty good shape (5th 2 years in a row, top twenty for a while). The UW requires a good GRE score, and ok grades.

[BeaverGuy]

I was looking into graduate programs that had broad thermal/fluids programs earlier this year and also automotive type programs, and came across one of the Colorado schools that had a racing team as an option for graduate study. I believe it is Colorado State.

[Tony K]

Yes, that is true. Colorado State has a Motorsport graduate program, but it is only a few years old at the moment. There are some excellent opportunities here, however, as the program is quite new, it still has some teething problems. If you're interested, I highly suggest you come visit first before commiting and make your decision based on what you think and not what the professors tell you.

[Sam Zimmerman]

If I were to start grad school all over again, I would seriously consider Clemson-ICAR (http://www.clemson.edu/autoresearch/) along with some of the other schools mentioned already.

[Sam Zimmerman]

double post, sorry.

(trying to get to 1000 so I can have a beer too) http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[KevinD]

as a grad student at UTA, i can say thus far it has been worth my time. i work full time and do school part time, but Dr. Woods is a great teacher. I have not been happy with how the school is run (takes forever to get information from the school). i may be spoiled coming from a small private school i guess. If your interested in building a sweet formula car then UTA may be for you. i'm not very far along in the program to tell you about many other classes though.

[Kamil S]

I am planning to apply to Kettering, it has some real awesome rankings and from the website it looks like a good auto engineering program is set. Any comments on this specific school?

[Alan]

Kamil, I would highly recommend visiting Kettering if you are going to apply. The school certainly has a lot of automotive emphasis with many professors who do consultantcy work or have worked in the industry in some capacity in the past. There is also a lot of opportunity to do research on some interesting things. But I would suggest you see the school, get a feel for the size and surrounding area and see if it fits what you're looking for.

[Kamil S]

Thx Alan! I really appreciate your reply. Yeah I would definitely need to plan a visit out there, firstly to see if I could get a research or teaching assistanship (i.e. meeting one of the professors) and secondly to get the initial shock of downsizing from a 50000 student university to a 1500 one (lol)

Again, thx for the info.

[HosseinD]

Dear Kevin,
I'm planning on doing a BS on Automotive Engineering at UTA. I have Associate Degree in Automotive Mechanical and I applied as an international transfer student there. As a grad students at UTA (or may be you are finished by now), I would like to know how do you evaluate the program?

Do you know better place to consider? I also applied for The University of North Carolina, and I was thinking about the Kettering University. My areas of interest are: suspension, motor enhancement, and gearboxes.

Thank you in advance




Originally posted by KevinD:
as a grad student at UTA, i can say thus far it has been worth my time. i work full time and do school part time, but Dr. Woods is a great teacher. I have not been happy with how the school is run (takes forever to get information from the school). i may be spoiled coming from a small private school i guess. If your interested in building a sweet formula car then UTA may be for you. i'm not very far along in the program to tell you about many other classes though.

[Grant Mahler]

Originally posted by HosseinD:
Dear Kevin,
I'm planning on doing a BS on Automotive Engineering at UTA. I have Associate Degree in Automotive Mechanical and I applied as an international transfer student there. As a grad students at UTA (or may be you are finished by now), I would like to know how do you evaluate the program?

Do you know better place to consider? I also applied for The University of North Carolina, and I was thinking about the Kettering University. My areas of interest are: suspension, motor enhancement, and gearboxes.

Thank you in advance


Kevin's last post was in 2006.

Dr. Woods is still at UTA, and they are still a top flight FSAE team.

Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Michigan State, UM-Ann Arbor, CSU-Boulder, UW and others are all still good options.

[HosseinD]

Thank you Grant Mahler,
I am going to check their websites.
Please share any extra information that could help me in my decision.