Education

Academics

UT offers students unrivaled access to real-world research opportunities with premier laboratories and industry partners. Our faculty integrate research-driven insights into our academic programs, immersing students in a dynamic state-of-the-art learning environment.

Undergraduate students interested in pursuing mobility internships, co-ops, and experiential learning opportunities should contact the Center for Transportation Research or the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. Graduate students interested in careers in the mobility sector or in mobility-related co-op or internship graduate experiences should contact the Center for Transportation Research or the UT Graduate School.

“When our students graduate, they already understand their future employer’s biggest problems and the cutting-edge solutions to those problems. They’re ready to make their mark on the company they choose.”

—Kevin Heaslip, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Center for Transportation Research

Explore Student Experiences

Immersion

The Volkswagen PhD Fellows Program provides UT graduate students with invaluable experiences as Volkswagen employees while they earn their doctoral degrees. Hands-on experiences with industry often leads to new opportunities after graduation.

Learn more about the Volkswagen PhD Fellows program.

Leadership

Volkswagen Fellow and Center for Renewable Carbon PhD student Cecile Grubb was recognized as an emerging leader by the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering.

Read more about this UT student leader.

Growth

Undergraduate research assistants at the Center for Transportation Research hail from departments across UT. Their experiences advance their understanding of the diversity of multidisciplinary research shaping the future of mobility.

Meet this year’s cohort of undergraduate researchers.

Sazzadul Saykat working on a concrete mixture

Innovation

UT graduate students worked with UT faculty, ORNL researchers, and Tennessee Department of Transportation engineers to develop high-quality environmentally friendly concrete for use in bridges, roads and other infrastructure.

Learn more about these UT researchers.

Training

Doctoral and master’s-level UT students can apply for unique opportunities like PoTENNtial, a design-oriented hands-on traineeship that uses wide-bandgap semiconductors in power electronics.

Discover PoTENNtial education and research.

Workforce Development

To compete in the global mobility economy, Tennessee develops and nurtures both a STEM workforce with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees and a skilled technical workforce with degrees and credentials earned in community and technical college programs.

Explore Development Efforts

Industry Engagement

In partnership with the Council on Competitiveness, UT co-hosted a two-day conversation about Tennessee’s leadership in mobility, energy, and manufacturing innovation. Speakers and panelists included leaders from Tennessee-based OEMs like Volkswagen, Nissan, and Ford and other mobility-related partners.

Learn about the Council on Competitiveness

TEAM TN

TEAM TN is a statewide initiative designed by a coalition of Tennessee firms, colleges, universities, state and local government agencies, community and labor organizations, and economic development entities to advance the mobility economy in Tennessee and provide Tennesseans with access to good jobs in the mobility sector.

Visit the TEAM TN website.

It takes all of us working behind the scenes to get workforce development going. Some of us represent supply side, some demand side. Working together, it’s what Tennesseans really need from us, so that we can put out a quality path and product for them and they can follow it.”

DENIECE THOMAS

Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development