Why Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M?

Aerospace engineers have been there. All you have to do is look back to see what aerospace engineers have done. Men on the moon. The space shuttle. Satellites that keep us in touch and keep us from getting lost. Airplanes that connect the continents and float in the sky for days.

We’re looking ahead. Space station, space probes, spaceplanes. Who knows where aerospace engineering will be in five years, 10 years, 20 years. It’s a future you can help shape to fit your dreams.

Our graduates are already doing it. Look at any of the big aerospace companies around the world you’ll find people there who graduated from Texas A&M’s Department of Aerospace Engineering. NASA? You bet. But that’s not all.

You’ll also find our grads calling the shots in energy, electronics, computer and software companies, and government research laboratories. These folks can tell you how a solid background in dynamics and control, aerodynamics and fluid mechanics, and materials and structures gets you ready to tackle almost any engineering problem.

It’s not all classrooms and laboratories. If you’d like a sneak peek at what real aerospace engineering is like, we can help you do that, too. Many Texas A&M aerospace engineering students participate every year in work-study programs that take them into design and productions shops for major aerospace companies. These co-op experiences usually include three work periods alternating with full-time study semesters. Our own researchers also hire undergraduate students every year to work in their many research projects.

From the beginning. Our curriculum is designed to help you learn the skills you need to design the vehicles that go into space and the systems that keep them there. You’ll start with a tight focus on science and mathematics to give you the foundations you need for engineering, aerospace engineering and design. Humanities and social sciences ensure you an awareness of our cultural heritage.

Your junior and senior years will introduce you to aerodynamics, structures and materials, propulsion, and flight mechanics — all the things you need to get ready for advanced study and specialization. Electives allow you to explore the special things you’re interested in, and we have over 25 different technical electives from which to select!

Then the fun really starts. Everybody says ‘hands-on’, but here it’s the real deal – a year long senior-level design project that gives you a chance to build on that foundation. You’ll work on a design team that designs a real rocket, aircraft, or satellite. You’ll do the same thing that engineers working in the field do, such as a Request for Proposals (RFP), present your design, build it, test it in our wind tunnels, and fly it. It doesn’t get much more real than this.