Aerospace engineering elective requirements

Requirements

The Aerospace Engineering program has fifteen (15) credits of technical electives, which should be chosen as follows:

  1. The students should focus his or her hours (minimum of 9 of the total 15 credits) in either
    • Aeronautics, or
    • Astronautics
    A "focus" is broadly interpreted and many courses are equally relevant to either area (e.g. Finite Elements, controls, etc.). Courses need not be strictly AEEM courses but can be taken from any engineering discipline, mathematics, or physics.
  2. Research courses are encouraged, particularly for those students anticipating graduate school (see additional requirements below).
  3. A valid technical elective is any technical engineering, math, or physics course 300 level or higher, that does not repeat required undergraduate material. For other special cases, a petition is required.

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Research credits

Students who meet the requirements are encouraged to take research credits as part of their elective sequences (20-AEEM-535) for independent research work done in collaboration with a department faculty member. For information regarding research topics see your advisor or any Departmental faculty member. Additional requirements:

  • Undergraduate status of pre-junior or above and in "good standing"
  • A one-page proposal outlining the research objectives, signed by student and advisor. Proposal submitted to Department Head/ Associate Department Head.
  • At the end of the quarter, a written report of research and a public oral presentation must be given.
  • Up to 6 credits of research (plus 3 additional possible by petition) may be applied to senior electives requirement.

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Department Technical Electives

A tentative list of Department courses to be offered each year will be available in the Department Office. Students should meet with their advisor to plan their elective sequence(s). Some possibilities:

  • 20-AEEM-535 Undergraduate Research (1-9 cr. possible)
  • 20-EGFD-631 Intro Combustion Theory
  • 20-EGFD-601 Advanced Strength of Materials
  • 20-AEEM-529 Nondestructive Evaluation
  • 20-AEEM-480 Computational Mechanics
  • 20-AEEM-681 Mechanics of Structures
  • 20-EGFD-615 Intro to Modern Control
  • 20-AEEM-693 Advanced Flight Mechanics
  • 20-AEEM-695 Orbital Mechanics I

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Additional Technical Electives

  • September 23, 2004: 22-QA-375 Introduction to Quantitative Analysis was approved by the department faculty for technical elective credit. Please note required prerequisites for this course: 22-ACCT-261; 22-ACCT-262; 22-QA-242; 22-IS-270. The prerequisites have not been approved for technical elective credit.
  • Winter Quarter 2005: 20-EGFD-650 Technology Law was successfully petitioned and approved by the College of Engineering for technical elective credit.
  • January 12, 2005: 15-MATH-352 Linear Algebra II was approved by the Curriculum Committee for technical elective credit if the student has also taken 15-MATH 276 and 15-MATH-351. AsE students can take either 15-MATH-276 Matrix Methods or 15-MATH-351 and 352 Linear Algebra I & &II to fulfill their math requirements. Sometimes students take all three classes. It was decided that although there is some overlap in these courses, there is enough new material in the linear algebra sequence that 3 credit hours of technical elective credit can be awarded in cases where students have taken all three courses.

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