Advice from the best in the UAE.
My son is in high school and aspires to be an automobile engineer. He wants to pursue motorsport engineering overseas. Please suggest best universities.
Automobile technology is rapidly growing and transforming how cars transport us around. From electric cars to in-car entertainment to self-driving cars, the future of much of innovation lies in these vehicles.
A field with such momentum makes a great career choice. Organisations such as Tesla and Google have ensured that not only is this field attracting some of the best minds, but it is paying handsomely too.
To pursue this discipline, you must be passionate about automobile technology. As it is with other engineering fields, it requires a solid foundation of math, physics and chemistry. This knowledge will help lay the foundation as you learn more complex engineering concepts and dive deeper into mechanical engineering. Depending on which aspect of automotive engineering you wish to pursue, you will choose courses and streams that help you align with those goals – electricals, fluid system, car design, etc. Be prepared to work under tight deadlines and adapt to quick changes in requirements.
Depending on which country you choose to study in, there are different requirements for the admission process. The basics of mechanical and automotive technology are taught before going to the more complex topics like design and production of cars; so an understanding of mechanical concepts at school level is beneficial and can help your application. Remember to choose a country to study in that has a strong automobile industry; not only will this help your job and internship opportunities, but faculty and academia-industry exchange will be much stronger in those countries.
The iconic IUPUI (Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis) has a four-year program that helps prepare students with a strong base of design and analysis skills to eventually create automotive systems. Since it is an American university, you will have to take the SAT and pad up your application with extracurriculars that demonstrate your passion for this field.
The UK is the third largest producer of cars in Europe, with organisations such as JLR and Rolls Royce calling it home. This makes the UK another ideal destination for students. Warwick University has a fantastic collaboration with the industry, supplementing its strong employment opportunities with research opportunities for students with an innovation center for sustainable cars partnered with industry giants such as Jaguar.
In Germany, campuses such as the University of Bayreuth offer a Bachelor’s degree in automotive engineering and mechatronics.
Higher education in Germany is also taught in English and in the current environment I would definitely encourage you to explore this avenue.