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Driving the Future

The School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering

Innovating and educating in the areas of mobility, energy, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.

A student in the Automotive Engineering department.

About the School

The School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering puts the departments of mechanical engineering and automotive engineering under one umbrella, positioning Clemson University for high-impact research, innovation, and education while also addressing critical societal needs, including energy and sustainable mobility, autonomous systems, advanced materials and manufacturing, and human-technology integration.

Combining Clemson’s preeminence in the automotive sector with the breadth provided by mechanical engineering creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity for growth of both the undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as the research enterprise.

Additional information about the School can be found in the Message From The School Director.

Video Transcript

0:00-0:04

An aerial view over campus buildings is shown on a sunny morning.

0:05-0:09

Two men in hard hats and safety vests look up at a wind turbine.

0:10-0:13

Two men discuss the interior of a large conduit with light coming in from outside the large opening.

0:14-0:18

Many students walk across the Library Bridge. The bridge is often crowded with students as they make their way between classes.

0:19-0:32

Purple letters spelling "Clemson University Civil Engineering" are on the side of a golf cart. Two graduate civil engineering students are using the cart as they prepare to survey the campus sidewalks for an accessibility project. They both help to set up the surveying equipment.

0:33-0:36

Four females are in a lab, looking over a blue device that holds samples.

0:37-0:46

The same device is seen again with two males and one female sitting in front of it, with a pen, paper, and a calculator. The students fade as a white Tiger Paw comes into focus in the center of the screen. The video concludes.

Meeting Global Needs

Student discussing design features with industry members.

The School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering embodies Clemson’s vision for elevating student experience, the ascension of research, and meeting evolving societal needs statewide and beyond.

The pooling of resources on the main campus in Clemson and the award-winning Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville elevates the student experience in both mechanical engineering and automotive engineering and strengthens the foundation for collaborations and trans-disciplinary research.

The B.S. in mechanical engineering program is already the largest in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Science. Furthermore, the nation's first undergraduate degree program in automotive engineering will meet the rapidly changing needs of an industry that is transforming itself at an unprecedented pace as a fast-growing number of vehicles become electric and autonomous.

Our graduate students enjoy working side-by-side with faculty on a broad range of research; at the M.S. level, both the mechanical and automotive programs offer hands-on learning through internships.

Events

Our diverse range of programs is unified by an unwavering commitment to outstanding teaching and research aimed at creating a global impact through engineering and scientific approaches. The school actively disseminates information through newsletters, hosting seminars, and organizing conferences that bring experts together.

    Mechanical in the News

    Automotive in the News

    Research Thrusts

    two researchers looking at computer screen

    Computational Design, Modeling, Decision Making, and Optimization

    • Building tools for multi-scale, multi-physics system design, integrating generative and AI-assisted techniques.
    • Digital twins, uncertainty quantification, and human-in-the-loop simulations
    • Developing methods for extracting insights from structured and unstructured data in various engineering domains.
    • Applications: autonomy, mobility, sustainability, biomedical fields
    electric car

    Energy and Sustainability

    • Renewable energy, thermal management, hybrid propulsion systems, and battery technology
    • Enabling energy-efficient production and lightweight materials critical for renewable energy and propulsion systems.
    • Applications: electric vehicles, alternative fuels, vehicle-to-grid connectivity
    An image of advanced manufacturing

    Materials and Manufacturing Innovation

    • Next-generation materials and technologies to create lightweight, durable, and functional products including extreme materials, meta-materials, composites, energy-based materials, biomaterials, and circular materials for sustainable manufacturing.
    • Investigating manipulation techniques for particulates using acoustic, electric, magnetic, and hydrodynamic phenomena.
    • Applications: energy, transportation, healthcare, sustainability, environmental detection, and manufacturing processes
    autonomous vehicle

    Intelligent Systems and Robotics

    • Developing algorithms and methods for robotics, autonomous vehicles, and intelligent manufacturing.
    • Integrating biomechanics, human psychology, and anthropometry to enhance human-machine interfaces.
    • Applications: quality control, logistics, and human-machine interactions.

    Degrees Offered

    CE & EEES Academic Majors
    Degree B.S. M.S. M.S. Online Ph.D. Certificate
    Automotive Engineering X X X X X
    Mechanical Engineering X X X X

    Beyond the main campus, we have state-of-the-art facilities across the state. From the bachelor's level to graduate certificates, our academic offering allows us to focus on industry needs and continue to produce highly sought-after graduates.

    Automotive Degrees Mechanical Degrees
    Aditya Bhagat profile

    “I think what’s most unique about Clemson is the way the curriculum is set up to ensure students get hands-on experience on projects, along with theoretical knowledge. This helps us understand and tackle the challenges associated with application of the theory, which is a crucial skill needed in the industry. ”

    Aditya Bhagat
    Automotive Engineering, MS ’20
    • 70+
      FACULTY STRENGTH
    • 20M
      RESEARCH EXPENDITURE
    • 1500+
      STUDENTS ENROLLED

    School Mission

    Our guiding principles

    The mission of the school is to produce top talent for the region and the nation; create a powerful research enterprise with unprecedented opportunities for Clemson’s faculty and students; create high-impact research addressing society’s most pressing needs; and foster economic growth by emphasizing industry relevance of fundamental research and innovation through translation.

    Student works under the hood of a Deep Orange car