Automotive Engineering | Chalmers
Programme aim The aim of the Automotive Engineering programme is to provide students with a
Programme aim
The aim of the Automotive Engineering programme is to provide students with a system perspective of automotive vehicles and depth within three focus areas: powertrain, vehicle dynamics and safety.
The programme is based on lectures, large assignments, simulations and experiments, and these are carried out as real case studies, or using other similar methods, with assistance from industrial tools.
Powertrain and vehicle dynamics are two essential disciplines in terms of understanding and designing the automotive vehicle system and its behaviour. The same is true of the field of safety, which is also a strong competence area at Chalmers; this brings a unique touch to the programme not found at many other universities.
Since all industrial automotive product development is carried out in a team-based project environment, the programme stresses the importance of project work. The aim of the projects is to provide a work environment that closely resembles that found in the industry. Students work on a multi-cultural team composed of many different competencies. Project tasks derive from industry or academia, and they take technical aspects as well as the importance of communication, teamwork and project management into consideration.
Location: Campus Johanneberg
Why apply
Skilled automotive engineers are required to meet the ever-increasing demands on high-quality individual mobility and transportation of people and goods, especially when considering global warming, environmental challenges and not least the vision of zero accidents. In the west coast region of Sweden, there has been a long tradition of research and development within manufacturing and assembly facilities for the automotive industry.
The Automotive Engineering Master’s Programme at Chalmers has the potential to provide students with the knowledge and competence needed to develop technologies for a sustainable mobile society that is in line with industry’s needs.
Learning objectives
Graduates will be able to:
- identify and discuss vehicles as complex systems from technical and social perspectives through a broad platform in automotive engineering
- analyze new technical challenges and create technical advancements in the automotive industry in three focus areas: powertrain, vehicle dynamics and safety
- synthesize and evaluate automotive systems and products in terms of direct use and lifecycle analysis and take environmental and economic aspects into consideration
- through applications and practice:
- utilize automotive-related IT and product development tools
- demonstrate the skills needed to manage and contribute to team-based engineering activities and projects in a multi-cultural environment.
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Entry requirements (academic year 2020/21)
General Entry Requirements
An applicant must either have a Bachelor’s degree in Science/Engineering/Technology/Architecture or be enrolled in his/her last year of studies leading to such a degree.
General entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) with a major in: Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Vehicle Engineering or Automation and Mechatronics Engineering
Prerequisites: Mathematics (at least 30 cr. including Linear Algebra, Multivariable Analysis, Numerical Analysis and Mathematical Statistics or Probability Theory), Control Theory or Automatic Control (at least 6 cr.) (including Signal Processing, Analyses of Feedback Systems (Stability), Design of Control Systems (PI, PID Controllers, State Space Design), Transfer Functions), Mechanics (including Statics and Dynamics), Strength of Materials or Solid Mechanics, Machine Elements or Applied Mechanics or Machine Design, Engineering Materials, Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, Programming (at least 6 cr.)
Preferable course experience: Finite Element Method (FEM), Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations, Matlab
English language requirements
Chalmers Bachelor’s degree
Are you enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree programme at Chalmers now or do you already have a Bachelor’s degree from Chalmers? If so, different application dates and application instructions apply.
Useful links
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Application
Degree: Master of Science (MSc)
Credits: 120
Duration: 2 years
Level: Second Cycle
Rate of study: 100%
Instructional time: Daytime
Language of instruction: English
Teaching form: On-campus
Tuition fee: 140 000 SEK/academic year
*EU/EEA Citizens are not required to pay fees.
Application Code: CTH-06009
Application Period: Mid-October – Mid-January every year
Contacts
Student contact:
The Automotive Engineering programme is a mechanical engineering programme that focuses on powertrain, vehicle dynamics and safety. This naturally only covers parts of the competencies needed to develop automotive vehicles. However, students can obtain supplementary knowledge within the sister programmes connected to control, production, electronics and materials.
The programme starts with four mandatory courses during the autumn.
The first of these discusses development of vehicles and introduces some of the main subsystems, modelling and simulation tools.
The other three mandatory courses fall under each of the three focus areas. To achieve the required depth within automotive engineering, students must choose four extra courses.
The programme offers seven additional courses and two projects to choose among, depending on interest. Thus the programme consists of either four courses or two courses and a project.
Programme content in detail, incl. syllabus and description of the courses
Career opportunities
The programme will lead to professional roles within research and development, design, and testing of processes, systems and parts of automotive vehicles or other mechanical systems. Some of the career possibilities include design of suspension systems, development of engine processes, design and evaluation of active and passive safety systems, testing and evaluation of powertrains, suspensions, stability of heavy vehicles, and new opportunities in the area of autonomous driving.
The holistic approach provided by the programme also offers a suitable background when aiming for a career/role within technical support, sales, manufacturing or management at different levels.
Research connections
Automotive engineering is a prioritized area of research at Chalmers. Through competence centres within catalysts, combustion, hybrids and safety linked to one of Chalmers’ Areas of Advance, Transport, Chalmers has gained a worldwide reputation. The Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences hosts three such centres: SAFER, Combustion Engine Research Centre (CERC) and Swedish Hybrid Vehicle Centre (SHC).
Safety research has achieved international acclaim, in particular with respect to activities in biomechanics related to whiplash injuries, and research on internal combustion engines has focused on lowering emissions by spray modelling and injection strategies. Chalmers hosts the Swedish Hybrid Centre, SHC, which is a cooperation initiative between Swedish universities and the automotive industry. Research focuses on batteries, powertrain control and electric motors.
All research groups at the Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences support the master’s programme and graduate schools for PhD students, and constitute a natural continuation of all three tracks. Many of the courses in the curriculum may also be incorporated into the PhD programmes. The Master’s programme therefore serves as a natural platform for PhD studies.
Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences
STUDENT INTERVIEW
“Volvo has provided tasks for us”
Jidapa Asakit, Thailand, Automotive Engineering
Why did you choose this programme?
– I have been very interested in motorsports since I was a child and that is why I wanted to go into this field from the beginning. I have a background in mechanical engineering, but I wanted to be able to work with the whole vehicle. We work mostly in groups in this programme and have a close connection with the industry. Some of our tasks have been provided by guest lecturers from Volvo, for example. We also have the freedom to choose elective courses that are outside of our programme.
What have you been working on?
– I recently made a simulation of an electric hybrid vehicle with newfound battery-knowledge from my lectures. In this simulation, I wanted to examine how we can reduce the fuel consumption of a vehicle.
What do you like the most about your programme?
–It is a very international environment. I often get a chance to work with people from different nationalities which I think will be useful for me in the future. I like the facilities, the laboratory and the computer labs that are available here at Chalmers. In my home country, I must use my own computer and my own software. But here, everything that you need is available.
What do you want to do in the future?
– The engine is the heart of the vehicle, so I would like to go on optimizing engines for a more sustainable future.