THE COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES’ GRADUATE TRANSPORTATION DESIGN – A PROGRAM FOR VISIONARIES

Record enrollment, high job placement, and international awards have the College for Creative Studies’ Graduate Transportation Design program reaching new heights.

For the past fourteen years, CCS has housed one of the only Graduate Transportation Design programs in the country. The College is no stranger to teaching automotive design – in fact, its undergraduate Transportation Design program has been around for 60+ years and CCS alumni can be found in the design departments of almost every major auto manufacturer and nearly all the tier 1 auto suppliers.

If you ask Chair of the Graduate Transportation Design program, Raphael Zammit, what best embodies the program’s learning objectives he will point to the thesis project. “Depth of inquiry, research, concept development, resolution of complex system integrations, and conceptual storytelling are all just the baseline of what every thesis student has to master.” He explains, “the core vision of the program is to equip bright students from all over the world with the ability to both imagine and realize the most spectacular of mobility scenarios (vehicles, systems, experiences, stories).”

The thesis projects showcase this sentiment of breadth and depth of study in the development of truly novel solutions that advance the field of mobility. This year’s graduate thesis projects explored a wide range of original concepts from economic and environmentally sustainable tourism, to all-terrain mobile medical clinics, to inflatable rescue drones for severe urban flooding.

A core strength underlying both graduate and undergraduate Transportation Design programs is CCS’s location. Where else would a more well-suited location for a transportation design program be than the Motor City itself?

Recent graduate Ziheng Zhang, ‘23 MFA Transportation Design, relocated from China to attend this program and is now working for General Motors as a Creative Designer in its China Advance Studio.

“I think CCS is an unavoidable school for students who want to study transportation design, and being located in Detroit gives students here more exposure to GM, Ford and Stellantis. Most importantly, for me, who had just graduated from college with basic knowledge of design, but was completely new to transportation design, the curriculum here was very much what I needed.”

The CCS Transportation Design studios are housed in the building where GM’s first automotive design studio was born – the very place where GM’s first head of design, Harley Earl, and other pioneers created groundbreaking vehicles that launched the field of modern automotive design. Today, industry leaders in the mobility sector and beyond come here from around the world to seek top talent. Design competitions, internships, and industry sponsored projects have opened doors for graduate placement at nearly every major vehicle manufacturer and supplier globally. Zammit believes there’s no question being located in Detroit is an advantage.

“Our proximity to the largest United States Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) gives us a huge pool of amazing designers to teach and mentor our students. In addition, Detroit is a special place. Its legacy for design innovation is in its DNA. It’s not only historically acknowledged – it’s alive and well today and expanding as the city itself continues to transform and grow.”

The spirit of exploration, creativity and connection also brought Nicholas Molina, ‘23 MFA Transportation Design, to move from Italy to the U.S. to attend this program.  Molina is currently working as an exterior design intern at Fisker Inc.

“What I liked about the masters program at CCS was the curriculum, the history of CCS in car design, and the amazing work from the recent graduates at the time from the masters program. Being able to have classes with amazing professionals that are active in the industry, learning from them, sharing a space to be creative was very inspiring to me. Having such great connections with the Detroit auto industry and the rest world, along with the incredible sponsored studios, gives students all the tools needed to be competitive in a very difficult market.”

With numbers like a 100% job placement rate for the 2022 graduating class, and alumni working both locally (Stellantis, Ford, GM, Yangfeng) and abroad (GAC, NIO, Volvo, Polaris, BRP to name a few) — the STEM-designated program is making a name for itself. Students have been internationally recognized with two Car Design News Magna Bold Global Perspective awards, one silver and two bronze level Creative Conscious awards and a 2023 BRP finalist award – all within the past three years. The program has caught the attention of companies like Tesla, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes and 3M, with internships and sponsored studios. 

Zammit’s passion for this program and how much he learns from teaching these students is undeniable. Building a creative environment that focuses on staying agile in an ever-changing field of mobility, while also maintaining the core foundation of critical thinking and creative mastery is at the heart of the program. And the inspiration he receives in return from the students and their perspectives is what fuels him to continue as chair of the program. “My true hope is that CCS Graduate Transportation Design is simply known as the place where anything is possible – where dreamers learn how to realize their visions no matter how challenging they might seem. This process is truly inspiring and endlessly rewarding for me.”

To learn more about the Transportation Design graduate program please visit https://ccsdetroit.edu.edu/academics/graduate-programs/transportation-design/.