Vehicle Engineering Education Requirements

Vehicle Engineering Education Requirements

Very few U.S. universities offer official degrees in vehicle engineering, and thus most practitioners in the field elect to study mechanical engineering. A Bachelor’s Degree is required as a minimum qualification for securing employment in the field. Many mechanical engineering programs integrate courses in automotive electronics and power systems into their curriculum. Students aspiring for the academic certification should demonstrate a strong interest and capacity in math and science courses such as calculus, physics, and more importantly computer science, as most vehicles and systems are based on digital platforms. Students who embark upon advanced education at the graduate level have the skills and training to thrive in the global marketplace. Professionals with Master’s degrees and/or Ph.D.’s have focused their efforts on hybrid electric automotive technology and systems cases. Furthermore, they have the ability to assume senior executive positions within their firms, while others branch out to begin their own ventures. Engineers with this level of academic and professional experience also teach college students. Other skills that have proven to serve aspiring candidates well include strong problem solving skills, superb written and oral communication capacities, multitasking, budget management, team-building and social skills, as well as independent judgment.

Ford Motor Company is one of many companies that value and actively recruit vehicle engineering professionals to their organization. In a Detroit News profile of Alana Strager, a Ford program manager with a background in the field, the executive illuminated the various duties and responsibilities she performs daily in their work producing the Ford F-150 truck. Her background enabled her to seamlessly lead a team of engineers and product developers in refining a product that served their customers’ needs while featuring the latest technological features. Known as the “Queen of Innovation”, Strager helped assemble a team of insightful marketers, astute engineers, and expert designers in developing a product coveted by a range of consumers. Her work on the truck’s BoxLink technology particularly illustrated the medley of skills demanded and refined by the engineering profession. The system consists of four slots located in the interior of the truck’s bed that enable users to fasten supplies, materials, and other objects to the truck. Though the bed features fixed mounting slots, the metallic cleats may be removed, enabling the feature to be customized based on the flexible needs of customers. In Strager’s view, people purchase vehicles like the Ford F-150 to help each other, thereby underscoring not only the practical utility of the truck but its social community component as well. Her career at Ford illuminates the importance in vehicle engineering of developing well-rounded skills to execute technological initiatives that address consumer needs in the global marketplace.

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