Curriculum for
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering-2005 or later

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is highly committed to provide a foundation in aerospace engineering so that graduates will be well prepared to pursue successful careers in this field.

The educational objectives of the aerospace engineering curriculum are:

• Graduates will be proficient in aerospace engineering.
  
• Graduates will be prepared to meet the varying demands of the workforce in the technological arena.
  
• Graduates will be prepared for the pursuit of lifelong learning.
  

The curriculum consists of a judicious combination of fundamentals, including mathematics and sciences, and practical laboratory experience which provides modern engineering tools. Aeronautical engineering subjects are to be the focus of the discipline along with significant exposure to space-related topics. The graduate will be able to critically analyze aerospace engineering problems and execute practical solutions. In addition to being able to function independently, it is expected that the graduate will be able to function with effective written and oral communication within a multidisciplinary team and be equipped with several factors such as environmental, social, and economic considerations due to a thorough education in the humanities, social sciences, ethics, safety, and professionalism.

The aerospace engineering curriculum includes studies in the disciplines encountered in the design of aerospace vehicles, missiles, rockets, and spacecraft. Undergraduate students extensively study the basic principles of fluid dynamics, solid mechanics and structures, stability and control, and thermal sciences and propulsion. The senior year includes a capstone flight vehicle design course.

The student is involved in both theoretical and experimental studies, and trained to integrate knowledge with practical engineering design. With the breadth and depth of education in aerospace engineering, the student becomes a versatile engineer, competent to work in many areas. The curriculum may serve as a terminal program by incorporating design-oriented courses for technical electives, or it may be used as a preparatory program for advanced study by the selection of science-oriented courses.

While the undergraduate curriculum is sufficiently broad to permit the graduate to select from a wide variety of employment opportunities, it contains sufficient depth to prepare a student to enter a graduate school to pursue an advanced degree. As modern science and engineering become more complex, the desirability of graduate-level preparation is being recognized by most advanced industries and government agencies.

Students can simultaneously pursue B.S. degrees in both aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering by completing additional courses. Information on this 155 credit-hour, four-and-one-half-year option can be seen at the end of this department description.

Students who plan a career in medicine, dentistry, or related areas, but who desire an aerospace engineering degree before entering the appropriate professional school, may substitute eight hours (from a combination of biology and organic chemistry courses) for the required six hours of technical electives. This selection will help the student satisfy admission requirements to the professional schools in the health sciences.

The aerospace engineering program at WVU is administered by the faculty of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Minimum Grade Point Average Requirement for Graduation
A requirement for graduation in aerospace engineering is a departmental grade-point average of at least 2.0 in all required mechanical and aerospace engineering departmental courses. If a required MAE course is repeated, only the hours credited and the grade received for the last completion of the course will be counted in computing the student's departmental grade-point average.

It is important for students to take courses in the order specified as much as possible; all prerequisites and concurrent requirements must be observed.A typical B.S.A.E. degree program which completes degree requirements in four years is as follows

Proposed Course Schedule

1st Year, Fall Semester Hrs CHEM 115 Fundamentals of Chemistry 4 ENG 199 Engineering Orientation 1 ENGL 101 Composition and Rhetoric 3 ENGR 101 Freshman Engineering Design 2 GEC Elective 3 MATH 155 Calculus 4 Total Hours: 17		1st Year, Spring Semester Hrs ENGR 102 Freshman Engineering Design & Analysis 3 GEC Elective 3 GEC Elective 3 MATH 156 Calculus 4 PHYS 111 General Physics 4 Total Hours: 17
2nd Year, Fall Semester Hrs ENGL 102 Composition and Rhetoric 3 MAE 215 Introduction to Aerospace Engineering 3 MAE 241 Statics 3 MATH 251 Multivariable Calculus 4 PHYS 112 General Physics 4 Total Hours: 17		2nd Year, Spring Semester Hrs GEC Elective 3 MAE 242 Dynamics 3 MAE 243 Mechanics of Materials 3 MAE 244 Dynamics and Strength Lab 1 MATH 261 Elementary Differential Equations 4 Total Hours: 14
3rd Year, Fall Semester Hrs GEC Elective 3 MAE 316 Analysis of Engineering Systems 3 MAE 320 Thermodynamics 3 MAE 335 Incompressible Aerodynamics 3 MAE 343 Intermediate Mechanics of Materials 3 Total Hours: 15		3rd Year, Spring Semester Hrs EE 221 Basic Electrical Engineering 3 EE 222 Basic Electrical Lab 1 GEC Elective 3 MAE 336 Compressible Aerodynamics 3 MAE 345 Aerospace Structures 3 MAE 365 Flight Dynamics 3 Total Hours: 16
4th Year, Fall Semester Hrs Technical Elective 3 MAE 426 Flight Vehicle Propulsion 3 MAE 434 Experimental Aerodynamics 2 MAE 456 CAD/Finite Element Analysis 3 MAE 475 Flight Vehicle Design 3 Total Hours: 14		4th Year, Spring Semester Hrs Technical Elective 3 GEC Elective 3 MAE 423 Heat Transfer 3 MAE 460 Automatic Controls 3 MAE 476 Space Flight and Systems 3 Total Hours: 15

Total Credit Hours for the BSAE program: 125

*Courses in red taught only in the semester indicated.

GEC: General Education Curriculum

Note: The six hours of technical electives must be selected from a list of approved AE technical electives after consulting with the advisor; the courses selected should form a clear and consistent pattern according to the career objectives of the student. The 12 hours of GEC courses must be selected to meet the University and college GEC requirements.

For the most recent list of approved courses in the GEC, visit the GEC site at WVU Admissions and Records.