Master of Science in Engineering in Automotive and Mobility Systems Engineering
About the Program
Since its foundation, the University of Michigan – Dearborn has been a leading center for automotive engineering education. The graduate program in Automotive Systems Engineering, one of the first of its kind, has launched thousands of successful careers. In 2023, based on the input from our industry partners, the program was redesigned and given the new name of the Automotive and Mobility Systems Engineering program.
The new interdisciplinary degree focuses on recent technology developments like electrified and hybrid drives, autonomous vehicles, new mobility solutions, intelligent control systems, advanced design and manufacturing, and enhanced comfort and safety. Students learn from PhD faculty engaged in cutting-edge research and from leading industry experts The classes integrate theoretical knowledge with practical challenges through hands-on training, creative design, and problem-solving.
This program may be completed entirely on campus, entirely online, or through a combination of on-campus and online courses. See "Online Options" section below for more details.
Laboratories covering all aspects of automotive and mobility technology provide students with hands-on experience. This includes major research equipment: a driving simulator, an AVL engine dyno facility, center for battery manufacturing and testing, and more.
Faculty from the entire College of Engineering and Computer Science teach courses in the program. Additionally, several courses are taught by leading experts from the local industry.
Research and teaching assistantships may be available to exceptionally qualified students.
Program Details
The 30-credit program consists of a required group of core courses (12 credits) and an elective concentration (18 credits). The core provides a broad interdisciplinary understanding of automotive and mobility engineering. The concentration, which has to be declared and appears on student’s transcripts, can be selected from one of four areas: Vehicle Powertrain and Performance, Vehicle Design and Manufacturing, Vehicle Electrification, or Intelligent Vehicle Systems. For students with special interests not matched by any of these areas, a General Study concentration is available. To gain in-depth engineering design or research experience, students can complete a capstone project or a master's thesis.
Almost all classes are offered as a combination of on-campus lectures and online asynchronous instruction. On-campus sections are scheduled Monday-Thursday from 6-8:45 PM, except for several classes, which are offered in the late afternoon. Classes are offered in Fall (Sep-Dec), Winter (Jan-Apr), Summer I (May-June), and Summer II (July-Aug) terms. Fall and Winter courses meet once a week, while Summer I and Summer II courses meet twice a week.
- Ability to apply engineering knowledge and skills to engineering problems.
- Ability to design, analyze, and model automotive, manufacturing, and energy system or process
- Ability to communicate effectively in professional reporting and presentations
- Students will be able to apply knowledge and skills to engineering problems
- Students will be able to design, analyze, and model automotive systems or process
- Students will be able to communicate effectively in professional reporting and presentations.
An applicant to the program should hold a Bachelor of Science (BS) or equivalent degree in engineering from an accredited program with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). An applicant with a lower GPA, or an applicant with a non-engineering Bachelor degree in science or mathematics, may be considered for admission consistent with the guidelines.
The program's interdisciplinary nature welcomes students from various undergraduate backgrounds. If applicants are unsure about how their educational background aligns with the program's requirements, they can request a review before submitting their application. Please contact the graduate program coordinator for more information at [email protected].
Standardized tests, such as GRE, are not required.
At least two (2) letters of recommendation are required as part of the application. These should come from people who know you, either academically (professor or research advisor) or professionally (supervisor or manager). Letters of reference from peer employees or personal sources are invalid and will not be considered.
The program may be completed entirely online through CECS Online, entirely on-campus, or through a combination of on-campus and online courses. The online courses utilize video streaming of the lectures given on campus. Online students have the opportunity to interact with instructors and with fellow students (both on campus as well as online) through Canvas, a campus-wide learning management system. The class lectures, notes, and discussions are posted on Canvas for all students' access.
All students may enroll in online courses without an obligation to join the online program. If you reside in Michigan and seek the flexibility to blend on-campus and web-based courses, consider applying to our regular program. You will be able to register for as many online courses as you desire. Please contact the graduate programs coordinator for more information.
The program requires at least 30 semester hours of graduate coursework selected in accordance with the chosen concentration area. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher is required for good academic standing and graduation. A course in which a grade lower than C is earned cannot be used to fulfill the degree requirements.
Curriculum
The completed coursework must include:
Core Courses (12 credit hours)
The core is intended to provide unified graduate-level preparation in interdisciplinary topics.
It consists of two required core courses (6 credit hours) and at least two elective core courses (6 credit hours) selected based on the student’s background and concentration area. One additional elective core course (3 credit hours) can be taken, with the credits applied to the concentration requirement.
- AENG 500 The Automobile, an Integrated System (required) (3 credit hours)
- AENG 517 Vehicle Mobility Systems (required) (3 credit hours)
- AENG 502 Modeling of Automotive Systems (3 credit hours)
- AENG 505 Introduction to Embedded Systems* (3 credit hours)
- AENG 510 Vehicle Electronics I* (3 credit hours)
- AENG 545 Vehicle Ergonomics I (3 credit hours)
- AENG 547 Automotive Powertrains I (3 credit hours)
- AENG 581 Material Selection in Automotive Design (3 credit hours)
- AENG 587 Automotive Manufacturing Processes (3 credit hours)
- AENG 596 Internal Combustion Engines I (3 credit hours)
- ME 523 Sustainability Science and Engineering (3 credit hours)
- IMSE 515, 516, or 517 Fundamentals of Program Management/ Project Management and Control / Managing Global Programs(3 credit hours)
Two of the elective courses (AENG 505 and AENG 510) marked by * are required for the students pursuing the concentrations of vehicle electrification and intelligent vehicle systems, whose background is not closely related to electrical engineering.
Concentration Courses (18 credit hours)
Each student is required to declare one of the concentrations listed below. If a topic-based concentration is selected, a student has to take at least four courses from the concentration list. The other two courses can be taken from the selected concentration area, from another concentration area, or from the elective core courses (not more than one course).
- AENG 555 Vehicle Stability and Control (3 credit hours)
- AENG 562 Energy Management of Electrified vehicles (3 credit hours)
- AENG 566 Vehicle Thermal Management (3 credit hours)
- AENG 576 Battery System Modeling and Control (3 credit hours)
- AENG 578 Advanced Vehicle Energy Systems (3 credit hours)
- ECE 5463 Fundamentals of Electric Vehicles (3 credit hours)
- ME 543 Vehicle Dynamics (3 credit hours)
- ME 545 Acoustics and Noise Control (3 credit hours)
- ME 548 Automotive Powertrains II (3 credit hours)
- ME 570 Powertrain NVH of Electric Vehicles (3 credit hours)
- ME 597 Internal Combustion Engines II (3 credit hours)
- ME 598 Automotive Emissions, (3 credit hours)
- AENG 550 Design of Automotive Body and Chassis Systems (3 credit hours)
- AENG 551 Application of Finite Element Methods in Automotive Structure Design (3 credit hours)
- AENG 553 Structural Design and CAE analysis for electric vehicle batteries (3 credit hours)
- AENG 584 Lightweight Automotive Alloys (3 credit hours)
- AENG 586 Design and Manufacturing with Lightweight Automotive Materials (3 credit hours)
- AENG 589 Automotive Assembly Systems (3 credit hours)
- AENG 650 Analysis and Design for Vehicle Crashworthiness (3 credit hours)
- IMSE 561 Total Quality Management (3 credit hours)
- IMSE 567 Reliability Analysis (3 credit hours)
- IMSE 577 Human-Computer Interaction (3 credit hours)
- IMSE 593 Vehicle Package Engineering (3 credit hours)
- ME 558 Fracture and Fatigue Considerations in Design (3 credit hours)
- ME 559 Battery Materials, Manufacturing and Recycling (3 credit hours)
- ME 582 Injection Molding (3 credit hours)
- ME 583 Mechanical Behavior of Materials (3 credit hours)
- ME 589 Composite Materials (3 credit hours)
- ME 591 Environmental Degradation of Material (3 credit hours)
- ME 595 Digital Manufacturing (3 credit hours)
- AENG 562 Energy Management of Electrified Vehicles (3 credit hours)
- AENG 576 Battery System Modeling and Control (3 credit hours)
- ECE 515 Vehicle Electronics II (3 credit hours)
- ECE 517 Advanced Power Electronics and Motor Drives (3 credit hours)
- ECE 519 Advanced Topics in EMC (3 credit hours)
- ECE 530 Energy Storage Systems (3 credit hours)
- ECE 532 Automotive Sensors and Actuators (3 credit hours)
- ECE 533 Active Automotive Safety Systems (3 credit hours)
- ECE 5462 Electric Aspects of Hybrid Vehicle (3 credit hours)
- ECE 5463 Fundamentals of Electric Vehicles (3 credit hours)
- ECE 565 Digital Control Systems (3 credit hours)
- ECE 580 Digital Signal Processing (3 credit hours)
- ECE 615 Advanced Power Electronics (3 credit hours)
- ECE 646 Advanced Electric Drive in Transportation (3 credit hours)
- ME 592 Fundamentals of Fuel Cells (3 credit hours)
Students whose background is not closely related to electrical engineering major must take AENG 505 (Introduction to Embedded Systems) and AENG 510 (Vehicle Electronics I) before taking the courses in the vehicle electrification concentration.
- AENG 555 Vehicle Stability and Control (3 credit hours)
- AENG 563 Introduction to Autonomous Vehicles (3 credit hours)
- ECE 515 Vehicle Electronics II (3 credit hours)
- ECE 531 Intelligent Vehicle Systems (3 credit hours)
- ECE 532 Automotive Sensors and Actuators (3 credit hours)
- ECE 533 Active Automotive Safety Systems (3 credit hours)
- ECE 565 Digital Control Systems (3 credit hours)
- ECE 566 Mechatronics (3 credit hours)
- ECE 579 Intelligent Systems (3 credit hours)
- ECE 588 Robot Vision (3 credit hours)
- ME 543 Vehicle Dynamics (3 credit hours)
- ME 565 Mechatronics (3 credit hours)
- AENG xxx Programming for Autonomous Vehicles (3 credit hours)
- AENG xxx Autonomous Vehicle Perception (3 credit hours)
- AENG xxx Autonomous Vehicle Sensors & localization (3 credit hours)
- AENG xxx Autonomous Vehicle Navigation (3 credit hours)
- AENG xxx Scaled Autonomous Vehicles (3 credit hours)
Students whose background is not closely related to electrical engineering major must take AENG 505 (Introduction to Embedded Systems), AENG 510 (Vehicle Electronics I) and AENG xxx (Programming for Autonomous Vehicles) before taking the listed courses in the intelligent vehicle systems concentration
Students with interests, which cannot be matched by any of the aforementioned concentrations, have an option of pursuing the general study concentration. Any combination of the courses approved for the other concentrations can be used to satisfy the concentration area requirement.
Capstone Project or Thesis Option
A student may elect a master’s thesis (6 credit hours) or a capstone design project (3 or 6 credit hours) in lieu of coursework in the concentration area. Capstone project and thesis must be conducted under the guidance of a faculty advisor. A thesis is an individual work leading to new knowledge. A capstone project can be individual or team work and, typically, is an effort to apply the knowledge acquired in the program’s courses to the solution of a real-life problem. The enrollment requires approval by the faculty advisor and special permission by Department.
- AENG 698 Capstone Project (3 or 6 credit hours)
- AENG 699 Master's Thesis (6 credit hours)
Program Contacts
Sherry Boyd
