Aerospace Engineering

To graduate, students must complete 30 credit hours (15 Core, 6 Aerospace Electives, 9 engineering or science electives that could be thesis hours) of approved graduate coursework as indicated on their Program of Study which must satisfy the curriculum requirements of the program. The student must have at least a 3.0 GPA and a minimum of a B- in each course. The student must earn a grade of B or better in each core course. 

Besides the coursework and grade requirements, the Graduate School states “a final exam that covers breadth and integration of material in the field is required.”  Students pursuing the AEMS will be required to pursue a capstone project and pass a capstone exam to earn the AEMS degree.

Capstone Project and Capstone Exam

The vast majority of successful aerospace engineers are able to draw knowledge and solutions from multiple areas. The purpose of the capstone project is for the students to demonstrate mastery of aerospace knowledge and integrate topics into a cohesive solution. Every student must have a capstone project and pass a capstone exam to graduate.

For students pursuing a thesis, their research is the project, and the thesis defense is the capstone exam.

At the beginning of the "graduating" semester, a coursework only student emails the Director of the AEMS .   This email contains the real-world problem the student plans to study for their capstone project.  The student proposes at least three classes from their Program of Study that will be applied to create a real-world solution.  The director will respond and offer advice or suggestions, if necessary. 

During the semester, the student will research and develop a solution to the problem that incorporates and integrates knowledge from these three courses.  Although a student can always reach out for assistance, it is anticipated that the student will demonstrate their mastery of the material and create their solution with minimal assistance.

The capstone exam is a 20-25 minute presentation where the student presents their solution.  This presentation must also discuss any ethical implications of their proposed solution.  Additionally, the presentation should discuss the student's consideration of public health, safety, welfare, and economic factors. 

Typically the Director of the AEMS acts as the examiner and represents the Supervisory Committee.  A week before the Capstone Exam, the student should email the AEMS Director their slides. This provides the ability for final feedback in case adjustments should be made. 

The Capstone Exam examiner votes to pass or fail the student and also fills out a student learning assessment form.  If the examiner votes to pass, then the supervisory committee agrees and the student passes the capstone exam.  If the examiner votes to fail, then a second capstone exam is scheduled with the remaining members of the Supervisory Committee.  If both members of the Supervisory Committee vote to pass, then the student passes the capstone exam with a vote of 2-1.  Otherwise the student has failed the capstone exam. 

The deadlines and rules for the capstone exam are identical to the defense of a master's thesis and are established by the Graduate School. Some of the rules include the maximum number of attempts, the minimum amount of time between retakes and the semester graduation deadlines.