Mechanical Engineering: Aerospace Emphasis - BS

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

College of Engineering

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

About This Degree

Mechanical engineering deals with the creation of the mechanical systems and machines that serve society. Mechanical engineers are involved in researching and designing mechanical devices of all types, including engines, tools, and machines. The broad discipline allows graduates to work in nearly every area of industry.

Aerospace Engineering Emphasis: Aerospace engineers design, develop, and test aircraft, spacecraft, and missile systems, as well as supervising the manufacturing process of these products. Students focusing on aerospace engineering have the qualifications to become an aeronautical engineer or an astronautic engineer. Aeronautical engineers are those aerospace engineers who deal with airplanes, while astronautic engineers are engineers who deal specifically with spacecraft.

For more information about Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department, see the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department webpage.
The Mechanical Engineering Program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://abet.org.
Admitted and current students must meet with an advisor.
Log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
The highest math requirement for this degree is MATH 2250 - Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (QI) .

Minimum University Requirements

Total Credits: 120
Credits of C- or better: 100
Total credits taken through USU: 30
Total major required credits taken at USU: 10
Minimum Grade Point Average (many majors require a higher GPA): 2.0 GPA
Credits of upper-division courses (#3000 or above): 40
Upper-division credits taken at USU: 20
General Education Requirements
University Studies Requirements
Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Pre-Professional Program Admission Requirements

New Freshman

3.5 High School GPA or higher
24 ACT or 1160 SAT or higher
25 ACT math score or higher
81 Admission Index or higher

Transfer Students (from other institutions or other USU programs)

MATH 1210 completed with a C- or higher
3.0 or higher GPA in Pre-Professional courses
No more than 2 repeats in Pre-Professional courses
12 credits or more of Science, Engineering and Math completed with a 3.0 or higher GPA

Pre-Professional Program Academic Regulations

A Cumulative USU GPA of 2.8 or higher is required in pre-professional courses, NOT including ENGL 2010 or ENGL 2020 .
All courses require a grade of C- or higher.
No more than 3 total repeats are allowed in pre-professional courses. Multiple repeats of the same course and audits are included in the total of 3 repeats.
Once a student completes a particular course to fulfill a major requirement that course becomes required for that student. This policy applies to both required courses and technical electives.
The P/D+, D, F grading option may not be used in required courses completed as part of a pre-professional program. (The P/D+, D, F grading option is approved for University Studies Courses.)

Pre-Professional Program Courses (60 credits)

CHEM 1210 - Principles of Chemistry I 4 credit(s)
CHEM 1215 - Chemical Principles Laboratory I 1 credit(s)
ENGL 2010 - Research and Argument Across Perspectives (CL2) 3 credit(s) ****(not included in the Pre-Professional Program GPA calculation)
or
ENGL 2020 - Professional Communication (CL2) 3 credit(s) ****(not included in the Pre-Professional Program GPA calculation)
ENGR 2010 - Engineering Mechanics Statics 3 credit(s)
ENGR 2030 - Engineering Mechanics Dynamics 3 credit(s)
ENGR 2140 - Mechanics of Materials 3 credit(s)
ENGR 2210 - Fundamental Electronics for Engineers 3 credit(s)
ECE 1400 - Computer Programming for Electrical and Computer Engineers I 4 credit(s) *
or
CS 1400 - Introduction to Computer Science–CS 1 4 credit(s) *
MAE 1010 - Introduction to Mechanical Engineering 3 credit(s) **
MAE 1200 - Engineering Graphics 2 credit(s)
MAE 2300 - Thermodynamics I 3 credit(s)
MAE 2450 - Engineering Numerical Methods 3 credit(s)
MATH 1210 - Calculus I (QL) 4 credit(s)
MATH 1220 - Calculus II (QL) 4 credit(s)
MATH 2210 - Multivariable Calculus (QI) 3 credit(s)
MATH 2250 - Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (QI) 4 credit(s) ***
PHYS 2210 - Physics for Scientists and Engineers I (BPS/QI) 4 credit(s)
PHYS 2215 - Physics for Scientists and Engineers Lab I 1 credit(s)
PHYS 2220 - Physics for Scientists and Engineers II (BPS/QI) 4 credit(s)
PHYS 2225 - Physics for Scientists and Engineers Lab II 1 credit(s)
*ECE 1400  or CS 1400  will fulfill the major requirement. Whichever course is taken becomes required for the pre-professional program and will be counted towards the pre-professional GPA. Any repeat of either course will be counted towards the 3 repeats allowed in the pre-professional program.

**Students must take a minimum of 9 credit hours (3 courses) worth of aerospace technical electives. If a student takes MAE 1010  in their first 30 credits of the Pre-Professional Program, they are only required to take 6 credit hours (2 courses) worth of aerospace technical electives.

***Both MATH 2270  and MATH 2280  may be taken in place of MATH 2250 . If MATH 2270  and MATH 2280  have been taken, the courses become required for the pre-professional program and will be counted towards the pre-professional GPA. Any repeats for these courses are counted towards the 3 repeats allowed in the pre-professional program.

****ENGL 2010  or ENGL 2020  will fulfill the major requirement. Whichever course is taken becomes required for the pre-professional program.

Professional Program Academic Regulations

The following academic regulations apply, in addition to University regulations:

A Cumulative USU GPA of 2.0 or higher is required in all upper-division required and technical elective courses. Courses which were part of the pre-professional program requirements and University Studies courses are not included in this GPA calculation.
All courses require a grade of C- or higher.
No more than one total repeat is allowed for each required or technical elective course. Courses completed as part of a pre-professional program are not included in this total. Audits count as a time taking a class and will be counted towards repeats.
Students must take a minimum of 9 credit hours (3 courses) worth of aerospace technical electives. If a student takes MAE 1010 in their first 30 credits of the Pre-Professional Program, they are only required to take 6 credit hours (2 courses) worth of aerospace technical electives.
Once a student completes a particular course to fulfill a major requirement that course becomes required for that student. This policy applies to both required courses and technical electives.
The P/D+, D, F grading option may not be used in required or technical elective courses completed as part of a professional program. (The P/D+, D, F grading option is approved for University Studies Courses.)

Professional Program Required Courses (40 credits)

ENGR 3080 - Technical Communication for Engineers (CI) 3 credit(s)
MAE 2160 - Material Science 3 credit(s)
MAE 2165 - Material Science Laboratory 1 credit(s)
MAE 3040 - Mechanics of Solids 3 credit(s)
MAE 3340 - Instrumentation and Measurements 3 credit(s)
MAE 3420 - Fluid Mechanics 3 credit(s)
MAE 3440 - Heat Transfer (QI) 3 credit(s)
MAE 3600 - Engineering Professionalism and Ethics 1 credit(s)
MAE 4300 - Machine Design 3 credit(s)
MAE 4400 - Fluids/Thermal Laboratory (CI) 2 credit(s)
MAE 4800 - Capstone Design I (CI) 3 credit(s)
MAE 4810 - Capstone Design II 3 credit(s)
MAE 5300 - Vibrations 3 credit(s)
or
MAE 5360 - Advanced Dynamics 3 credit(s) *
MAE 5500 - Aerodynamics 3 credit(s)
MAE 5560 - Dynamics of Space Flight 3 credit(s)
*Students must take either MAE 5300 or MAE 5360 to fulfill the major requirements. The course that is used to fulfill the major requirements will not also fulfill the technical elective requirement; students must take an additional course from the specified list to fulfill the technical elective requirement.

Aerospace Technical Elective Courses

One aerospace technical elective course must be completed from the Supplemental aerospace technical elective list.

The other aerospace technical elective courses must be completed from the Supplemental or Breadth aerospace technical elective lists.

Supplemental Aerospace Technical Electives
MAE 5330 - Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems 3 credit(s)
MAE 5510 - Dynamics of Atmospheric Flight 3 credit(s)
MAE 5420 - Compressible Fluid Flow 3 credit(s)
MAE 5540 - Propulsion Systems 3 credit(s)
MAE 5550 - Introduction to Aircraft Structures 3 credit(s)
ECE 5230 - Spacecraft Systems Engineering 3 credit(s)
ECE 5240 - Space System Design 3 credit(s)
Breadth Aerospace Technical Electives
MAE 5020 - Finite Element Methods in Solid Mechanics I 3 credit(s)
MAE 5040 - Experimental Solid Mechanics 3 credit(s)
MAE 5050 - Advanced Composite Materials 3 credit(s)
MAE 5060 - Mechanics of Composite Materials I 3 credit(s)
MAE 5300 - Vibrations 3 credit(s) *
MAE 5310 - Dynamic Systems and Controls 3 credit(s)
MAE 5320 - Mechatronics 4 credit(s)
MAE 5360 - Advanced Dynamics 3 credit(s) *
MAE 5370 - Optimization for Engineers 3 credit(s)
MAE 5440 - Computational Fluid Dynamics 3 credit(s)
* Students must take either MAE 5300 or MAE 5360 to fulfill the major requirements. The course that is used to fulfill the major requirement will not also fulfill the technical elective requirement; students must take an additional course from the specified list to fulfill the technical elective requirement

Open Electives

Total elective credit is determined by General Education courses taken, degree type selected, additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. Please consult your Academic Advisor for details.

Total Credits: 127

Suggested Degree Map - Mechanical Engineering: Aerospace Emphasis BS

Mechanical Engineering: Aerospace Emphasis BS - 4 Year Degree Map