Warrensburg, Mo. -- The University of Central Missouri (UCM) offers a degree that fewer than 20 universities nationwide offer. And, of those that offer the degree, UCM is one of only three that have accreditation by the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT). It is nothing bizarre like video game design, or robot technology, but rather a four-year bachelor of science degree in Automotive Technology Management -- a program that has been at UCM for 40 years.
Automotive Program Coordinator Dr. Scott Wilson said the program has about 100 students enrolled and three full-time faculty and one graduate assistant who teach the classes.
"The focus of the program is to give the students the hands-on technical skills they would get with a two-year program, but it adds to that the business, management, and communication skills that allow them to get into the management side of the business either at the dealership or corporate level," Wilson said.
For example, major requirements for the degree would include technical practicum and theory classes such as Diesel Technology and Computer Engine Diagnostics, along with management courses such as Industrial Management and Principals of Marketing, Wilson said.
Students are also required to participate in a three-semester-hour internship, he said, adding that the internships are typically paid, oftentimes provide housing, and that many students receive job offers as a result.
On completion of the Automotive Technology Management program, Wilson said graduates get jobs as field service engineers, insurance claims adjusters, and product improvement specialists, to name a few.
Cummins Diesel out of Indiana has hired about half of the recent graduates for positions as service engineers, repair logistics engineers, and customer service representatives for their 1-800 number, he said.
"Both of the engineer positions principally deal with making sure that Cummins customers end up getting what they need and expect," he said. "One deals specifically with warranty administration, and the other deals with large-fleet customers to make sure that their parts and technical information is accurate."
Wilson said the program also places a lot of students with Toyota, Ford, and Honda in production jobs and on the service side as product managers.
Many students have recently been placed at Murphy-Hoffman Kenworth, a Kansas City-based company that owns about 40 Kenworth dealerships nationwide, he said.
"They are getting jobs as management trainees and, from there, become parts and service department managers," he said.
"They typically spend about one year in Kansas City, and then they can be transferred anywhere throughout the country."
Starting salary for a graduate ranges from $35,000 to $45,000, Wilson said, but that in the last year he had two graduates that started at over $50,000 at Cummins.
A survey of alumni that graduated from the Automotive Technology Management program in the last five to 10 years found that more than two-thirds were making more than $70,000 and that a significant number were making six figures, he said.
Many alumni continue to stay involved with the program and come back to talk with students about the automotive industry and job opportunities, Wilson said. One in particular is 1992 graduate Teddy "Lou" Gilbert, director of North American marketing for Allison Transmission.
Wilson said the program also receives strong support from its advisory board, which meets twice a year and is made up of alums, outside industry representatives, and those who hire graduates from the program.
"We get a lot of feedback from them," he said. "The internship was one thing they really pushed, along with more business and communication classes."
Wilson added that since 1999, the advisory board has also helped the program receive more than $450,000 in grants, donations and scholarships, of which $200,000 came from external sources.
"We have got a lot of Sunnen equipment from an alumnus who is a technical trainer for Sunnen," he said. "We have also received a lot of donated vehicles from dealerships thanks to advisory board members who are high enough in the food chain that they can help direct some of this stuff to us."
Wilson said Toyota has provided access to hybrid vehicles along with necessary components for a new course that Assistant Professor Terry Nicoletti is working on that focuses on alternative fuel and energy.
By listening to recommendations from the advisory board and constantly changing the program to meet the needs of the evolving automotive industry, Wilson said he is able to recruit students throughout Missouri and nationwide.
"We get a lot of transfer students from Longview Community College and State Fair Community College," he said. "They come out of a two-year program, work in the industry for awhile, and then decide that they want to get involved in the management side of the industry, but they discover that without a four-year degree, it is tough to do."
Wilson said he visits surrounding vo-tech schools to recruit students along with Automotive Career Day at Longview Community College, where he is able to inform 500-600 high school students about the program. This year, he said he and his staff are trying a different recruiting tool by having a booth set up at the Kansas City Car Show during the first week in March.