Aerospace Engineering, B.S.E.

Program Educational Objectives

Within a few years of graduation, our graduates are expected to achieve the following milestones:

• Advance professionally in the aerospace industry, automotive industry, technical consultancy or in any other chosen career field 
• Earn advanced degrees in aerospace engineering, (or a related technical discipline such as automotive engineering), business or law
• Attain leadership positions in today's rapidly changing, increasingly technological, global society.
• Be agents of innovation and function effectively as responsible members of professional teams.

The program is intended to train students in the field of aerospace engineering such that they are well prepared for a career as a multidisciplinary engineer in the aerospace industry or any other industry that requires the abilities specified by ABET for engineers at the BS level:

• Students shall have an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
• Students shall have an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
• Students shall have an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
• Students shall have an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
• Students shall have an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
• Students shall have an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
• Students shall have an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Academic Standards

Program GPA

Program GPA requirement policies are described in the College of Engineering and Computing section of this bulletin. For the purpose of these policies, the following courses are used to determine the Program GPA for the Aerospace Engineering B.S.E. program: all Lower Division Engineering courses, all Aerospace Engineering Major courses, and all Track Electives courses.

Admission requirements and processes for freshman, transfer students, and former students seeking readmission are managed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Transfer applicants from regionally accredited colleges and universities must have a cumulative 2.75 GPA on a 4.00 scale to enter the College of Engineering and Computing.  In addition, transfer applicants for the Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering majors must also have completed a four semester-hour calculus course equivalent to MATH 141 with a grade of “C” or better.  

Current University of South Carolina students who wish to enter the College of Engineering and Computing, and former students seeking readmission, must have an institutional GPA of 2.50 or better on at least 15 hours earned at UofSC.   In addition, such applicants for the Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering majors must also have completed a four semester-hour calculus course equivalent to MATH 141 with a grade of “C” or better.  

International applicants must be proficient in the English language. A score of 550 or above on the paper version of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is required. (A score of 210 or higher on the computerized version is required, and a minimum score of 77 on the Internet version is required.) The Office of Undergraduate Admissions also accepts the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the PTE Academic Test (PTE). Students must score at least a 6.5 on the IELTS, or at least a 53 on the PTE.  English proficiency scores are not required for international students from countries where the primary language of instruction is English nor from graduates of high schools in the United States.

An English proficiency test will be administered to international students, except those from English-speaking countries, upon arrival at the University. All international students must demonstrate sufficient proficiency in written and oral English to progress at the University level. Students who are not proficient in English will be required to take noncredit, concentrated English language training until proficiency is demonstrated.