Aerospace Engineering - PhD

Two program plans are available for the Aerospace Engineering PhD degree.

The PhD Degree beyond a Bachelor’s requires 72 credits (minimum): 6 credits of Aerospace Engineering Core courses (including MAE 5500  and MAE 5560 ); 6 credits of approved math courses (5000-level or above); 24 credits of approved technical electives; and 36 credits of MAE 7970: Dissertation Research . PhD qualifying exams must be passed before completing three semesters. A proposal defense and a formal final defense are required for the dissertation. The dissertation must meet School of Graduate Studies and MAE Department requirements. A paper related to the dissertation, with the student as the first author, must be submitted for publication in a refereed journal prior to scheduling the final defense. Students may choose to earn a Plan C Aerospace Engineering or Mechanical Engineering MS degree while completing their PhD. This option increases the PhD minimum requirement to 81 credits.

The PhD Degree beyond a Master’s requires 42 credits (minimum): 6 credits of Aerospace Engineering Core courses (including MAE 5500  and MAE 5560 ); 3 credits of an approved math course (5000-level or above); 3 credits of approved technical electives; and 30 credits of MAE 7970: Dissertation Research . PhD qualifying exams must be passed before completing three semesters. A proposal defense and a formal final defense are required for the dissertation. The dissertation must meet School of Graduate Studies and MAE Department requirements. A paper related to the dissertation, with the student as the first author, must be submitted for publication in a refereed journal prior to scheduling the final defense.