Any Clemson auto engineering alumni here?

My youngest is transferring to Clemson in January. His mom and her family all bleed orange.

Kid was studying data science and he just isn't into it. He is a sophomore. Math grades in particular are good. He is gaining interest in the CU Automotive Engineering program as a major. The CU website really isn't setup for mid year transfers - which makes sense because it's not common. I assume he will need to speak with an advisor (he reached out tonight) and evaluate what will count and what will not from his first three semesters. 

All thoughts welcome. Hit me. 

What is an automotive engineer? Mechanical, electrical, computer, aero, chemical, metallurgical, or all of the above?

As a former engineer in the auto industry, just curious what they actually study. I ended up using all them. 

alfadriver said:

What is an automotive engineer? Mechanical, electrical, computer, aero, chemical, metallurgical, or all of the above?

As a former engineer in the auto industry, just curious what they actually study. I ended up using all them. 

I may have finally stumped GRM. There are no alumni yet. Looks like it's a new program!

alfadriver said:

What is an automotive engineer? Mechanical, electrical, computer, aero, chemical, metallurgical, or all of the above?

As a former engineer in the auto industry, just curious what they actually study. I ended up using all them. 

My brother was a career metallurgical engineer for one of the big three in Detroit.  His son is an industrial engineer for one of the other big three, my understanding is he deals with the actual process of assembling cars on the line.

When I graduated from college (I'm an EE) I interviewed for a job at Chrysler - if I'd gotten the job, I would have been designing windshield wipers.   Not the career path I had in mind.

So, I agree - there are all types of engineers in the industry.

In college, a friend of mine was studying biomedical engineering as he had a real passion for it. 
He wound up switching to mechanical engineering as he felt all the jobs he would want to get accepted Mechanical Engineering, and many other jobs know what comes with ME better than Biomedical. 
 

Like Alfa, I am/was in the auto industry in engineering and so is my wife. Mechanical/chemical engineers and graduated in the last 10 years. Feel free to reach out if your son would like to talk. 

I'm an ME grad (from a different school) and i'd also be interested in seeing what the curriculum is and how it compares to ME/IE/EE.

Almost regardless of what the curriculum actually is, if the automotive program there will have relationships with the industry that would give him a head start on finding co-ops/internships, that would be a big leg up

I wonder if it includes some vehicle dynamics courses etc.  

thise are usually available as electives in a regular me curriculum. 

It's a two year old ish  program. First clsss inducted fall of 2023. So no one has actually graduated from this program yet.   Trick question. Haha 
 

https://che.sc.gov/sites/che/files/Documents/Meetings/2022/ACAP/Sept%2015/Clemson%20University%2C%20BS%20Automotive%20Engineering%20.pdf

I'm an old school (like slide rule old) mechanical engineer who spent 3/4 of my career in the auto industry. An ME degree will get you in the door, but what you end up doing after that is largely up to you.

The website indicates that it's part of the School of Mechanical Engineering, and the job market for grads is "closely tied to Mechanical Engineering".

"Alumni find success as vehicle development engineers, powertrain specialists, automotive designers, and research engineers at companies ranging from traditional automakers like BMW and Toyota to established tech companies like Alphabet and Siemens."

 Seems like it's just a more specialized ME program.

In reply to STM317 :

But there are no alumni. Becuse no one has graduated yet 

Thanks for the responses and offers to discuss privately. I will let him know.

I love the idea as a gear head (fascinated by mechanical things). When I was 17 my parents took me to visit GMI with the idea of enrolling. I ended up studying architecture elsewhere but it's always been a "what if"... and I was never good enough at math.

Another ME here,  it looks like it is not currently ABET accredited and Clemson won't seek that accreditation until 2027 after it already has graduates.  While the likelihood that this program doesn't receive that accreditation is low, I don't know if I'd gamble 4 years of my life and tuition on a "specialized" ME degree unless I was dead sure I wanted to work in the Automotive Industry for the next decade.

I am also an Me and happy to talk about what I know. But I've long since moved into management. 

Fueled by Caffeine said:

In reply to STM317 :

But there are no alumni. Becuse no one has graduated yet 

So, my alma mater offered a Motorsports Engineering certificate with ME and MET degrees if you completed the couple extra courses. After a couple of years, the certificate was expanded into it's own Bachelor's degree program, and you can now major in Motorsports Engineering.

I'm guessing that's what happened here as well. They're probably talking about job placement of alumni that have ME degrees with the previously offered "Automotive engineering" certificates.

I'm guessing the B.S./M.S./Ph.D track are new, but the others are not, and have grads in the field.

In reply to stuart in mn :

Totally forgot Industial- they have done an amazing job transforming the industry to keep costs down 

RacetruckRon said:

Another ME here,  it looks like it is not currently ABET accredited and Clemson won't seek that accreditation until 2027 after it already has graduates.  While the likelihood that this program doesn't receive that accreditation is low, I don't know if I'd gamble 4 years of my life and tuition on a "specialized" ME degree unless I was dead sure I wanted to work in the Automotive Industry for the next decade.

This is a great point 

In reply to STM317 :

My school offered a concentration.  So you could take certain electives and recieve effectively the same. 

Our son looked into that program but I don't recall the specifics. He was also interested in the masters program, which has been around for a while I believe.

https://www.clemson.edu/cecas/departments/automotive-engineering/academics/graduate/degrees/index.html

UNC Charlotte has a specific Motorsports Engineering degree which is a specialized mechanical engineering degree.  Sometimes, I wish I'd gone that route since I graduated from UNCC.  Anyway, back to designing foundations in dirt.  

Fueled by Caffeine said:

In reply to STM317 :

My school offered a concentration.  So you could take certain electives and recieve effectively the same. 

Same here. UNCC's motorsport program was just a concentration, so the degree was still a full-fat ME degree. To get the motorsport concentration, you just had to select from a subset of electives. I'd strongly advocate for this structure over a dedicated degree. 

cyow5 said:

Fueled by Caffeine said:

In reply to STM317 :

My school offered a concentration.  So you could take certain electives and recieve effectively the same. 

Same here. UNCC's motorsport program was just a concentration, so the degree was still a full-fat ME degree. To get the motorsport concentration, you just had to select from a subset of electives. I'd strongly advocate for this structure over a dedicated degree. 

Makes a lot of sense. 

Scotty Con Queso said:

UNC Charlotte has a specific Motorsports Engineering degree which is a specialized mechanical engineering degree.  Sometimes, I wish I'd gone that route since I graduated from UNCC.  Anyway, back to designing foundations in dirt.  

Have they changed it? My diploma just says Mechanical Engineering since concentrations are not listed. There's a huge difference between a concentration and a specialized degree. 

Edit: I just checked, and it is still a BSME, meaning it is an Mechanical Engineering degree and not a specialized degree. Clemson lists theirs as a BSAE, not BSME. I no longer work in automotive, so I can choose to drop the motorsport stuff and emphasize the mechanical degree. 

https://catalog.charlotte.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=36&poid=9934