DEPARTMENT AND PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
DEPARTMENT OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING AND MECHANICS (AEM)
Professor Stanley E. Jones, Department Head
Office: 205 Hardaway Hall
The Aerospace Engineering Area of the aerospace engineering and mechanics department is concerned primarily with the design and analysis of vehicles such as aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles that operate at all speeds and altitudes. To design these vehicles, the aerospace engineer must have a broad background that includes knowledge of the flow of gases and liquids; the strength, stiffness and stability of lightweight structures; propulsion systems; guidance and control systems; and the effects of environmental conditions. The Mechanics Area concerns the engineering science that describes the response of solid or fluid bodies to force systems. Virtually all undergraduate engineering students are required to take courses in engineering science and mechanics in preparation for work in their chosen professional areas.
The undergraduate curriculum in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics leads to a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering and provides a background in the basic sciences, engineering sciences, humanities, applied analysis, and design that enables graduates to take advantage of the many career opportunities in the aeronautical industry, the space program, and related engineering activities. Graduates with suitable academic records are also prepared to pursue advanced degrees in aerospace engineering or mechanics, other related technical areas, and professional areas such as law and medicine.
Taking the Fundamentals of Engineering examination is a departmental requirement for graduation.
Program Objectives
Undergraduate aerospace engineering students are expected to
- have a fundamental knowledge of aerospace structures, flight vehicle dynamics, control, aerodynamics, and aerospace propulsion as a foundation for lifelong learning and engineering practice
- be able to conceptualize, design, and analyze aerospace systems
- be prepared to develop algorithms and to use modern computational/simulation software for solving aerospace engineering problems
- have an understanding of the aerospace industry and an appreciation of its professional responsibilities
Research. A broad-based program of research is being conducted by the faculty of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. Research efforts are concentrated in three areas:
Fluid Mechanics: aerospace propulsion, computational fluid mechanics, experimental aerodynamics, flow control, heat transfer, luminescent sensing, novel LDV and PIV development, transport phenomena, and turbulence modeling
Solid Mechanics and Structures: advance composites, elasticity and plasticity, fatigue/fracture mechanics, machine design, material joining, mechanical characterization, MEMS, nondestructive evaluation, nonlinear mechanics, penetration mechanics, photoelasticity, and stress analysis
Excellent computing and laboratory facilities are available to support these areas of research. Research assistantships are available for undergraduate and graduate students on many of these research projects.
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING CURRICULUM
In addition to maintaining the grade point averages specified by the University and the College of Engineering, aerospace engineering students must earn at least “C” averages in all aerospace engineering courses designated AEM. Deficiencies in the AEM grade average may be overcome only by repeating courses in which grades of “D” or below were previously earned.
| FRESHMAN YEAR | |
| First Semester | Hours |
| AEM 125 Introduction to Aerospace Engineering | 2 |
| CH 101 General Chemistry I (NS) | 4 |
| EN 101 English Composition I (FC) | 3 |
| GES 131 Foundations of Engineering I | 2 |
| MATH 125 Calculus I (MA) | 4 |
| DR 100 Sketching | 1 |
| ___ | |
| 16 | |
| Second Semester | |
| EC 110 Principles of Microeconomics (SB) | 3 |
| EN 102 English Composition II (FC) | 3 |
| GES 132 Foundations of Engineering II | |
| or CS 114 and CS 116 | 2-4 |
| MATH 126 Calculus II (MA) | 4 |
| PH 105 General Physics with Calculus I (N) | 4 |
| ___ | |
| 16–18 | |
| SOPHOMORE YEAR | |
| First Semester | |
| AEM 249 Algorithm Development and Implementation | 3 |
| AEM 201 Statics | 3 |
| MATH 227 Calculus III (MA) | 4 |
| PH 106 General Physics with Calculus II (N) | 4 |
| Humanities (HU), literature (L), or fine arts (FA) elective | 3 |
| ___ | |
| 17 | |
| Second Semester | |
| AEM 250 Mechanics of Materials I | 3 |
| AEM 251 Mechanics of Materials Laboratory | 1 |
| AEM 264 Dynamics | 3 |
| AEM 311 Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| ECE 225 Electric Circuits | |
| or ECE 320 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering | 3 |
| MATH 238 Applied Differential Equations I | 3 |
| ___ | |
| 16 | |
| JUNIOR YEAR | |
| First Semester | |
| AEM 313 Aerodynamics I | 3 |
| AEM 314 Aircraft Performance (C) | 3 |
| AEM 341 Aerospace Structural Analysis | 3 |
| AEM 349 Engineering Analysis | 3 |
| ME 215 Thermodynamics I | 3 |
| ___ | |
| 15 | |
| Second Semester | |
| AEM 413 Aerodynamics II | 3 |
| AEM 368 Flight Dynamics and Controls | 3 |
| AEM 461 Computational Methods for Aerospace Structures | 3 |
| History (HI) or social and behavioral sciences (SB) elective | 3 |
| Humanities, literature, or fine arts elective | 3 |
| ___ | |
| 15 | |
| SENIOR YEAR | |
| First Semester | |
| AEM 402 Integrated Aerospace Design I | 3 |
| AEM 408 Propulsion Systems | 3 |
| AEM 468 Flight Dynamics and Controls II | 3 |
| AEM 495 Aerospace Engineering Seminar (W) | 2 |
| Humanities (HU), literature (L), or fine arts (FA) elective | 3 |
| Science elective | 3 |
| ___ | |
| 17 | |
| Second Semester | |
| AEM 404 Integrated Aerospace Design II | 3 |
| Aerospace engineering electives | 6 |
| History (HI) or social and behavioral sciences (SB) electives | 3 |
| AEM 451 Structural Design and Testing (W) | 4 |
| ___ | |
| 16 | |
| Total: 128 hours | |