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The Major: Aerospace engineers are called upon to solve exciting problems of design, construction and operation of aircraft and spacecraft to meet the ever-increasing requirement for improved performance at lower unit cost. These challenges mean that aerospace engineers work at the continuously changing forefront of science, technology and systems management.

The undergraduate curriculum in aerospace engineering is a fully accredited baccalaureate program that provides a broad education with a strong foundation in mathematics, science and basic engineering sciences. Advanced courses in aeronautics and astronautics complete the degree. Graduates will be prepared to work in the aerospace and related industries or to pursue graduate study.

There is great overlap between the aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering curriculum. The first six semesters of the two degree programs are identical. Through proper selection of electives, students can earn dual mechanical engineering/aerospace engineering B.S. degrees with one semester of additional work. Interested students should contact the mechanical engineering department or visit the department Web site.

Qualified students begin M.S. degree course work in the senior year and double-count up to nine graduate course credits for both the B.S. and M.S. degrees. Students can complete the master’s degree within two or three semesters after completing the bachelor’s degree. To qualify for this program, students from aerospace engineering must have an upper-division GPA of 3.5 or greater and must satisfy all department and graduate school admission requirements.

The department’s active research programs are sponsored by private industry, the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, NASA, National Institutes of Health and other agencies. These programs keep faculty at the leading edge of technology and provide opportunity for students to participate in research through classroom assignments, individual studies, undergraduate research scholarships and employment as research assistants.

To provide quality educational programs in aerospace engineering, conduct a nationally recognized research program, provide service to the state of Florida, the nation and the profession, support innovative instruction and lay the foundation for ongoing professional development of students and faculty.

• Provide students with a comprehensive aerospace engineering education that includes instruction in aerodynamics, aerospace structures and materials, flight mechanics, stability and controls, orbital mechanics, propulsion, design of aerospace systems, mathematics, experimental methods and numerical methods.
• Prepare students to design aerospace and related multidisciplinary systems.
• Give graduates the ability to design and conduct experiments and analyze and interpret the data.
• Promote development of communication skills and individual professionalism through presentations in experimental methods, design and technical writing courses as well as other activities including individual study and research.
• Prepare students to use modern computational and experimental equipment commonly found in the aerospace industries and research facilities and cultivate skills for ongoing professional development.
• Develop the broad background needed to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a societal and economic context.

To remain ‘on track’ for this major, a student must meet the following critical-tracking criteria. Critical-tracking courses appear in bold.

• 2.0 UF GPA required semesters 1-5
• 2.5 GPA on all critical-tracking course work for semesters 1-5
• Complete 1 of 8 tracking courses with a minimum grade of C within 2 attempts (CHM 2045, approved science elective, MAC 2311, MAC 2312, MAC 2313, MAP 2302, PHY 2048, PHY 2049)

• Complete 1 additional course with a minimum grade of C within 2 attempts

• Complete 2 additional courses with a minimum grade of C within 2 attempts

• Complete 2 additional courses with a minimum grade of C within 2 attempts

• Complete all 8 critical-tracking courses with a minimum grade of C within 2 attempts

* Completed with a grade of C or better

Note 1: Select from CHM 2046 (Chemistry 2), BSC 2010 (Biology 1), PHY 3101 (Modern Physics) or other department-approved courses.

Note 2: Offered by Industrial & Systems Engineering. Select FORTRAN or C++.

Note 3: Students can substitute EEL 3003 (Elements of Electrical Engineering) (3 cr) plus EEL 3303L (Electrical Circuits Laboratory) (1 cr).

Note 4: Aerospace Electives – Select two: EML 4500 (Finite Element Analysis in Engineering Design), EML 4220 (Vibrations), EML 4140 (Heat Transfer), EML 5714 (Introduction to Compressible Flow).

Note 5: Select from EML 4304C (Thermo/Fluid Design and Lab), EML 4147C (Heat Transfer Design and Lab), EML 4314C (Machine Sciences Design and Lab).

Note 6: Technical electives - Select any 3000-/4000-/50-00-level course with EML, EAS or EGM prefix that does not satisfy other aerospace engineering degree requirements. Other courses may be approved by the MAE department.

A list of approved technical electives is available in 226 MAE-A or on the department Web site. Students pursuing dual mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering degrees should select courses satisfying the ME degree.