[Help with Educational Guidelines]

General Discussion
41

@keith - I just checked the Michigan Tech web site, no “automotive engineering” degree to be found. I’ve not heard of such a degree (4 year, at least). As others have said, the 4-year degree most aligned with the auto industry is a mechanical engineering degree, with some universities offering automotive-specific courses. Electrical and chemical engineering would be the next two on the list.

The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) is made up largely folks with those 3 degrees. Here’s what they have to say about choosing a college if you want to get involved in automotive engineering:

"Choosing a College

Thank you for coming to SAE for information on careers in automotive, aerospace and mobility engineering. While SAE doesn’t rank colleges, here is some information to help you decide where to go for an education leading toward a career in automotive, aerospace and mobility engineering.

Choose an accredited school. There are many factors to consider when choosing a college program. One of the most important is whether or not that program is accredited. Accreditation assures that a program has met certain quality standards. To employers, graduate schools, and licensure and certification boards, graduation from an accredited program signifies adequate preparation for entry into the profession. In fact, most of these groups require graduation from an accredited program as a minimum qualification.

In applied science, computing, engineering, and technology, ABET, Inc., is the organization responsible for ensuring the quality of college and university programs. You can find a list of over 2,700 accredited programs in these fields on their website: www.abet.org. Keep in mind, not all programs in these fields are accredited. Check with ABET to be sure you are choosing wisely.

There are many colleges and universities that offer courses specializing in automotive, aerospace and mobility technologies. A mechanical engineering degree would give you the necessary educational background to work in the automotive, aerospace or commercial vehicle industry, and with vehicles being more computerized and electronic, you may also want to consider a degree in electrical engineering.

Visit the SAE International Global University Directory, the most comprehensive and focused list of global engineering programs dedicated to mobility.

Visit www.tryengineering.org, SAE’s partner with other engineering societies for more information on selecting a school, information on types of engineering careers, and ask engineering students or experts about engineering options.

SAE has over 400 student chapters at many universities throughout the country and world. In addition to the engineering education you receive, SAE student chapters have the opportunity to participate in our Collegiate Design Competitions where student teams design, build and race vehicles. Student competitions offer hands-on experience beyond the classroom that has been highly sought after by automotive and aerospace manufacturers and suppliers and motorsports teams.

If you are interested in the ranking of universities that offer undergraduate engineering programs, you may want to check out U.S. News and World Report’s website: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankengineering_brief.php.

For general information on careers in engineering go to: www.discoverengineering.org"

42

@db4690 I live in the Caribbean, Trinidad to be more exact. Where the education is free. It takes 3 years in University to achieve Bachelor degree in law.

@the same mountain bike I rather not do Law, it isn’t my passion. Building vehicles, mechanics etc. That is what I like.

@texases Are you trying to imply that there isn’t any degree in automotive engineering ? My search on auto engineering always comes up to mechanical. I really don’t understand it, is mechanical a parent to automotive ? For aero engineering for example. In Sri Lanka you need three A passes in secondary school level, then you just apply for aero engineering in the nearby university. I wonder if its the same concept for auto engineering.

43

In almost all US universities automotive eng is a specialty under mechanical engineering. There are a small number of schools that do have automotive eng degrees. Aeronautical eng is different enough to be a separate degree in many schools.

44
Where the education is free. It takes 3 years in University to achieve Bachelor degree in law.

That’s totally different then here in the US. In the US - you attend Law School AFTER you get your BA/BS degree. Then it’s usually another 3-4 years of law school. Although that wasn’t always the case…and I’m not sure a degree is required in all states.

45

A good grounding in Mechanical Engineering is a first step. You can then specialize in automotive engineering, which applies all those important principles you’ve learned.

I nearly went that route, but stuck to general mechanical engineering and being an active member in the SAE, including past regional chairman.

46

One of my neighbor’s daughters majors in mechanical engineering at Purdue. She worked on an electric car in a group for credit and this summer has an internship with an auto racing team. @Nicolai, maybe you can get a mechanical engineering degree in Trinidad and Tobago and then come to the US for graduate work in the automotive field. You could do the same thing in any of the larger Latin American countries like Brazil, Argentina, or Mexico where there are auto assembly plants and parts manufacturers.

47

Nicholai,

I am a retired engineer with a Mechanical Engineering degree. I worked for a major tire manufacturer for over 40 years. I was just like you when I was 16 years old - except I was sort of good at science. What I wanted to do when I graduated college was work for a car company designing cars. Boy, am I glad that did not work out!

There are plenty of rewarding, good paying jobs in the automotive engineering field - and most of them are working for companies that supply parts to the big car manufacturers.

The problem with working for a large car manufacturer is politics. Not only within the working environment, but trying to compete with 10,000 other engineers is both difficult and time consuming - and if you aren’t so politically savvy (I’m not!!), you can easily lose your job at the next market slowdown.

So I recommend you go to a good engineering school. It won’t be easy - but good things never are. Then find a company that works with the heavy hitters in the business. Find a niche and become an expert in that niche. I found mine later in my career - tire failures. I was forced to learn it during the Ford/Firestone situation. It did me good for many years after that!

48

50+ years ago there was one engineering degree. You got a degree in engineering which included mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. When I first started my career as a software engineer I worked with a few guys who had just engineering degrees - all from well established colleges/universities.

49

Like I said, those days are l-o-n-g gone. There are even specializations among the big 4. For example, we have electrical engineers that specialize in digital, analog, RF or power. They are very different disciplines and not interchangeable. The same granularity is found in optical, mechanical and software engineering…

50
For example, we have electrical engineers that specialize in digital, analog, RF or power.

Many years ago I had a co-worker ask me if I knew a good electrician to do some electrical work at his house. I looked at him and said - “Aren’t you an electrical engineer?” - His reply was - “I don’t touch anything over 5 volts.” Electrical engineer in the digital world is totally different then a electrical engineer working for a power company.

51

@CapriRacer Its good to see that you’re a mechanical engineer, maybe you can help me through this situation.

52

LOL, this forum seems sometimes to be a gathering place for long-in-the-tooth engineers, some of us retired, and some of us retired from colleges.

Texases’ post was excellent, as usual. Comprehensive, informative, accurate, and very helpful in its recommendations. He has IMHO excelled in answering your questions. I strongly recommend that you print his post and look into the recommended organizations in his post.

And, not to be redundant, you might also consider the possibility of attending a military college. Your education at any one of them, West Point, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy at Annapolis, or the Merchant Marine Academy, would be world-class, recognized and respected all over the world, and… free! It isn’t an easy option, but your first four years of college may determine your opportunities for the rest of your life. It can’t get any better than a military academy. It’s scary, but it’s really worth thinking about and looking into.

53

If you are thinking of any kind of engineering, get advanced math and calculus as soon as you can. Investigate MIT’s free no-credit online courses during summer and vacations. I am assuming you can access their free non-credit courses from outside the USA. You can learn the hard math concepts for free on your own, so when you are taking those courses in university you don’t run out of time during a course.

I cannot imagine an engineer in any field not knowing science. Does not compute.

My warning as a parent myself for over 40 years, is work and study habits are what makes the difference between failure and success. At age 16, you want something fun. There are no important jobs which do not require thousands of hours of boring, repetitive study.

Those who fail are those who keep changing their plans as soon as they run into the hard, boring parts of the study program. And, never finish anything.

54

Nicholai,

If I can get you on the right track, good. It’s called “Paying it forward”. I got some good advice from some folks (didn’t always take it!) and all I would be doing would be passing it along.

If you want to converse, contact me through my web site:

www.barrystiretech.com

55
And, not to be redundant, you might also consider the possibility of attending a military college. Your education at any one of them, West Point, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy at Annapolis, or the Merchant Marine Academy, would be world-class, recognized and respected all over the world

Since he lives in Trinidad…the Military Academies are out. But there are options.

Over 10 years ago Harvard stopped giving Academic scholarships. All scholarships at Harvard are based on financial need. If your family income is less then $75k/yr…then tuition is FREE. If under $150k/yr then tuition is half price.

56

@Nicholai - Here’s a question: Do you want to work ON cars (repair, modifying, etc.) or work DESIGNING cars (designing engines, transmissions, electrics/electronics, etc.)?

Two very different things, two very different educational paths (a technical 2 year degree vs. an engineering 4 year or more degree(s)), either can be very rewarding.

At 16 you don’t have to decide, but it’s worth some thought.

57

@MikeInNH‌

Aren’t you an electrical engineer?" - His reply was - "I don’t touch anything over 5 volts.

{big smiley} Yeah, probably 20 years ago now, I was a dept manager and asked one of our techs to go troubleshoot a test fixture that was fed by 230 VAC split phase. His response- I am technician, not electrician. Five volts only!

58

LOL, this forum seems sometimes to be a gathering place for long-in-the-tooth engineers, some of us retired, and some of us retired from colleges.

Maybe you should change your name here to “The Sabertooth Mountainbike”

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

59

Military academies are not necessarily out for foreign nationals. I know someone that went to the Naval Academy with someone from Costa Rica. You may be right about Trinidad, but there are slots for people from outside the USA.

60

@texases They both sound rather interesting. Can you give me a full description on both ? Including jobs demand ?