Education
NEWS
The Future of Transportation (PPT, 2.8 MB, new window)
Clark C. Martin
Office of Professional and Corporate Development
Federal Highway Administration
Transportation Leadership Graduate Certificate (TLGC) Program
CVEEN 7540: Intelligent Transportation Systems, offered Fall 2009. Instructor Professor Peter T. Martin
The nation's Regional University Transportation Centers, in consultation and cooperation with leaders from the National Academy of Sciences (TRB), public and private sectors and transportation related Associations, have established a distance learning based Graduate Education Certificate program to assist in educating the transportation leaders of the 21st Century. It's purpose is to provide breadth of knowledge and a more comprehensive understanding of the issues required to deal with multimodal transportation challenges in a complex world. In addition, it will assist in making a significant contribution in helping to enhance the profession by expanding the pool of new professionals with essential competencies. The program's objective is to nurture those individuals with potential leadership qualities in both the public and private sectors and to assist them in moving along the promotion track from excellent technical contributions to management responsibilities and eventually on to leadership roles. The theme of the program is "Transportation Policy, Management and Operations". The Certificate requires the completion of four theme related graduate courses taught by graduate faculty at some of the nation's outstanding universities. All courses will be taken by distance learning media from an individual's home or place of employment. The courses incorporate all modes of transportation and include topics such as transportation systems, policy, planning, operations, economics, safety and security, social and environmental considerations, program management, environmental and climate change, and future technologies. This organization fully and enthusiastically supports this initiative. The product of this program will be the award of a prestigious Certificate endorsed by US DOT, and leading public and private sector organizations, including this one. Completed courses will also be eligible for transfer towards a graduate degree. This is only a very brief thumbnail sketch of a very exciting opportunity available not only to individuals currently engaged in multimodal transportation activities, but also those with supporting skills in other related professions. If this sounds interesting to you, please take a few moments to review the attached program summary. Then see more details and learn more about the opportunities at the program's website found at http://www.transleader.org
Graduate program
Transportation PhD
A PhD must:
- Pose a research question that is grounded in a set of theoretical considerations
- Address a question that is both innovative and relevant
Transportation Master of Science
The choice of research topic should be made in consultation between the student and the designated advisor as soon as possible in light of what is appropriate for the discipline. The advisor has a responsibility to ensure that delay in determining the topic is kept to a minimum.
Advisor supervisor responsibilities:
- Give guidance about the nature of research and the standard expected, about the planning of the research program, about literature and sources, attendance at taught classes, and about the requisite techniques (including arranging for instruction where necessary).
- Maintain contact through regular tutorial and seminar meetings, in accordance with departmental policy and in light of discussion of arrangements with the student.
- Be accessible to the student at other appropriate times when s/he may need advice.
- Give detailed advice on the necessary completion dates of successive stages of the work so that the whole may be submitted within the scheduled time.
- Request written work as appropriate, and return such work with constructive criticism and in reasonable time.
- Arrange as appropriate for the student to talk about his/her work to peers, and to have practice in oral presentations.
- Ensure that the student is made aware of inadequacy of progress or of standards of work below that generally expected.
- For overseas students, assistance needed may include guidance with language problems and advice about language training where necessary.
- Guide the candidate in the scope of the research endeavor.
Student responsibilities:
- Discuss with his/her supervisor the type of guidance and comment s/he finds most helpful and schedule meetings.
- Take the initiative in raising problems or difficulties, however elementary they may seem.
- Maintain the progress of the work in accordance with the stages agreed with the supervisor including in particular the presentation of written material as required in sufficient time to allow for comments and discussion before proceeding to the next stage.
- Annually provide a brief, formal report to the supervisory committee through his/her advisor.
- Decide when s/he wishes to submit, taking due account of his/her advisor's opinion.