What to Expect

They're pretty rare, but programs in automotive engineering are also pretty focused. They train students to function in the real world of work.

Ponnappa M. Pandikuthira was looking for a master's engineering program that he could apply directly to the field that he was working in. As an automotive engineer, that's kind of hard.

"Most classical mechanical engineering programs still focus a lot on theory. [They] require students to take high-level math classes that we don't really use in the industry," he says.

"The [University of Michigan] automotive systems engineering program offered a fairly flexible curriculum with courses that were directly applicable to real-world automotive engineering."

He worked 50 to 60 hours a week while he studied for his master's degree. That posed a challenge for getting his schoolwork done.

"The University of Michigan made it very convenient for me...to take classes by offering the flexibility of viewing lectures via the web," he says.

The program also gave him access to a website that supported class discussions, assignments and group projects.

The high-tech element of the program had benefits for the other students, too. It allowed them to review portions of lectures that they had a hard time understanding during regular class hours. And the online discussion forums allowed students to post questions at any time.

Eric Leitzinger got an undergraduate degree in engineering with an automotive option. He then took his master's.

"It made great sense to stay within the city to complete my schooling so that experience in the automotive industry through co-op work terms would be feasible," he says.

He says the co-op program is one of the best things about the school.

"It gave me the opportunity to experience many facets of the automotive industry. And [it] gave me the opportunity to apply the skills acquired in school in real-life applications," he says.

How to Prepare

Part of what helped Leitzinger succeed in university was taking the right high school courses: English, algebra, calculus, physics and chemistry. But he says students should also take some technical courses such as automotive shop, drafting and manufacturing.

"Although these may not be required in high school, they would definitely educate the students in these areas and would also give them an advantage over students that haven't studied these subjects and are being exposed to them for the first time in university."