Nov 06, 2024  
2024-2025 University Catalog 
    
2024-2025 University Catalog

Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, BSAAE

Location(s): West Lafayette


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About the Program


The Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET and meets the following 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  

Degree Requirements


130 Credits Required

AAE Engineering Major Courses (56 credits)


Other Program/Departmental Requirements (77-89)


First Year Engineering Requirements (29-39 credits)


Click here for First-Year Engineering  Requirements

If pursuing Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, CS 15900 - Prog Appl for Engineers is preferred, but not required to complete the First Year Engineering program.

  • Requirement #1 - Intro to Engineering I (2-4 credits)
  • Requirement #2 - Intro to Engineering II (2-4 credits)
  • Requirement #3 - Calculus I (4-5 credits) (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) 
  • Requirement #4 - Calculus II (4-5 credits) (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) 
  • Requirement #5 - Chemistry I (4-6 credits) (satisfies Science #1 for core)
  • Requirement #6 - Physics (4 credits) (satisfies Science #2 for core)
  • Requirement #7 - First-Year Engineering Selective (3-4 credits)
  • Requirement #8 - Written and Oral Communication (6 credits) (could satisfy Written Communication, Information Literacy or Oral Communication for core)

Other Departmental Requirements (30-35 credits)


General Education Requirements (18 credits)


At least 6 credits from non-Introductory (30000-level or above OR from courses with a required pre-requisite in the same department.

  • General Education I - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science for core)
  • General Education II - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Humanities for core)
  • General Education III - Credit Hours: 1.00-3.00 (satisfies Science, Technology & Society for core)
  • General Education IV - Credit Hours: 3.00 (can be satisfied by Business Rule Course)
  • General Education V - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • General Education VI - Credit Hours: 0.00-2.00
  • AAE Communications Rule - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies 3.00 credits of Non-Introductory General Education)

Grade Requirements


To graduate, students must receive a C- or better in AAE 20300, AAE 20400, AAE 33800, all MA (Math) coures and all courses in First-Year Engineering.

GPA Requirements


  • 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.
  • AAE requires a minimum of a 2.0 for major GPA.

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.

Pass/No Pass Policy


  • Only General Education and Technical electives may be taken in the Pass/No Pass grade mode. All other courses within the AAE Plan of Study are required to be taken for a grade. 
  • Students who do a semester or year-long study abroad exchange program are allowed to take  AAE courses as Pass/No Pass during this program.

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.

University Requirements


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC) 

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement


The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test.  The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused.  There are three different pathways:

  • Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
  • Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
  • Approved course pathway - Complete  one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.

More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.

Upper Level Requirement


  • Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
  • Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Sample First-Year Engineering Plan of Study


Fall 1st Year


  • Requirement #1 - Intro to Engineering - Credit Hours: 2.00-4.00
  • Requirement #3 - Calculus I - Credit Hours: 4.00-5.00
  • Requirement #5 - Chemistry - Credit Hours: 4.00-6.00
  • Requirement #8 - Written or Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00

13-19 Credits


Spring 1st Year


  • Requirement #2 - Intro to Engineering II - Credit Hours: 2.00-4.00
  • Requirement #4 - Calculus II - Credit Hours: 4.00-5.00
  • Requirement #6 - Physics - Credit Hours: 4.00
  • Requirement #7 - First-Year Engineering Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
  • Requirement #8 - Written or Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00

16-21 Credits


Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Program Requirements


Fall 2nd Year


13-17 Credits


18-19 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


17-19 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


16-18 Credits


Fall 4th Year


  • Credits: 1.00
  • Credits: 1.00
  • AAE Engr Specialization - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • AAE Selectives - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Statistics Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Business Rule - Credit Hours: 3.00 (can satisfy Technical Elective or General Education Selective)
  • Technical  Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00 (depending on Business Rule course taken)
    OR
  • General Education V - Credit Hours: 3.00 (depending on Business Rule course taken)

17 Credits


Spring 4th Year


18 Credits


Pre-Requisite Information


For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

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