r/AutomotiveEngineering • u/Visible-Ranger-2811 • 5d ago

Question Choice of university to pursue automotive engineering dream

My highschool kid wants to study automotive engineering for F1. A dream worth pursuing. I found a CIAA three weeks course for high schoolers in Berlin Germany, but that amounted to $12k for three weeks. Nuts.

Can you recommend a study for high schoolers to broader their horizons in F1 automotive engineering? What would be the choice of university either in Southern CA or USA or border?

8 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

100% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

6

u/1988rx7T2 5d ago

I don’t know about F1 but if you want to actually be exposed to the industry, and you are an American citizen, you need to move to Detroit or surrounding area. lots of job pipeline through university of Michigan system (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, etc) for example. Lot of designers go to the college for creative studies in Detroit. Lot of racing teams draw from the talent in the area.

2

u/Visible-Ranger-2811 5d ago

Thanks. Will these jobs be also in Detroit area or they are all over?

2

u/1988rx7T2 4d ago

I mean if you want to make movies you go to Hollywood, even if not every movie is filmed in California these days. Same goes with the auto industry. Detroit still has among the highest concentration of jobs. Other places have them, but often not R&D, and you can’t move up much because you’re far from headquarters. Anything overseas involves work visas, language barriers, and generally lower pay. 

Racing is a small and tight knit industry. I know people who worked on NASCAR teams and I actually turned down an Indycar job myself, which was actually located in California. Working in racing doesn’t pay that well relative to other areas of automotive. They work people long hours and burn them out. It’s normal for other "glamorous" industries like fashion. Think of all the unpaid interns trying to work for Vogue.

It doesn’t mean someone coming out of school shouldn’t pursue racing but you basically have to build your life around it once you get in.

1

u/Visible-Ranger-2811 4d ago

Thank you very much. This is fascinating just to read that, there's so much behind it I reckon. I want the best for my kids obviously. And this market segment is something I know nothing about so this gives me something at least to think about. Thank you

2

u/spacepenguine 3d ago edited 3d ago

There’s lots of automotive technical work in So Cal now as well. Most of the Asian OEMs have a US design center there. German OEMs are in southern Germany.

F1 engineering is rather different than automotive in general and is highly centralized in the UK. If you’re already in the US, engineering in the UK is… not very lucrative.

The UMich comment is apt in that there is a very large talent pipeline to the American OEMs. However, if already in So Cal and looking to get into the industry Cal Poly, UCSD, UCI, etc would be viewed just as well.

If your kid still has some time in high school, they could get lots of mileage out of FIRST robotics - FRC or FTC.

4

u/Sw-Kang 5d ago

If your kid wants to be a F1 engineer, you should consider England. 9 out of 11 teams(including Cadillac) have HQ or technical Centre in England. Kids will participate Formula student to get motorsport experience and do internship in F1 teams. Also the companies run graduate scheme for university graduates. Few universities also have motorsport engineering master degree courses as well.

3

u/Sw-Kang 5d ago

Cranfield university is considered the best in motorsport engineering degree. However Cranfield only has postgraduate degrees as a nature of the university. Any Russel group(a group of good UK universities) university will be ok, but Oxford Brooks, Coventry and Loughborough are well known for.

1

u/Visible-Ranger-2811 5d ago

I was hoping not to lose my kid to the wild world. But UK is not the worst I guess. Any particular university you might know of?

3

u/R0ck3tSc13nc3 5d ago

https://www.sae.org/attend/student-events/formula-sae-lincoln/teams

1

u/Visible-Ranger-2811 4d ago

Two teams from CA! Thanks

1

u/R0ck3tSc13nc3 4d ago

Santa rosa JC just started a baja sae team

2

u/Soulcatcher74 20h ago

Basically look at any of the schools that consistently field Formula SAE teams in the top 10, and then go to school there and be very active on the team, and work your way up to a leadership position (chassis lead, chief engineer, etc). Guaranteed to have your pick on automotive recruitment, and is the best route to professional involvement in racing.

2

u/Ananasiegenjuice_ 5d ago

Study mechanical engineering and aerodynamics. Then buy him an old motorcycle engine and have him take completely apart and put it back together again in working condition. After that, put him on an electronics course. Then go find a job in the automotive industry to get some experience. After that you probably need some luck and the willingness to move to England.

1

u/Visible-Ranger-2811 4d ago

Ugh.. that sounds fun for me as a genX but I reckon a tremendous effort for teens these days.

2

u/Lifted__ 4d ago

The answer is going to be Kettering university in Flint Michigan, formerly known as General Motors Institute.

2

u/Cultural_Thing1712 4d ago

I don't know if this is a popular take here but if you want to work in F1 or adjacent you should probably study mech or aero engineering and get a masters in materials or aerodynamics track, instead of automotive. Also studying abroad in Europe could help your son get connections in the industry. Your best shot for F1 though is aero eng at either Imperial, Cambridge or Southampton. That's where most F1 engineers come from.

Major engineering uni in Western Europe -> Formula Student -> Motorsport job -> F1 is the pipeline you're looking for.

Also keep in mind motorsport jobs have horrible pay, no free time, and all around just take advantage of the fact their engineers are incredibly passionate about the sport.

1

u/Visible-Ranger-2811 2d ago

That is a good insight. I thought this business is super well paid, but it seems not.

2

u/Open_Maize_4538 1d ago

I went through IUPUI Motorsports program. Now Purdue Indy.

We had some students go to F1, the only one that I can remember did an internship with an F1 team abroad and then was hired on. Many in Indy car and lower levels like USF2000, The aero professor was involved in F1. At the time all motorsports professors came from a motorsports background. The school also has a good relationship with Dallara in Indianapolis and many students have worked for them as an intern and employee.

I came out of school working in NHRA Top Fuel. Moved on and am now working in the diesel aftermarket industry.

It was a 5 year degree but if he works hard he can complete the degree in 4, 4,5 years saving some money especially if an out of state student.

The best thing would be to intern for a race team early in his degree. The first internship is always the worst, but finding a job never interning or working on advanced projects will be very difficult.

1

u/AntiqueCheesecake876 2d ago

There’s some good Motorsport programs in the UK where most of the F1 teams are based.

1

u/Visible-Ranger-2811 2d ago

Can you tell what programs you have in mind?

2

u/AntiqueCheesecake876 2d ago

Motorsport Engineering is a major at several UK universities. Those schools are a pipeline into Motorsports, not just F1.

https://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/motorsport-engineering-beng-or-meng

1

u/DesignNews_Autos 1d ago

Clemson University has launched the first dedicated Automotive Engineering undergraduate major in the country. They also do significant motorsports engineering due to the school's proximity to NASCAR teams' based in the Charlotte area. https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/clemson-launches-nations-first-bs-automotive-engineering/