is composed of (1) core courses addressing the automotive systems integration, (2) technical track courses and systems courses targeted at a variety of specializations, (3) dedicated minors in leadership, management and business and (4) foreign language proficiency.

PhD There is no set time frame to complete the PhD program; however, doctoral degree programs are typically completed in three to four years. The PhD program will require you to develop a core understanding of automotive systems integration, depth in automotive tracks, breadth in technical disciplines through a technical minor, understanding of leadership, management and business or related fields and a six-month overseas residency in a foreign research lab or university. You must also demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language. You will be required to write a dissertation consisting of original research integrating technical and other issues in the area of leadership, management and business or related fields. You must also complete a nine-hour technical minor consisting of a set of three technical courses in an area of science or engineering outside the discipline and integrate it into your dissertation work. A minimum of nine hours (three courses) to be integrated in dissertation work is required. A minimum of 18 semester hours of doctoral research credit is required.

CU-ICAR campus, Neighborhood I

Research

There are four thrust areas for research:

(1) Systems integration including integrated platform design, development and manufacturing, intelligent sub-systems integration and electro-mechanical system integration

(2) Manufacturing including integrated manufacturing systems, process design and development, flexible manufacturing, precision systems, mass customization, design for manufacturing, supply chain management, metrology, quality assurance, and automated and intelligent assembly and machinery.

(3) Product design and development including total vehicle and subsystem design and development, methodologies and design tools including CAD/CAM software for new product development, lightweight engineering, product performance evaluation, vehicle and component dynamics and shortening of product development cycle

(4) Vehicular electronics including automotive electronics, signal and information processing, microsensors, microelectronic and mechanical systems (MEMS), electronics and sensor integration, networked microsensor technology and emerging applications, such as adaptive cruise control, warning systems, integrated pressure systems, inertial sensing, electromagnetic shielding and electronics protocols.

Specific research at any given time depends on individual faculty interests and sponsor needs.

Facilities

The primary facility for the automotive engineering program is the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center (CGEC) located on the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) campus.

The CGEC is a 90,000 sq. ft. building that has specialized facilities targeting research activities in systems integration, design and development, and test and manufacturing for both passenger and heavy vehicles. The center’s test facilities include capabilities for full vehicle and engine/powertrain testing. Faculty, students, staff and industry partners are housed in the center. The building also has state-of-the-art conference facilities that host a variety of major automotive events. The center is located near the new High Performance Computing Center, specializing in modeling and numerical analysis of aerodynamics and acoustics, static and dynamic structures manufacturing, combustion and emissions. Access to a wide variety of other laboratories and facilities on Clemson’s main campus augments the student experience.

CU-ICAR is a 400-acre campus that will support the state’s efforts to build a regional automotive economic cluster, providing advanced engineering education and close linkage of academic and private sector research and development efforts. CU-ICAR is located at the midpoint of the Charlotte-to-Atlanta I-85 corridor, which is home to hundreds of automotive industries and suppliers and two-thirds of the nation’s racing teams.

Financial Aid

After being accepted, you may be offered support through a fellowship or assistantship as a graduate research assistant (GRA), graduate lab assistant or teaching assistant (GLA). A GRA is hired by a professor to work on that professor’s research project and assist the professor in related teaching duties. A GLA is hired to work as a lab instructor or lecturer. Graders are occasionally hired during each semester to help instructors in the evaluation of student work.

If you have an assistantship, you will be required to enroll for 12 hours each semester (typically three courses in addition to credit received for research).

Applying

If you apply for admission into the graduate program in automotive engineering, you must meet the academic requirements for admission to the Clemson University Graduate School. In addition, post BS industrial experience in relevant engineering or science disciplines is considered favorable.

You may apply on the web at www.grad.clemson.edu/Admission.php. Applications for the MS program are only accepted for the fall semester. Applications for the PhD program are accepted for fall and spring semesters. If you are a US citizen, your application package should be submitted at least four weeks prior to registration. International student application packages must be completed by May 1 and October 1 for registration in the fall and spring semesters, respectively. To be considered for assistantship support, your application package must be received by February and October respectively. Assistantships are limited and awarded on a highly competitive basis.

CGEC equipments include: seven-Post Full Vehicle Shaker (shown), 500 150 HP hot engine testing cells, full vehicle coordinate measuring machine, fully equipped CNC machining lab.

Manufacturing Robotics, Automation Lab.

Faculty

The automotive engineering program faculty include endowed chairs in manufacturing, systems integration, design and development and vehicular electronics, in addition to six faculty in supporting areas. Faculty from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and other disciplines with strong interest in the automotive field will also participate through course offerings, research and student advisement.