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Undergraduate
Programs
Opportunities to
participate in the UNC Charlotte Motorsports and Automotive
Engineering program vary widely. The program currently enjoys
participation from faculty and students from five departments
(Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, Civil Engineering,
Electrical Engineering, and Kinesiology). In addition, a concentration in motorsports is
offered as part of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical
Engineering. This option includes specialized studies in automotive
subjects, hands-on design and fabrication projects, and practical
work experiences with area professionals.
Interdisciplinary
activities are highly encouraged in the program through a new
"business model" approach to projects. Using this approach,
students apply to serve on a variety of teams based on their skill
levels rather than their year in school. For example, a Freshman
that worked as a machinist for several years may be selected as a
team leader for the fabrication team. Students are then selected to
be on various teams based on their experience levels, interest, and
requests. They can therefore tailor the equipment with which they
will develop an expertise, making them even more attractive when
they interview for racing positions. And, students from different
departments work together and learn from each others' experiences.
After successful
completion of their freshman year, Mechanical Engineering students
may apply for admission into the Motorsports Engineering
concentration. As sophomores, students accepted into the program
enroll in Motorsports Clinic I, and they begin seeing an automotive
emphasis applied to their engineering education. These students
participate in individual and team motorsports/automotive projects.
During their junior
and senior years, Motorsports Engineering students begin a heavier
concentration in automotive studies. All technical electives are
taken from a list of motorsports engineering courses. Motorsports
Clinics II and III involve motorsports projects and research.
Design/build projects include the mini-Baja competition car, Formula
SAE open-wheel race car, and numerous other projects associated with
national competitions and local motorsports partners.
Current Motorsports
Engineering courses include:
 Automotive Power
Plants
Vehicle Aerodynamics
Road Vehicle
Dynamics
Motorsports
Instrumentation
Motorsports
Engineering Clinics I, II and III
Discrete Mechanical
Vibration Systems
Intermediate
Dynamics
Individualized Study
Finite Element
Modeling
Graduate Programs
Students have the
opportunity to pursue master's and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical
Engineering by tailoring their coursework and their theses topics.
Graduate course offerings include:
Advanced
Coordinate Metrology
Advanced Fluid
Mechanics
Advanced Surface
Metrology
Bearing Design and
Lubrication
Computational
Fluid Dynamics
Computational
Methods in Engineering
Conduction Heat
Transfer
Convection Heat
Transfer
Deformation and
Fracture of Materials
Engineering
Metrology
Experimental
Stress Analysis
Finite Element
Analysis and Applications
Fundamentals of
Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow
Mechanical
Behavior of Materials
Mechanical Design
Mechanism Analysis
Mechanism
Synthesis
Theory of
Elasticity
Tribology
Vibrations of
Continuous System
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