Automotive engineering technology: A counter-intuitive path to greater engineering technology enrollment

At Arizona State University, the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technology Department has implemented an automotive concentration within its Mechanical Engineering Technology program. This concentration, consisting of 18 credits, was added in part due to continued student interest, both among prospective students and those already enrolled in the program. The paper briefly describes the path of the program's conception and development. Benchmarks such as the initial curriculum design by the faculty, the dramatic overhaul of the curriculum based on the comments of the then President of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and related design process involving industry representatives are discussed. The current state of the courses and overall curriculum structure is discussed. Of importance to engineering technology educators is the impact of this concentration on the enrollment within the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MMET) Department. In spite of gloomy national news about the automotive industry and Arizona State University's geographical remoteness from the Michigan and upper Midwest heart of the US-based automotive industry, the automotive concentration has experienced explosive enrollment growth (of both in-state and non-resident students). These data are shared in the paper.