Transportation Technology and Policy Graduate Group
Introduction
The Transportation Technology and Policy (TTP) Graduate Group, hosted by the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis, offers M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs that prepare students to play decisive roles in creating a sustainable and equitable transportation future. Our interdisciplinary approach transcends the boundaries of traditional engineering-based studies and draws on a multitude of academic disciplines. The program gives students the flexibility to develop high-level skills in disciplines of their choosing to best support their interests and career goals. In addition to coursework, most students engage in research projects, and they have the opportunity to interact with leaders from industry, government, public interest groups, and academia through seminars, symposia, and internships.
Why Study Transportation?
The transportation system is essential to modern society, enabling the movement of people and goods required for daily life. Yet it also harms public health, the environment, and our global climate in countless ways. In 2022, transportation accounted for 22% of total energy consumption, more than three-fourths of petroleum consumption, and 37% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Over 130 million Americans live in areas that fail to meet health-based standards for one or more criteria pollutants, of which transportation is a major source. The negative effects of the transportation system fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable members of our communities, those with the lowest incomes, the poorest health, and the most limitations on their mobility. The central challenge for the transportation field is to find ways to reduce these impacts while meeting the mobility needs of society, fostering healthy and equitable communities, supporting economic growth, and righting racial injustices of the past.
What is a Graduate Group?
Graduate groups are an institution unique to the UC Davis campus. From a student’s point of view, the virtue of graduate groups is that they are much more flexible than departmental graduate programs, allowing students to cross departmental and disciplinary boundaries. The TTP Graduate Group offers students access to more than 60 affiliated faculty from 12 departments.
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