Abstract:

The 21st century automotive industry is undergoing a rapid change of direction and advancement of technology. The short to medium term challenge is decarbonisation and zero pollutant emissions through powertrain electrification whereas the longer term aim is for improved access to personal urban mobility and improved safety delivered by connected and autonomous vehicles. Inhibiting this progress is the STEM recruitment crisis which is still in full momentum, compounded by the pace of technology change and the legacy of engineering courses and skills traditionally available.
This paper describes the focus and design of two brand new post-graduate (Level 7) taught degree programmes launched at WMG, University of Warwick: The MSc in Sustainable Automotive Engineering (SAE) launched in October 2016, and the MSc in Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (SCAV) launching in October 2018. Together, the courses are uniquely aligned to give 100% coverage of industry technology roadmaps and they exhibit unprecedented alignment with industry focussed research projects and facilities at the university. Feedback from the cohort of 2016 and 2017 SAE graduates is analysed, giving direction to continuous review process of SAE and guiding the formation and launch of SCAV. The paper concludes with a concise list of recommendations for the development of post-graduate STEM courses at other institutions for other industries.

Keywords:

STEM, Automotive, Post-graduate, Course Design, Masters, Industry, Technology