About the Program
The Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET and meets the following ABET criteria for aerospace engineering programs:
“Aerospace engineering programs or similarly named engineering programs, which combine aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering, must include all curricular topics in sufficient depth for engineering practice in one of the areas - aeronautical engineering or astronautical engineering as described above - and, in addition, similar depth in at least two topics from the other area.”
The field of aeronautical and astronautical engineering includes the challenging problems encountered in the design and operation of many types of aircraft, missiles, and space vehicles and puts a constant demand on research and development groups for an even better understanding of basic physical phenomena.
Aeronautical education has existed on at least a small scale at Purdue University since about 1920. Aeronautical Engineering degrees were first offered at Purdue by the School of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering during WWII, and the first B.S. Degrees were awarded in 1943. The School of Aeronautics was established as a separate entity on July 1, 1945. (For a complete history visit the School’s history page.)
During the first sixty years of its existence, the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics has awarded 5,824 BS degrees, 1,439 MS degrees and 474 PhD degrees. These graduates have made significant contributions to the aerospace field, and have held positions of high responsibility in government and private industry. Twenty-three graduates of Purdue have become astronauts, and of these, fourteen have been graduates of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
The Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering curriculum concentrates on the fundamental subject areas necessary to the research, development, design, and operation of the aerospace industry. The curriculum is designed to emphasize the disciplines of aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, dynamics, and control, and further provides design courses to integrate these disciplines into the design of flight vehicles that will perform the required mission. A strong background in mathematics and physics is required to pursue these disciplines, and extensive use of computers and programming skills is a necessity.
The future holds many interesting challenges. The record shows that our graduates have demonstrated their ability to provide technical leadership in a variety of successfully completed projects. A degree from Purdue University in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics promises to prepare our future graduates for the 21st century in the aerospace field.
School of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Major Change (CODO) Requirements
Course Requirements and Notes
Students may double count in the following areas:
- UCC: Humanities for General Education elective
- UCC: Behavioral/Social Science for General Education elective
- UCC: Science, Tech, and Society for either Technical elective or General Education elective
- AAE Business Rule for either Technical elective or General Education elective
- AAE Communications Rule for a Non-Introductory General Education elective
- Civics Literacy courses for a General Education elective
- Minor and certificate courses for Technical electives, General Education electives, AAE Statistics Rule, AAE Business Rule, AAE Communications Rule, math requirements, or AAE Specialization/Selectives
Students may not double count in the following areas:
- Technical electives for AAE Specialization/Selectives
Students are allowed to repeat courses, regardless of the grade, up to 3 attempts per University regulations.
Transfer Credit Policy
If you are interested in registering for a course offered by a different institution, you should first look it up in the Purdue Transfer Credit Database to see how the credit will transfer back to Purdue. In order for the course to be used to meet AAE degree requirements, it must transfer as a Purdue equivalent course approved to meet the requirement. If the institution or course is not listed, it may mean your course has not been evaluated yet. Please see your advisor for additional information.
You must earn a “C−”or better in order for a course to be transferred. Please note however, that the grade will not transfer and there will be no impact on your Purdue GPA.
NOTE: courses listed as “#XXXX” are considered undistributed credit, or courses which do not have a Purdue equivalent. These courses cannot be used to meet AAE degree requirements. AAE courses will be reviewed on case-to-case basis.
Please see your academic advisor for approval. Once the course is completed, you must send your official transcript to Purdue so that your credit may be awarded. Click here for instructions on sending your transcript to Purdue.
NOTE: If you are an incoming transfer student, please work with your advisor to determine exactly how your previous courses might transfer.
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