Auburn University has added a new minor as a response to the growing automotive industry in the state.
“It is our responsibility as a land-grant institution to change with the needs of the state,” said Dr. Alice Smith, a professor in industrial and systems engineering at the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. “This is a way for Auburn to give back to the community and help the state economy.”
Students have already started talking the classes offered in the new automotive engineering and manufacturing minor, but Dr. Peter Jones, an associate professor in mechanical engineering, said he expects demand to be high this fall.
“As a state institution, we can serve the state and help our students prepare for these kinds of jobs,” he said.
Auburn graduates have sought plenty of jobs in the industry for a number of years with plants for Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Hyundai in Alabama, Smith said. Kia is expected to be open in West Point, Ga., next year.
However, Jones said this minor opens up a different avenue that hasn’t been pursued yet. He said a student with this minor will be suited for a job offering engineering support in automotive manufacturing operations. Since the design process is constantly changing in manufacturing, he said students with such knowledge will be more appealing to employers and better prepared for the industry. Smith agreed.
“They can basically hit the ground running,” she said. “The automotive industry has been a great employer for our students, but this will give them a competitive advantage.”
Jones said the idea is that engineering students will opt to take an extra five courses — above and beyond those required for a major — to acquire extra skills specific to automotive engineering and manufacturing.
“We want them to know industrial and systems engineering or mechanical engineering first and then learn something else,” he said.
Smith said students in industrial and systems engineering or mechanical engineering will be targeted for the new opportunity, but it is open for other majors as well.
If Auburn chooses to expand its offerings in this area, Jones said the next logical step would be a graduate program, not an undergraduate major, but nothing has been discussed about that yet.
aweaver@oanow.com | 737-2534
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