Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering Curriculum

To join the MSAE Program you must:

• Be admitted to the MSAE program.
  • The MSAE program is currently an on-campus program, but some classes will be available in an online format. Class lectures may be available on-line via some employers.
  • Click here for the application.
  • Note that an incoming student can count at most 15 credit hours, which can include at most 6 hours of transfer from another institution, taken prior to being admitted to the MSAE.
• Fill out and submit a Program of Study. (Link Here).
• Earn a B or better for all 5 core classes, a B- or better for all electives and have a 3.0 or better graduate GPA. More information below.
• Must be done prior to the second week of classes in the semester that you plan to graduate.
• Apply for graduation (must be done prior to the second week of classes in the semester that the student wants to graduate).
•  Defend an MS Thesis or complete the Capstone Exam (Completed in the semester that you plan to graduate).

MS Degree Tracking

Complete all of the following:

Nonmatriculated courses and transfer classes do not automatically count toward the MSAE degree!

• In the first semester, the admitted student should fill out the Graduate School's Transfer Credit Form. This form should include:
  • All transfer credit from another institution (limited to 6 hours)
  • Any nonmatriculated classes taken at the U
  • At most 15 total hours can be applied toward the MSAE.

Dr. Mark Maier is your advisor. Questions about courses, transfer credit and other degree or certificate questions should be directed to him. Many of the most common questions can also be answered on the advising page.

Unlike undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees provide substantially more freedom for the students to choose the classes that best suit their career and life goals. The Program of Study is the agreement between the University and the student of the classes that will be taken that to satisfy the course requirements for a graduate degree.

The Program of Study has a Supervisory Committee composed of three faculty members, which must satisfy the Graduate School’s policies. The Supervisory Committee verifies that the courses will meet the degree requirements and approves the Program of Study. The Supervisory Committee also approves any course substitutions, and conducts and evaluates the capstone experience.

The standard MSAE Supervisory Committee for coursework only students is Advisor: Dr. Mark Maier,  Member 1: Dr. Jacob Hochhalter, and Member 2: Dr. Shad Roundy.

For students pursuing a thesis, the student’s research advisor is also the Advisor of the Supervisory Committee.  The student should work with the research advisor to identify two more faculty to be on the committee.  These faculty should be able to evaluate the quality of the research and hopefully provide some suggestions to improve the research.

Transfer credit from another institution is approved on the Program of Study. There is a limit of 6 hours transferred from another institution. All transferred courses must be graduate courses with a grade of B or better. Transfer credit cannot be used to satisfy the degree requirements of another degree. Transfer credits can satisfy a core requirement, engineering elective course or general electives, as determined by the advisor and approved by the Supervisory Committee.

Program of Studies submitted during the final semester of a student’s program may result in a delayed graduation, and a requirement to take additional courses. All students are encouraged to submit a program after completing 9 hours and before completing 18 hours.

You will receive an email once your Program of Study is approved. This typically can take up to three weeks.

If a student cannot complete the courses on their Program of Study. The student should email the Director of the MSAE for a Change of Program of Study procedure.

Submit your MSAE Program of Study

Students wishing to pursue the MS Thesis option must reach agreement with a research advisor (a member of the Mechanical Engineering faculty) on a suitable topic and enroll in 6 credit hours of that advisors MS Thesis supervision. After completion of the MS thesis credit hours the student must write, defend, and publish the thesis.

The Oral Thesis Defense generally must be done within 2 years of the students start date.

The vast majority of successful aerospace engineers are able to draw knowledge and solutions from multiple areas. The purpose of the capstone project is for the students to demonstrate mastery of aerospace knowledge and integrate topics into a cohesive solution. Every student must have a capstone project and pass a capstone exam to graduate.

For students pursuing a thesis, their research is the project, and the thesis defense is the capstone exam.

At the beginning of the "graduating" semester, a coursework only student emails the Director of the Aerospace Engineering Programs. This email contains the real-world problem the student plans to study for their capstone project. The student proposes at least three classes from their Program of Study that will be applied to create a real-world solution. The director will respond and offer advice or suggestions, if necessary.

During the semester, the student will research and develop a solution to the problem that incorporates and integrates knowledge from these three courses.  Although a student can always reach out for assistance, it is anticipated that the student will demonstrate their mastery of the material and create their solution with minimal assistance.

The capstone exam is a 20-25 minute presentation where the student presents their solution.  This presentation must also discuss any ethical implications of their proposed solution.  Additionally, the presentation should discuss the student's consideration of public health, safety, welfare, and economic factors.

Typically the Director of the Aerospace Engineering Programs acts as the examiner and represents the Supervisory Committee. A week before the Capstone Exam, the student should email the AEMS Director their slides. This provides the ability for final feedback in case adjustments should be made.

The Capstone Exam examiner votes to pass or fail the student and also fills out a student learning assessment form. If the examiner votes to pass, then the supervisory committee agrees and the student passes the capstone exam. If the examiner votes to fail, then a second capstone exam is scheduled with the remaining members of the Supervisory Committee. If both members of the Supervisory Committee vote to pass, then the student passes the capstone exam with a vote of 2-1.  Otherwise the student has failed the capstone exam.

The deadlines and rules for the capstone exam are identical to the defense of a master's thesis and are established by the Graduate School. Some of the rules include the maximum number of attempts, the minimum amount of time between retakes and the semester graduation deadlines.

To graduate with an MSAE, every student must:

• Pass  Capstone Exam
• Apply for graduation with the U.
  • The deadline is typically the end of the first week of the semester!
  • Graduation applications are simple and made on the student's CIS account.