Master of Science Requirements: Thesis and (Non-Thesis)
1. A minimum of 30 credit hours is required.
• For thesis students, up to 9 credit hours may be allotted for Research and Thesis (AOE 5994).
2. A minimum of 15 credit hours (18 for non-thesis) of graded course work numbered 5000 and higher must be included in the Plan of Study. These credit hours do not include the AOE Seminar (AOE 5944), Research and Thesis (AOE 5994) hours, or Project and Report (AOE 5904) hours.
3. A maximum of 6 credit hours of 5974 and 5984 is allowed.
4. A maximum of 6 credit hours of approved 4000 level course work is allowed.
5. Up to 50% of the courses on the Plan of Study may be transferred from a graduate program at another institution, subject to the approval of the Advisory Committee. Substitution of a transferred course for a specific required course is subject to the approval of the Graduate Program Director or a designee, usually the responsible instructor. Each transferred course must have a grade of B (3.0/4.0) or better.
6. Breadth Requirement: All MS AE students are required to take at least one course each in three out of the four disciplinary areas identified below.
Fluid Mechanics
• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics;
• AOE 5114, High Speed Aerodynamics;
• AOE 5124, Aero and Hydroacoustics;
• AOE 5135, Vehicle Propulsion;
• AOE 5144, Boundary Layer Theory.
Dynamics and Control
• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control;
• AOE 5744, Linear Systems Theory;
• AOE 5754, Applied Linear Systems;
• AOE 5774, Nonlinear Systems Theory;
• AOE 5234, Orbital Mechanics.
Structures and Materials
• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures;
• AOE 5034, Mechanical and Structural Dynamics;
• AOE 5054, Stability of Structures;
• AOE 5064, Structural Optimization.
Applied Physics
• AOE 5174, Introduction to Plasma Science;
• AOE 5xxx, Spacecraft Propulsion;
• AOE 5654, Introduction to Space Science I: The Solar Wind and Magnetosphere;
• AOE 5664, Upper Atmosphere and Ionosphere;
• ECE 5194, Remote Sensing: Principles and Techniques.
7. Math Requirement: All MS Students are required to take at least one course (of three credits or more) focused on graduate-level mathematics, statistics, or numerical methods. A sample list of courses satisfying this requirement is given in Appendix B. The MS Advisory Committee can approve other courses that have majority of their learning outcomes on advanced mathematics, statistics, or numerical methods.
APPENDIX B
Sample of approved courses focused on Mathematics, Statistics, or Numerical Methods:
1. AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods;
2. AOE 5434G, Advanced Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics;
3. AOE 5734, Convex Optimization;
4. AOE 6145, Computational Fluid Dynamics;
5. AOE 6174, Computational Plasma Dynamics;
6. AOE 6314, Advanced Dynamics;
7. AOE 6444, Verification and Validation in Scientific Computing;
8. ESM 5734, Introduction to the Finite Element Method;
9. ESM 5744, Energy and Variational Methods in Applied Mechanics;
10. ESM 6714, Applied Tensor Analysis;
11. ESM 6734, Finite Element Analysis;
12. MATH 5225, Real Analysis
13. MATH 5235, Complex Analysis;
14. MATH 5424, Numerical Linear Algebra;
15. MATH 5425, Applied Partial Differential Equations;
16. MATH 5465, Numerical Analysis; 17. MATH 5474, Finite Difference Methods for Partial Differential Equations;
18. MATH 5484, Finite Element Methods for Partial Differential Equations;
19. STAT 5044, Regression and Analysis of Variance;
20. STAT 5104, Probability and Distribution Theory;
21. STAT 5434, Applied Stochastic Processes;
22. STAT 5444, Bayesian Statistics;
23. STAT 5525, Data Analytics;
24. STAT 5616, Statistics in Research;
25. STAT 5664, Applied Statistical Time Series Analysis for Research Scientists.
8. Non-thesis MS AE students must take at least two additional graduate courses in AOE. See Appendix C for a list of courses to take for a specialization in (i) Fluid Mechanics, (ii) Dynamics, Controls, and Estimation, (iii) Structures and Materials, and (iv) Space Engineering.
APPENDIX C
Sample List of Courses for MS AE Specializations
Fluid Mechanics
This area is concerned with the determination of forces and moments caused by the motion of an aerospace or ocean vehicle through a liquid or gaseous medium, and with the nature of the flow field around the vehicle and in its wake. This determination ranges from very low subsonic speeds through the speed of sound (transonic) to supersonic and hypersonic speeds. Both inviscid and viscous flow phenomena are significant. In addition, the study of internal flow fields associated with propulsion is a subset of this area.
Sample course list:
• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures
• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics
• AOE 5114, High Speed Aerodynamics
• AOE 5124, Aero and Hydroacoustics
• AOE 5135, Vehicle Propulsion
• AOE 5144, Boundary Layer Theory
• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control
• AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods
• AOE 5434G, Advanced Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics
Dynamics, Control and Estimation
The area of dynamics involves dynamic modeling and analysis for space, atmospheric, and ocean vehicles. The area of control and estimation involves the development and application of methods for vehicle guidance, navigation, and control.
Sample course list:
• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures
• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics
• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control
• AOE 5744, Linear Systems Theory
• AOE 5754, Applied Linear Systems
• AOE 5774, Nonlinear Systems Theory
• AOE 5234, Orbital Mechanics
• AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods
• AOE 5734, Convex Optimization
Structures and Materials
This area involves development and application of methods for design and evaluation of aerospace and ocean structures. Principal subjects of study are structural analysis, computational mechanics, structural optimization, composite structures, smart structures, 31 structural health monitoring, material science, machine learning, and multi-disciplinary analysis and optimization.
Sample course list:
• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures
• AOE 5034, Mechanical and Structural Dynamics
• AOE 5054, Stability of Structures
• AOE 5064, Structural Optimization
• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics
• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control
• AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods
• ESM 5734, Introduction to the Finite Element Method
• ESM 5744, Energy and Variational Methods in Applied Mechanics
Space Engineering
This area is concerned with the multidisciplinary application of Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical, and Systems Engineering (among others) to the development of advanced space instrumentation, vehicles, constellations, and space exploration systems.
Sample course list:
• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures
• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics
• AOE 5174, Introduction to Plasma Science
• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control
• AOE 5234, Orbital Mechanics
• AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods
• AOE 5654, Introduction to Space Science I: The Solar Wind and Magnetosphere
• AOE 5664, Upper Atmosphere and Ionosphere
• AOE 5xxx, Spacecraft Propulsion