Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Center for Advanced Mobility at Wayne State University to Launch This Fall

  • 08/05/19

DETROIT, MI – Wayne State University and the Michigan Mobility Institute recently announced the creation of the Center for Advanced Mobility at Wayne State University. The new center expands on the College of Engineering’s current cyber-physical systems programs and features plans for a broader set of degrees and certificates focused on autonomous driving, connectivity, smart infrastructure, and electrification. Combined, they represent the world’s first holistic, advanced mobility curriculum.

Students will have the opportunity to enroll in offerings for autonomous driving and new courses that provide an overview of mobility fundamentals for engineers. The college also expects to offer a new master of science in robotics for Fall 2020.

“This will be a leading global center for the future of mobility,” says Farshad Fotouhi, dean of the Wayne State College of Engineering and computer science professor. “The Center for Advanced Mobility will be the epicenter for academic and startup activity in the mobility sector for students, researchers, and global corporate partners in Detroit.”

The Center for Advanced Mobility will further leverage Wayne State University’s recently acquired Industry Innovation Center, a 45,000 square foot facility in the TechTown neighborhood at the heart of the Detroit Urban Solutions Innovation District, for laboratory and demonstration space, and for a planned speaker series to kick off this fall.

“By placing students and industry professionals at the center of this curriculum design, we know that these programs will meet their needs as they begin or transition into mobility careers,” adds Jessica Robinson, executive director of the Michigan Mobility Institute. “We conducted hours of additional interviews with startups and established industry professionals to map career paths and learning gaps. Employers are eager for mobility engineers who are comfortable with new approaches to problem solving and have hands on experience with the latest technology.”

“This announcement represents something of immense consequence: the creation of a world leading center for mobility in the heart of Detroit by institutions and leaders who call Detroit home,” said Chris Thomas, president and co-founder of the Detroit Mobility Lab. “Graduates who hail from communities around the State of Michigan and around the world will begin their journey here in Detroit in this world-leading center of mobility excellence.”

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.