Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the design, development, testing, and production of aircraft, spacecraft, and related systems and equipment. The field has traditionally focused on problems related to atmospheric and space flight, with two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Aerospace engineers develop leading-edge technologies and integrate them into aerospace vehicle systems used for transportation, communications, exploration, and defense applications. This involves the design and manufacturing of aircraft, spacecraft, propulsion systems, satellites, and missiles, as well as the design and testing of aircraft and aerospace products, components, and subassemblies. Successful aerospace engineers possess in-depth skills in, and an understanding of, aerodynamics, materials and structures, propulsion, vehicle dynamics and control, and software.

You Might Like This Program If...

• You are interested in developing leading-edge technologies and integrating them into aerospace vehicle systems used for transportation, communications, exploration, and defense applications.
• You want to obtain a solid understanding of the foundations of aerospace systems: aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, dynamics and controls, and software, as well as unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), nano-materials, autonomous systems, and wind energy.
• You want to develop professional excellence, engineering thinking, and gain deep technical knowledge in the core disciplines and integrative systems of aerospace engineering through an innovative curriculum and world-class instruction.
• You want to make a significant global impact.

This major emphasizes the analysis, design, and operation of aircraft and spacecraft. Students learn the theories and practices in the fundamental subjects of aeronautics, astronautics, aerodynamics and fluid dynamics, aerospace materials and structures, dynamics and automatic control, aircraft stability and control and/or orbital and attitude dynamics and control, air-breathing and rocket propulsion, aircraft systems design and /or spacecraft systems design. All of these place significant weight on the development and use of teamwork and communications skills for effective problem-solving. Graduates in aerospace engineering find employment in the customary settings such as government laboratories, large and small aerospace firms, and in nontraditional positions that also require the use of systems-engineering approaches to problem-solving; they can also pursue graduate study in aerospace engineering and related fields.

Within a few years after graduation, we expect graduates of our program will be:

• Engaged in careers in the discipline of aerospace engineering, and in related disciplines where aerospace engineering knowledge and skills are beneficial, that applies the knowledge and skills for precise engineering analysis and open-ended problem solving and design.
• Pursuing continued professional development through multiple pathways including graduate programs in aerospace engineering, and in related disciplines where aerospace engineering knowledge and skills bring a useful perspective, with the skills needed for engineering research and more advanced studies.
• Acting as professionals representing aerospace engineering concerns with effective communication and teamwork skills, awareness of current issues, and ethical decision making.

Student Outcomes

Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. The Aerospace Engineering program is designed to enable students to:

1. Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. 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
3. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. 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
5. Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

• Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
• Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

Aerospace engineers work primarily in the aerospace industry, at systems and software suppliers, corporate labs, government labs, and universities. Their skill set is extremely broad and multidisciplinary, and the experience of aerospace engineers as systems architects and engineers allows them to make contributions in many diverse sectors. Our graduate programs provide outstanding research opportunities across a broad spectrum of topics, and encompass both computational and experimental research approaches. Students may embrace traditional fields like aerodynamics, propulsion, flight science, vehicle dynamics, aeroacoustics, and rotorcraft engineering, as well as leading-edge research areas such as UAVs, commercial space, nanomanufacturing, and wind energy.

The industries that employed the most aerospace engineers are:

• Aerospace product and parts manufacturing.
• Engineering services.
• Federal government, excluding postal service.
• Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences.
• Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROGRAM

Opportunities for Graduate Studies

The aerospace engineering department offers the following graduate degree options: " Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) " Master of Science (M.S.) " Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Students may also earn a graduate minor in computational science and/or a graduate certificate in wind energy.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

Professional Resources

• AHS International
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
• American Astronautical Society