Transportation Systems Engineering
Transportation systems form integral building blocks for a modern society. Efficient and safe movement of people and goods ensures a thriving economy and provides for an improved quality of life. However, transportation systems by their very nature also affect the environment through their integration with land use decisions and the travel behaviors they encourage, as well as their physical construction, operation, maintenance and renewal.
The study of transportation, therefore, must not only focus on efficient and safe design and operations but also on the link between travel behavior, urban form, and environmental quality. The transportation graduate program at Georgia Tech provides a depth of knowledge in the design and performance of transportation systems and encourages students to add breadth to their education by understanding the environmental, institutional, and societal context within which these systems operate. The technical core courses include urban transportation planning, traffic engineering, design of highway and transit facilities, transportation administration, and transportation statistics.
Students supplement these courses with technical electives and are encouraged to take courses from other academic units at Georgia Tech. Recent research in advanced technologies, environmental impacts, intermodal transportation, geographic information systems, modal emissions modeling, and infrastructure/asset management have been added to the curriculum. The faculty expects the graduates of the program to be well educated on the latest concepts and ideas in the transportation community. The transportation program is aligned with the Georgia Transportation Institute. GATI conducts research, develops various research and educational technology transfer programs per tain ing to all forms of transportation. It provides a campus focus where students are active participants. Working through the GATI, research sponsors are able to access all the resources at Georgia Tech and other research universities in the state.