Curriculum in Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace engineering is a diverse and rapidly changing field which 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 objectives of the Aerospace Engineering 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: humanities and social sciences, basic science and mathematics, and engineering science and design. The humanities and social science courses are intended to broaden a student's education and to provide training in oral and written communication skills. In addition, they ensure a liberal education and 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 design sequence, involving specific goals, objectives, and constraints, integrates analysis and design tools and requires students working in small teams to design an aerospace system such as an aircraft, rocket or spacecraft. Application of computers and computational methods is required and emphasized in all courses.

The department's laboratories are among the best in the nation and are used to supplement theoretical studies in the major disciplines. There are 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--all equipped with modern instrumentation. The department, as well as the University, provides an extensive array of computing resources, including PCs, workstations and mainframe systems.

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 ).