Dwight Look College of Engineering

Curriculum in Aerospace Engineering

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) to have successful careers in industry, private practice, or government, or have pursued advanced graduate studies; (2) to be skilled practitioners who apply their knowledge and skills to solve relevant engineering problems in the aerospace or a related profession; and (3) to 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, to 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) to 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 the Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog ).

(See Freshman Year)

SOPHOMORE YEAR

First Semester (Th-Pr) Cr   Second Semester (Th-Pr) Cr
AERO 201 Intro. to Aerospace Engr.1 (3-0) 3   AERO 212 Thermodynamics for Aerospace Engineers1 (2-2) 3
AERO 211 Aerospace Engineering Mechanics1 (2-2) 3   AERO 214 Aerospace Engineering Principles of Continuum Mechanics1 (2-2) 3
AERO 213 Material Science for Engineers1 (2-2) 3   AERO 320 Numerical Methods1 (2-3) 3
MATH 251 Engineering Mathematics III1 (3-0) 3   ECEN 215 Principles of Electrical Engr.1 (2-2) 3
University Core Curriculum electives2   6   MATH 308 Differential Equations1 (3-0) 3
    18       15

JUNIOR YEAR

First Semester (Th-Pr) Cr   Second Semester (Th-Pr) Cr
AERO 301 Theoretical Aerodynamics1 (3-0) 3   AERO 303 High Speed Aerodynamics1 (3-0) 3
AERO 302 Aerospace Lab. I (1-3) 2   AERO 305 Aerospace Lab. II (1-3) 2
AERO 304 Structural Analysis I1 (4-0) 4   AERO 306 Structural Analysis II1 (3-0) 3
AERO 310 Aerospace Dynamics1 (3-0) 3   AERO 351 Aerothermo. and Propulsion1 (3-0) 3
Technical writing 3   3   AERO 421 Dynamics of Aerospace Vehicles1 (3-0) 3
University Core Curriculum elective2   3   Science elective 4   3
    18       17

SENIOR YEAR

First Semester (Th-Pr) Cr   Second Semester (Th-Pr) Cr
AERO 401 Aerospace Vehicle Design I1 (2-3) 3   AERO 402 Aerospace Vehicle Design II (0-6) 2
AERO 423 Space Technology I (3-0) 3   AERO 452 Heat Transfer and Viscous Flows (3-0) 3
Computational Methods/Mathematics5   3   ENGR 482 Ethics and Engineering (2-2) 3
Design elective 6   3   Technical electives 7   5
Technical elective 7   3   University Core Curriculum elective2   3
    15       16
NOTES:
  1. Requires a grade of C or better (includes all courses that are used as prerequisites for the AERO degree plan courses).
  2. To be selected from the University Core Curriculum. Of the 18 hours shown as University Core Curriculum electives, 3 must be from visual and performing arts, 3 from social and behavioral sciences, 6 from U.S. history, and 6 from POLS 206 and 207. The required 6 hours from international and cultural diversity may be met by courses satisfying the visual and performing arts, social and behavioral sciences, and the political science and history requirements if they are also on the approved list of international and cultural diversity courses (see University Core Curriculum, item 6).
  3. To be selected from ENGL 210 or 301.
  4. To be selected from PHYS 222, 306, 309 or 314.
  5. To be selected from AERO 430 or MATH 401.
  6. AERO 405, 417, 472 or 489 if designated as an AERO design elective. Requires a grade of C or better in prerequisite courses.
  7. Approved technical electives include: AERO 404, 405, 406, 417, 419, 420, 422, 424, 425, 426, 430, 435, 440, 445, 472, 485 (maximum of 3 hours with prior written approval of department head, senior classification), 489; MEMA 467; ECEN 421; ENGR 385 (3 hours); NUEN 401. Requires a grade of C or better in prerequisite courses. Courses cannot double count for Design Elective, Technical Elective, or Computational Methods/Mathematics.

The Systems Safety Engineering Specialty is available for students pursuing this degree.