Graduate Specialization in Automotive Systems and Mobility

The Graduate Specialization in Automotive Systems and Mobility (GS-ASM) provides a unique opportunity for the MS and PhD students in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering to acquire specialized training, unique skills and real-world experience in their area of interest, which will enhance their degree with a focus on automotive systems and smart mobility.

Program Features

Participating Department
Students wishing to partake in the GS ASM program are required to gain admission through the graduate program in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Program Development and Approval
Because departmental requirements for the master’s degree vary (e.g. thesis and non-thesis options), students are expected to prepare and implement a study plan that satisfies requirements for both their home department and the GS ASM program. Each student will formulate a plan with the assistance of his/her advisor, and upon its completion, submit it to his/her home department’s Graduate Studies Committee.

Depending on whether they are completing the thesis or non-thesis option, students fulfill the requirements of their selected focus area by completing one or two sequences of core courses. For more information on what constitutes a sequence, please refer to the Core Course Sequence Requirements chart (Table 1) section below.

After completing their core sequence, students enroll in a number of interdisciplinary courses that relate to their specified area of expertise. Generally, relevant courses on mathematics, statistics and computational methods qualify as expertise area courses.

Course Requirements

GS ASM Requirements Summarized
Thesis option and PhD students are required to take one core sequence. It is expected that their thesis or dissertation be on a topic related to automotive systems.

In addition to the core sequence(s), students fill out the coursework portion of their degree requirements with an expertise area course, some of which should be drawn from the core focus area courses. A partial list of suggested expertise area courses is linked here, with the exemption of available math courses that are excluded due to their large number.

All students are required to regularly attend seminars on automotive systems topics, which are held weekly at the Center for Automotive Research when classes are in session at the university.

Program Options

Program Option	Courses	Semester Hours
Master Thesis	One Core Course Sequence Expertise area courses[1] MS Thesis Seminars on automotive topics (3 per semester)	6 9 6 n/a
PhD	One core course sequence Expertise area courses Seminars on automotive topics (3 per semester)	6 18 n/a
Master with Non-Thesis Option	Two core course sequences Expertise area courses Seminars on automotive topics (3 per semester)	12 12 n/a

[1] This must include at least one more core course (from the list of core focus area courses), outside the core focus area from which a sequence is chosen (applies to MS and Ph.D. programs alike).

Core Course Sequence Requirement
To complete a core sequence, a student must select two or four (for MS non-thesis) semester courses from one of the core focus areas listed in table 2 below. Under special circumstances—providing that the intent of the core sequence is preserved—students may substitute one of the core courses in a sequence. In the cases where prerequisites for core courses may not be waived, students should take the prerequisite course for credit and use these courses to satisfy other requirements posed by their graduate program.

Core sequences consist of subject matter that is crucial to form a comprehensive understanding of at least one important area in automotive systems. Additionally, the focus of each sequence aligns with the research specializations at the Center for Automotive Research.

Expertise Area Requirements
In addition to the Core Sequence Requirement, each GS ASM student is required to take a minimum number of credit hours (dependent upon departmental requirements) of expertise area coursework, as indicated in Table 1.  In order to fulfill the Expertise Area Requirement, at least three hours of the required coursework credits must be drawn from the list of core focus areas (Table 2). The remaining credits can be drawn from the partial list of expertise area courses shown in Table 3. Because courses not listed herein may qualify as expertise area courses (such as most mathematics courses available for graduate credit), the student must work out a plan with his/her advisor, and submit to the home department’s Graduate Studies Committee for approval (see below).

Seminars on Automotive Topics
All students participating in the GS ASM program are required to regularly attend seminars that focus on automotive systems topics. These seminars will feature a range of speakers and themes, and industry experts are often invited to share their insight with students as well. Generally, seminars focus on current work in automotive-related research, conveyed from the perspectives of practicing automotive engineers and managers.

Additional Requirements

Regardless of whether a GS ASM student is completing a master’s thesis, non-thesis project or doctoral dissertation, it is required that the final research product is relevant to automotive systems.

The GS ASM requirements serve to enhance the skills and knowledge that graduate engineers will apply to complex automotive problems in the future. By their program’s completion, students will better understand the perspectives, capabilities and approaches of other engineering disciplines, as well as their relevance to automotive systems.

Application and Enrollment

1. During the semester the student plans to graduate, the student must submit the MAE Graduate Student Milestone form applying for the GS-ASM specialization.
    
2. The GS-ASM program administrator at CAR will check that the courses identified by the student satisfy the GS-ASM requirements as well as whether the thesis/non thesis/dissertation satisfies the requirements for the GS-ASM and will inform the student of acceptance into the program. That form must be submitted at least one month before commencement. Upon receiving notification from the GS-ASM program administrator at CAR , MAE will inform the Graduate School, who will issue the "Graduate Specialization in Automotive Systems and Mobility" on the student’s transcript.  

Table 2: List of Core Course Sequences

Core Focus Area 1: Advanced Propulsion Systems, APS ME 7383  Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Systems for Automotive Applications ME 7384  Energy Modeling, Simulation, Optimization and Control of Advanced Vehicles

Core Focus Area 2: Powertrain Modeling and Control, PMC ME 5339 Simulation Techniques for Dynamic Systems Analysis and Design ME 7236 Powertrain Dynamics ME 8312 Diesel Powertrain Systems Control ME 8372 Fault Diagnosis in Dynamic Systems ECE 5554 Powertrain Control

Core Focus Area 3: Noise, Vibration and Harshness, NVH ME 5240  Mechanical Vibrations ME 5194  Engineering Acoustics ME 7260/1 Automotive Noise and Vibration Control I ME 7262/3 Automotive Noise and Vibration Control II ME 8260  Advanced Engineering Acoustics

Core Focus Area 4: Internal Combustion Engines, ICE ME 5427 Turbomachinery ME 5530 Internal Combustion Engines ME 5531 Automotive Powertrain Laboratory ME 7440 Internal Combustion Engine Modeling ME 7520 Wave Dynamics in Fluids

Core Focus Area 5: Electromechanical and Power Conversion Systems, EPC ME 7384 Energy Modeling, Simulation, Optimization and Control of Advanced Vehicles ECE 5025 Power Electronics Devices, Circuits and Applications ECE 5041 Electric Machine Fundamentals

Core Focus Area 6: Vehicle Systems – Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) ME 8194 Robust Control for Mechatronics Systems ME 8372 Fault Diagnosis in Dynamic Systems ECE 5400 Instrumentation, Signals, and Control in Transportation Applications ECE 5553 Autonomy in Vehicles ECE 7855 Large Scale and Cyber-Physical Systems

Core Focus Area 7: Vehicle Systems – Vehicle Dynamics and Control ME 5234 Vehicle Dynamics ME 8322 Vehicle System Dynamics and Control ME 8372 Fault Diagnosis in Dynamic Systems

 

Table 3: List of Suggested Expertise Area Courses (List is not comprehensive: students can consult with their Academic advisor and the GS-ASM Program Coordinator when picking classes).

Power Electronics and Electric Machines              ECE 5025              Power Electronics: Devices, Circuits, and Applications ECE 5041              Electric Machines ECE 5042              Power Systems ECE 5541             Sustainable Energy and Power Systems ECE 7842             Advanced Topics in Electric Machines

Dynamic Systems, Measurement and Control    ME 5234              Vehicle Dynamics ME 5339              Simulation Techniques for Dynamic System Analysis and Design ME 5372               Design and Control of Mechatronic Systems ME 5665               Reliability Engineering I ME 5666               Reliability Engineering II ME 7370               Measurement Systems and Experimental Techniques ME 7290               Digital Control Engineering ME 7380               Lumped Parameter Modeling and System Analysis ME 8194              Robust Control for Mechatronics Systems ME 8312              Diesel Powertrain Systems Control ME 8322              Vehicle System Dynamics and Control ME 8372               Fault Diagnosis in Dynamic Systems ECE 5551              State-Space Control Systems ECE 5553              Autonomy in Vehicles ECE 5754              Nonlinear Systems Theory ECE 5557              Control System Implementation Laboratory ECE 7854              Nonlinear and Adaptive Control ECE 7858              Intelligent Control ECE 5465              Advanced Microcomputers ECE 5400              Instrumentation, Signals, and Control in Transportation Applications ECE 5554             Powertrain Control ECE 7855             Large Scale and Cyber Physical Systems

Signal Processing             ECE 5200              Introduction to Digital Signal Processing ECE 6200              Signal Processing ECE 6202              Stochastic Signal Processing ME 5320H           Digital Signal Processing with Mechanical Engineering Applications ME 8320               Digital Signal and Random Data Analysis for Mechanical Systems

Mechatronics    ME 7752               Mechanics and Control of Robots ME 8194              Robust Control for Mechatronics Systems ME 8372               Fault Diagnosis in Dynamic Systems ECE 5463              Introduction to Real Time Robotics Systems ECE 6101              Computer Communication Networks

Noise, Vibration and Dynamics  ME 5139               Applied Finite Element Method ME 5168              Introduction to the Finite Element Method ME 5240               Vibration and Acoustic Design ME 7250               Vibration of Discrete Systems ME 8230               Nonlinear Dynamics ME 8250               Vibration of Continuous Systems ME 8260               Advanced Engineering Acoustics

Computer Aided Design, Engineering & Manufacturing (CAD/CAE/CAM)               ME 5680               Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing ME 5682.01         Fundamentals of Product Design Engineering ME 7761               Optimum Design of Machines and Structures ME 7751               Advanced Kinematics and Mechanisms

Thermodynamics, Combustion Processes, and Emissions              ME 5427               Turbomachinery ME 5502               Engineering Thermodynamics ME 5530              Internal Combustion Engines ME 5531              Automotive Powertrain Laboratory ME 6526               Combustion ME 7440               Internal Combustion Engine Modeling ME 7526               Advanced Combustion ME 8503               Statistical Thermodynamics ME 8514               Optical Techniques for Flow Measurements

Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer ME 6501               Gas Dynamics ME 6505               Intermediate Fluid Dynamics ME 6507               Intermediate Numerical Methods ME 6510               Intermediate Heat and Mass Transfer ME 7511               Computational Fluid Dynamics ME 7513               Turbulence ME 7520              Wave Dynamics in Fluids ME 8506               Advanced Fluid Dynamics

Structural & Mechanical Design ME 5144               Engineering Fracture Mechanics ME 5139               Applied Finite Element Method ME 7163               Advanced Strength of Materials and Elasticity Theory ME 7701               Experimental Methods in Movement Biomechanics ME 7765               Principles and Applications of Tribology ME 8043               Advanced Elasticity

Program Administration

The GS ASM program is administered by the Graduate Studies Committees of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Please direct any questions to:

Professor Marcello Canova (MAE)
canova.1@osu.edu
Center for Automotive Research
The Ohio State University
930 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH 43212