Aerospace Engineering

UAF offers an aerospace engineering minor for students interested in a career in the aerospace industry or in expanding their knowledge of applied interdisciplinary engineering. The minor includes capstone courses in aeronautics and astronautics, with tracks emphasizing either aerodynamics or space systems. Several electives allow the program to be tailored for students' desires and schedule.

Additional Courses. Several options are available for students looking for a more focused exposure to aerospace topics. In addition to taking any of the academic courses listed in the minor, UAF currently offers the following courses in unmanned aircraft systems.

• AERO F654 — UAS Systems Design (fall even-numbered years)
• AERO F656 — Aerospace Systems Engineering (fall odd-numbered years)
• AERO F658 — Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operations (spring)

These courses are offered at the Fairbanks campus and are available to UAA students via video link. Courses are open to all graduate and senior students in electrical, mechanical and computer engineering, as well as computer science and geomatics. Others may petition the instructor for participation.

A flowchart is available for the required courses for the minor.

Aerospace Club — UAF hosts a local student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The club participates in AIAA's annual Design Build Fly competition, with the flight demonstration occurring in April and rotating between Wichita, Kansas, and Tucson, Arizona. UAF's team has done very well in this international competition, being within the top 100 schools to be invited for each of the past four years and placing 23rd in the 2019 competition. For more information visit UAF's Aerospace Club's website.

Minimum Requirements for Aerospace Engineering Minor: 15 credits

College of Engineering and Mines
907-474-6098

Certificate/Associate Degree Programs

• at least 18 years old, or
• have a high school diploma, or
• have a General Educational Development (GED) diploma.

Bachelor Degree Programs

• Have a high school diploma, and
• Pass the 16-credit high school core curriculum with at least a 2.5, and
• Have a cumulative GPA of 2.5, and
• Submit ACT or SAT test scores
  • If you are applying to UAF for the academic years 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 or summer 2025, your ACT and SAT scores will be waived.

If you don't meet these requirements, contact an admissions counselor. You may have options to begin a degree or certificate program, such as starting as a pre-undeclared student or as a non-degree student.

The admission qualifications for international applicants are the same as domestic applicants with the addition of:

• Proof of English Proficiency
• Official diploma for institutions who do not list a degree and graduation date on the transcript

Please refer to the other student types (Freshmen, Transfer or Graduate) for program qualifications.

Minimum required English proficiency:

• A minimum TOEFL score of 79.
• A minimum IELTS score of 6.5.
• Completion of secondary education in Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia or Canada (excluding Quebec).

Requests for exception to this policy may be submitted via email to the Office of Admissions. Acceptable grounds for waiving this requirement may include:

• Successful completion (C or higher) of a college-level, non-ESL English composition course.
• A comparable score on another approved exam such as the ACT, SAT or EdReady exam.

International Transcripts: Send official secondary school and/or university transcripts to World Education Services (WES) and request a comprehensive course-by-course credential report. Transcripts from Canadian institutions (excluding Quebec) are exempt from this requirement; they may be sent directly from the issuing institution.

To start your adventure at UAF, your first step will be to apply for admission. We offer a fast and convenient online application. 

In order to issue your immigration documents, we must receive the UAF Financial Statement for International Students (PDF) and supporting documentation. We’ll also need a copy of your passport identification page.

Your immigration documents will be mailed to the address you provided, along with your official letter of acceptance and information about applying for your visa and travel to Alaska.