April 11, 2025

Ferris State showcases new Sustainable Transportation Technology program at Auto Expo

Auto Expo a hit for students, faculty, staff and industry visitors — Ferris State hosted its second annual Auto Expo event in and around the Automotive Building on the Big Rapids campus on Friday, April 11. The event was a showcase opportunity for students and a platform to engage industry professionals.

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. —

Ferris State University is offering opportunities to prepare for careers in the growing sustainable transportation field with a new program unveiled at Friday’s Auto Expo hosted by the College of Engineering Technology.

The all-day Auto Expo featured networking opportunities for students with prospective employers including major national automotive brands – and a chance to show off their vehicles at a car show.

The Automotive Management, Bulldog Motor Sport and SAE Racing student organizations at Ferris State partnered for the event, which highlighted program in Ferris State’s School of Automotive and Heavy Equipment.

Automotive Service Technology partners with Ford Motor Company to provide the Ace Program, a Ford-run online factory training, for its students during their studies, allowing them to graduate with both Ferris State and Ford credentials.

“The Ferris State Automotive programs offer one of the widest selections of educational opportunities for people who want to get into the auto industry,” said Patrick English, a professor in the School of Automotive and Heavy Equipment. “On the technical side, we have two-year and four-year degrees, and we offer degrees in the management of automotive businesses and, of course, working at the management level of automotive manufacturers.”

To complement its offerings, Ferris State’s Automotive Center will launch a new Sustainable Transportation Technology program in fall 2025, funded in part by a National Science Foundation grant. This future program will include sections on electric and other alternative solutions for powering vehicles.

“The new program contains concepts related to electric vehicles and fuel cells, helping graduates prepare for successful work in the sustainable transport industry, even as fueling methods and power strategies change,” English said.

“The students we train go on to fill essential, highly skilled roles in the automotive industry, in Michigan and across the U.S. It doesn't matter what the powertrain of the future is. At the Ferris state automotive program, we will make sure that our graduates can make a living with it.”

Sustainability is one of the four pillars of Ferris State’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan.

A leader in transportation education for more than 50 years, Ferris State’s College of Engineering Technology offers four-year degrees in Automotive Engineering Technology and Automotive Management, and a two-year Automotive Service Technology program, as well as performance machining and performance motor sports certificates. The AET program trains students to work as technicians before proceeding into engineering studies, so students graduate with the know-how to work as either engineers or technicians.