General
Information
The CUNY Institute for Transportation
Systems has been established at the City College in cooperation with the
other units of the City University of New York in order to respond to the
need for interdisciplinary education of transportation professionals.
The primary objective of the Institute's
academic programs is to train transportation planners, engineers and
managers to plan effectively, design optimally, operate efficiently, and
manage skillfully transportation systems that are capable of satisfying the
needs of society. This must be done with full awareness of the human element
and in such a way as to optimize the use of financial resources, while
protecting the environment and energy resources, and causing minimal social
disruption.
Graduate Study in
Transportation
Graduate programs in transportation are
designed to train professionals in the areas of transportation and traffic
engineering, transportation planning, and transportation systems
management/administration. The study of transportation is approached as a
multidisciplinary field, and is grounded both in professional practice and
research. The curriculum is established to provide a broad range of
transportation research, training and policy analysis at the local, state,
regional and federal levels, as well as with commerce and industry.
Graduates of the transportation program will be prepared to assume the
functions of planning, designing, building, operating, analyzing, and
managing the transportation systems so vital to the efficient functioning of
our modern society.
Three alternative concentrations are
offered within the graduate Transportation option:
While these share a common methodological
core, each is designed to suit varying interests.
The Transportation Program is offered by
the Department of Civil Engineering at the City College. Further information
may be obtained from Professor Claire McKnight of that department.
Transportation
Engineering
Transportation Engineering focuses on
traffic engineering, and the physical design and operational aspects of
transportation systems, principally vehicular. This track will be best
suited to students with an undergraduate engineering degree.
Transportation
Planning
Transportation Planning emphasizes the
analysis and planning aspects, in particular the integration of
transportation systems with urban and regional systems, such as economic
land use and the environment.
Transportation
Systems Management
Transportation Systems Management is
oriented towards the management of transportation systems, including such
activities as marketing, financing, and maintenance.
Transportation is one of the most vital
services in the United States and in the world; it can be compared with the
human body's circulation system. Like veins and arteries, our railway,
waterway, airway, and highway and street networks facilitate the movement of
materials and people to and from houses, offices, plants, farms, mines and a
variety of educational, cultural and recreational activities. Everyone is
familiar with the difficulties that a transportation malfunction causes.
These range from minor delays and aggravation when a street segment is
closed for construction, to major disruptions of activities and shortages of
goods when there is a major strike or snowstorm. Just as the human body
cannot be healthy without a perfectly functioning circulatory system,
economic and social activities cannot be carried out without an efficient
transportation system.
The important of transportation is not
restricted to its function of serving society's mobility needs; the
transportation industry has an economic impact both as a consumer of
resources and supplier of jobs. Over 20% of the nation's gross national
product is spent on transportation-related activities; these activities
employ over ten million people, about 11% of the civilian work force.
Transportation consumes more than one half of all refined petroleum
products; it is responsible for 15% of all atmospheric pollutants and for
the deaths of over 40,000 people annually, mainly as the result of
automobile accidents. Obviously, finding ways to improve transportation
systems is worthwhile, not only because it can reduce the cost of goods to
consumers and help farmers and manufacturers compete for their share of
distant markets, but also because it can enhance the quality of life.
Benefits accrue to both urban and rural populations in the form of a cleaner
environment reduced energy consumption, and lives saved.
The significant role of transportation
clearly indicates the need for educating transportation professionals. They
must not only be able to meet the technological challenges of new systems,
they must also be capable of fitting these systems into social, economic and
physical environments in such a manner that the quality of life will be
improved for all. Well-educated transportation professionals include civil
engineers to build structures; mechanical engineers to design vehicles;
electrical engineers to develop vehicle and guidance system controls;
chemical engineers to utilize materials and fuels to best effects;
industrial engineers to evaluate the interaction of people with machines
architects and artists to fit facilities aesthetically into their
environments; urban planners and designers to understand the impact of
transportation systems on other activities; economists to evaluate
alternatives and price services; financial experts to secure funds for both
new and existing systems; lawyers to interpret regulations; psychologists to
understand human behavior; sociologists to comprehend group dynamics;
educators to teach people to change habits; politicians to reconcile the
divergent demands of special interest groups; and above all, effective
managers to orchestrate the efficient coordination of people and resources.
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