School spotlight:

University of Iowa

By Rebekah Bovenmyer

You might know the University of Iowa for its medical research and creative writing programs, but the university also has several majors for students interested in transportation:

• industrial and mechanical engineering
• civil engineering
• economics

Industrial and mechanical engineering

If you love finding the quickest route or the most efficient way to get something done, then check out industrial engineering. Industrial engineers try to make systems and processes better.

The University of Iowa offers a bachelor’s of science (B.S.) degree in industrial engineering. Students can take courses in supply chain management, human factors in transportation, and human factors in aviation.

If you’ve ever wished you could make your car accelerate faster or use a different kind of fuel, then you might be interested in mechanical engineering.

The mechanical engineering program also offers a B.S. degree. Students take courses in fuel cells, combustion and propulsion engineering, vehicle dynamics and simulation, energy principles in structural mechanics, and the mechanical design in structures.

Students in both majors who know they want to get a master’s of science (M.S.) degree can apply for the joint B.S./M.S. degree program before their senior year.

For more information, see www.mie.engineering.uiowa.edu.

Civil engineering

Want to design highways safe to drive during winter snow and ice or help create policies that shape how land is used for transportation? These are just a few of the transportation courses you can take in the civil engineering major at the University of Iowa.

Students receive a bachelor’s of science in engineering (BSE) and can choose from several transportation-related focus areas, called elective focus areas (EFA): transportation engineering, urban and regional planning, and civil practice. The EFA is a 21-credit program with the civil engineering BSE.

Courses include winter highway design, pavement analysis and design, transportation and land use planning, and design of transportation systems.

For more information, see www.cee.engineering.uiowa.edu.

Economics

“We spend millions and millions of dollars every year on transportation,” says John Fuller, professor in both economics and the urban and regional planning graduate program. “We offer an economics in transportation course that lets us look at what we get with that money,” says Fuller, who teaches the class.

“It’s a chance for students to see how economics is applied, which doesn’t always happen in other theory and history courses,” he says. “One interesting project we did was look at the future of Amtrak and compare it to customer rail in international markets like Tokyo and Brazil.”  

Students will also take courses in the economies of urban and rural places, the economics of American industries, and international economics, a new focus.

Students in the department can choose from three degrees: bachelor’s of arts, B.S., and the bachelor’s of business administration.

“Students are encouraged to spend a couple years taking classes in economics before deciding on a degree,” he says.

For more information, contact John Fuller, john-w-fuller@uiowa.edu, 319-335-0038, or visit www.biz.uiowa.edu/econ/.