Aerospace Engineering
Is involved in the design, testing and fabrication of airplanes, rockets, satellites, interplanetary vehicles and all sorts of other flying machines to achieve high performance with limited size and weight. Studies include laser diagnostics, space propulsion, optimal structural design, computational fluid dynamics, turbulent flows and combustion, advanced spacecraft control, and helicopter aeroelasticity.

Undergraduate Program
Courses & Requirements

Subjects required by all Engineering programs(52 credit hours)
Mathematics 115,116, 215, and 216

Engr 100, Intro to Engr

Engr 101, Intro to Computers
Chemistry 125/126 and 130
Physics 140 with Lab 141 and Physics 240 with Lab 241
Humanities and Social Sciences

Advanced Mathematics/Science(4 credit hours)

Advanced Math/Science Elective

Related Technical Core Subjects (12 credit hours)

ME 240, Intro to Dynamics and Vibrations or Physics 401, Intermediate Mechanics

MSE 220, Intro to Materials and Manufacturing or

MSE 250, Principles of Engineering Materials
EECS 206, Signals and Systems I or
EECS 215, Intro to Circuits or

EECS 314, Art Analy and Electronics
Aerospace Science Subjects (20 credit hours)

Aero 225, Intro to Gas Dynamics

Aero 315, Aircraft and Spacecraft Structures

Aero 325, Aerodynamics

Aero 335, Aircraft and Spacecraft Propulsion

Aero 345, Flight Dynamics and Control

Aerospace Engineering Subjects(20 credit hours)

Aero 215, Intro to Solid Mechanics and Design

Aero 245, Performance of Aircraft and Spacecraft

Aero 305, Aerospace Engr Lab I

Aero 405, Aerospace Engr Lab II

Aero 481, Airplane Design or Aero 483, Space System Design

Electives(20 credit hours)

Technical Electives

Unrestricted Electives

TOTAL130 credit hrs.

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Aerospace Engineering offers broadly based programs of study leading to the following graduate degrees in Aerospace Engineering:

1.Master of Science in Engineering - Aerospace Engineering
2. Doctor of Philosophy

Research and teaching activities in the Department are organized into three main areas:
1. Gas dynamics
2. Structural mechanics
3. Flight dynamics & Control systems

Master of Science in Engineering--Aerospace Engineering

Admission for study towards the M.S.E. degree requires the equivalent of a B.S.E. at SWIU. Solid undergraduate preparation in mathematics and engineering is essential. For the M.S.E. degree thirty credit hours of course work are required. Students have substantial flexibility in selecting courses to meet their individual needs, but all courses contributing to the M.S.E. degree must be approved by a Graduate Advisor.

The thirty credit hours of course work must include at least:

Five courses in aerospace engineering at the 500 level or higher, excluding directed study courses. Two approved courses in mathematics beyond advanced calculus; normally the courses Math 404, Math 417, Math 448, and Math 450 cannot be used to satisfy this requirement; courses which do satisfy this requirement include:

Math 419 (EECS 400) Linear Spaces and Matrix Theory
Math 451 Advanced Calculus I
Math 452 Advanced Calculus II
Math 454 Boundary Value Problems for Partial Differential Equations
Math 471 Introduction to Numerical Methods
Math 525 (Stat 525) Probability Theory
Math 555 Introduction to Complex Variables
Math 556 Methods of Applied Mathematics I
Math 557 Methods of Applied Mathematics II
Math 561 (IOE 510) Linear Programming I
Math 562 (Aero 577) Continuous Optimization Methods
Math 571 Numerical Methods for Scientific Computing I
Math 572 Numerical Methods for Scientific Computing II
Math 602 Real Analysis II
Physics 451, 452 Methods of Theoretical Physics
EECS 401 Probabilistic Methods in Engineering
EECS 501 Probability and Random Processes
EECS 502 Stochastic Processes
EECS 560 (ME 564) Linear Systems Theory

Doctor of Philosophy

The Ph.D. student requires a strong background in the desired area of specialization and an ability to carry out independent research. A student wishing to work toward the Ph.D. degree must complete, in order, the following steps:

(a)

Precandidacy Status:
To be admitted to precandidacy status, a student must have completed an M.S. or M.S.E. degree or be completing the final term of a M.S. or M.S.E. degree and should have a G.P.A. of 6.5/9.0 or above in relevant courses. Admission is determined by the Graduate Committee. Students who have a master's degree when first admitted to the Departmental programs, or who have obtained a Master's degree in the department, may enroll for courses prior to application for Precandidate status; however, permission for continued enrollment does not imply approval for Precandidacy. Application for Precandidate status should be made during the first term, but not later than the second term, after obtaining the M.S. or M.S.E. degree.

(b)
Preliminary Exam:
To become a Ph.D. candidate, a student must demonstrate a high level of competency by passing a Preliminary Exam in the area of specialization. Each student who wishes to take the exam must be accepted as a Precandidate and must have had research experience as a Research Assistant or have successfully completed one credit of directed study (AE 590) supervised by a faculty member from the Department of Aerospace Engineering. The precandidate must be registered in the Department of Aerospace Engineering during the term in which the exam is taken.
(c)
Candidacy:
A student achieves the status of Candidate upon successful completion of the Preliminary Examination, requirements both school and department, and 36 fee hours which, may include AE 900 (Dissertation/Precandidate).
(d)
Ph.D. Degree:
The Ph.D. degree is awarded upon successful completion of a Ph.D. thesis, a Ph.D. defense, and an overall accumulation of 68 fee hours. There is no foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. and there are no specific course or subject requirements; however, the course and subject areas covered in the Preliminary Examination are described below. The Preliminary Examination is normally taken in the first or second term after obtaining the master's degree. The Preliminary Examination has written and oral parts, which are described in detail below for each of the three Departmental specializations.
The Preliminary Examination in Gas Dynamics
The written part is based on the following courses:
AE 520 Compressible Flow I
AE 522 Viscous Flow
AE 525 Introduction to Turbulent Flows
AE 532 Gaskinetic Theory
AE 533 Combustion Processes
The oral part is based on the same material and covers the areas of: viscous flow, compressible flow, gas kinetics, combustion processes, and turbulent flow.
The Preliminary Examination in Structural Mechanics
The written part is based primarily on the following courses:
AE 416 Theory of Plates and Shells
AE 510 Finite Elements in Mechanical and Structural Analysis I
AE 514 Foundations of Solid Mechanics
AE 518 Theory of Elastic Stability I
AE 540 Intermediate Dynamics
AE 565 Optimal Structural Design
ME&AM 512 Theory of Elasticity
The oral part is based on the same material and consists of four sections: structural mechanics, mathematics, dynamics, and one of the following: fluid mechanics, gas dynamics, or flight dynamics and controls.
The Preliminary Examinations in Flight Dynamics and Control Systems
The written part is based on the following courses:
AE 445 Flight Dynamics of Aerospace Vehicles
AE 548 Astrodynamics
AE 551 Nonlinear Dynamical Systems
AE 572 Dynamics and Control of Aircraft
AE 573 Dynamics and Control of Spacecraft
AE 575 Flight and Trajectory Optimization
AE 579 Control of Structures and Fluids
AE 580 Linear Feedback Control Systems
AE 584 Avionics, Navigationand Guidance of Aerospace Vehicles
The Dissertation:

The doctorate is conferred in recognition of distinguished scholarship and demonstrated research ability in a subject related to Aerospace Engineering. In order to complete the Ph.D. degree, the student must carry out an original research investigation, present the results in a written dissertation, and defend the dissertation at a final oral defense. The research is done under the supervision of a faculty adviser and a dissertation committee. Students are encouraged to begin research activities by doing exploratory work with a faculty member in the first or second year of graduate study.