Aerospace Engineering is a complex rapidly changing field that includes aerodynamics, structures and materials, propulsion, dynamics and control, and astrodynamics. The primary application of aerospace engineering is to the design and development of flight vehicles such as aircraft, missiles, spacecraft and satellites; but aerospace engineering is also important and applicable to other vehicles and systems such as submarines, automobiles, trains, trucks, buses and rapid transit.

The mission of the Aerospace Engineering program is (1) to provide a quality undergraduate and graduate aerospace engineering education, (2) to advance the engineering and science knowledge base through research, (3) to assist industry in technical applications and innovation, and (4) to serve the aerospace profession through leadership in these areas. To achieve this mission, the educational objectives established by the Aerospace Engineering undergraduate program are to produce graduates whose expected accomplishments within two to five years of graduation are (1) graduates will have successful careers in industry, private practice, or government, or will have pursued advanced graduate studies; (2) graduates will be skilled practitioners who apply their knowledge and skills to solve relevant engineering problems in the aerospace or a related profession; and (3) graduates will function well in teams, communicate well, continue enhancing their professional competence, and understand the impact of engineering solutions. To carry out these educational objectives, the goals of the program are (1) using a high quality faculty, provide a comprehensive aerospace engineering education that develops in students the fundamental skills necessary for the design, synthesis, analysis and research development of aircraft, spacecraft and other high technology flight systems; and (2) prepare students for the aerospace engineering profession and related fields by developing in them the attributes needed so that they can contribute successfully to society and to the engineering profession now and in the future.

The curriculum is generally composed of three topical areas which are (1) core courses composed of humanities, visual and performing arts, international and cultural diversity, and social sciences, (2) basic science and mathematics, and (3) engineering science and design. The core courses are intended to broaden a student's education and to provide training in oral and written communication skills. In addition, they ensure an awareness of our cultural heritage and contemporary human situation. The basic science and mathematics courses provide the necessary foundation for the engineering science courses. The latter start at the sophomore year with topics common to many fields of engineering and continue in the last two years with sequences in aerodynamics, structures and materials, propulsion, and dynamics and control. These provide a strong fundamental basis for advanced study and specialization, while technical electives offer a concentration of study in fields of special interest. Design philosophy and practice are developed throughout the curriculum so as to relate analysis to aerospace engineering design; and the design of aerospace system components is particularly emphasized in the junior- and senior-level courses. A senior-level two-semester design sequence, involving specific goals, objectives, and constraints, integrates analysis and design tools and requires students working in small teams to design, build, test, and even fly an aerospace system such as an aircraft, rocket or spacecraft. Application of modern engineering and computational tools is required and emphasized in all courses.

The department's laboratories are used to supplement theoretical studies in the major disciplines. Several water and wind tunnels for low-speed and supersonic aerodynamic studies, a jet engine test facility, numerous research aircraft, a flight simulator, and state-of-the-art materials and structures testing equipment are available; and all are equipped with modern instrumentation. The department and the University provide an extensive array of computing resources.

The department participates in the Cooperative Education Program which provides an opportunity for qualified students to obtain practical engineering work experience with participating companies. The co-op degree plan includes three or four work periods which are integrated with full-time study semesters.

The department also offers programs of study leading to the M.Eng., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees (see Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog).