The purpose of the aerospace engineering certificate program is to provide students with a formalized recognition of an emphasis in aerospace engineering subjects as part of their engineering undergraduate degree program.
At UK, as at most universities, the fundamental and applied courses necessary for a career in aerospace engineering are taught in various departments. The UK Aerospace Certificate option will provide students with multidisciplinary experience in aerospace systems and in aerospace specializations, preparing them to join the aerospace workforce.
There are specialty areas in the Aerospace Engineering Certificate program, each with a minimum of 12 credit hours and requiring an approved aerospace educational experience. A 2.5 GPA is required for acceptance into the program. Application is recommended as students complete between 25 and 80 earned credit hours (EHRS) to fully engage in certificate opportunities.
There are many options for fulfilling the experiential education component of the Aerospace Certificate, which you can review in the bulletin on page 262. Students must also successfully complete at least one of the following educational experiences relevant for aerospace engineering (all courses must be completed with C or better):
- Aerospace-related capstone design project or design/build/fly competition
- Aerospace-related internship or co-op term
- Faculty-mentored aerospace-related research or independent study
- EGR 490 Engineering Leadership or Engineering Scholars Program
- AFROTC or aerospace-related military experience,
- Or an approved equivalent aerospace-related educational experience
Your Aerospace Educational Experience is documented afterward by your registration in EGR 390 Experiential Learning in Engineering or Computer Science (0 credits) during the term that your certificate course requirements will be completed.
See below for the required course lists.
- EGR 390 Experiential Learning in Engineering or CS – Aerospace Experience (0 hrs)
- MA 4xx or MA 322 Matrix Algebra and Its Applications§
- ME 506 Mechanics of Composite Materials or ME 556 Intro to Composite Materials
- ME 513 Mechanical Vibrations or ME 510 Vibro-Acoustic Design in Mechanical Sys
And one of the following:
- ME 532 Advanced Strength of Materials
- ME 565 Scale Modeling in Engineering
- ME 599 Advanced Instrumentation
- EGR 390 Experiential Learning in Engineering or CS – Aerospace Experience (0 hrs)
- MA 4xx or MA 322 Matrix Algebra and Its Applications
- ME 530 Gas Dynamics
- ME 531 Fluid Dynamics
And one of the following:
- ME 548 Aerodynamics of Turbomachinery
- ME 565 Scale Modeling in Engineering
- ME599 Applied CFD and Numerical Heat Transfer
- EGR 390 Experiential Learning in Engineering or CS – Aerospace Experience (0 hrs)
- MA 4xx or MA 322 Matrix Algebra and Its Applications
- ME 516 Systems Engineering
And two of the following:
- ME 513 Mechanical Vibrations or ME 510 Vibro-Acoustic Design in Mechanical Sys
- ME 506 Mechanics of Composite Materials or ME 556 Intro to Composite Materials
- ME 530 Gas Dynamics or ME 531 Fluid Dynamics
- ME 599 Advanced Instrumentation or ME 565 Scale Modeling in Engineering
- EGR 390 Experiential Learning in Engineering or CS – Aerospace Experience (0 hrs)
- MA 4xx or MA 322 Matrix Algebra and Its Applications
- EE 580 Embedded Systems Design
And two of the following:
- EE 582 Hardware Description Languages and Programmable Logic
- EE 584 Introduction of VSLI Design and Testing
- EE 585 Fault-Tolerant Systems
- EE 587 Advanced Embedded Systems
- EE 588 Real-Time Computer Systems
- EGR 390 Experiential Learning in Engineering or CS – Aerospace Experience (0 hrs)
- MA 4xx or MA 322 Matrix Algebra and Its Applications
- EE 511 Introduction to Communication Systems
And two of the following:
- EE 512 Digital Communication Systems
- EE 522 Antenna Design
- EE 523 Microwave Circuit Design
- EE 586 Communication and Switching Networks
- EGR 390 Experiential Learning in Engineering or CS – Aerospace Experience (0 hrs)
- MA 4xx or MA 322 Matrix Algebra and Its Applications
And three of the following:
- EE 503 Power Electronics
- EE 527 Electromagnetic Compatibility
- EE 543 Solar Cell Devices and Systems for Electrical Energy Generation
- EE 585 Fault-Tolerant Computing
- EE 576 Cybersecurity
- EE 599 Hybrid and Electric Vehicles and Aircrafts
- EGR 390 Experiential Learning in Engineering or CS – Aerospace Experience (0 hrs)
- MA 4xx or MA 322 Matrix Algebra and Its Applications
And three of the following:
- EE 522 Antenna Design
- EE 523 Microwave Circuit Design
- EE 525 Numerical Methods and Electromagnetics
- EE 527 Electromagnetic Compatibility
- EGR 390 Experiential Learning in Engineering or CS – Aerospace Experience (0 hrs)
- MA 4xx or MA 322 Matrix Algebra and Its Applications
- ME 516 Systems Engineering
And two of the following:
- CME 404G Polymeric Materials
- CME 554 Chemical and Physical Processing of Polymer Systems
- CME 556 Introduction to Composite Materials
- EGR 390 Experiential Learning in Engineering or CS – Aerospace Experience (0 hrs)
- MA 322 Matrix Algebra and Its Applications
- ME 516 Systems Engineering
And two of the following:
- MSE 506 Mechanics of Composite Materials or MSE 556 Intro to Composite Materials
- MSE 554 Chemical and Physical Processing of Polymer Systems
- MSE 569 Electronic Packaging Systems and Manufacturing Processes
Admission
For admission to the aerospace certificate program, students must submit an application, be in good academic standing, and have completed at least 24 hours and no more than 80 hours of course work with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.
Curriculum
For completion of the Certificate, the GPA must be at least 3.0 with no grade less than C.
In addition to successfully completing with a C or better the 12 hours of course work for at least one of the aerospace specialties areas listed below, students must also successfully complete at least one of the following educational experiences relevant for aerospace engineering (all courses must be completed with C or better): Aerospace-related capstone design project or design/build/fly competition, aerospace-related internship or co-op term, faculty-mentored aerospace-related research or independent study, EGR 490 - ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP or Engineering Scholars Program, AFROTC or aerospace-related military experience, or approved equivalent aerospace-related educational experience. Your Aerospace Educational Experience is documented by your registration in EGR 390 - EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN ENGINEERING OR COMPUTER SCIENCE (0 credits).
Contact
For details or questions please contact the certificate student advisor, Jennifer Ellis, or the departmental faculty coordinators:
Mechanical Engineering: Suzanne Smith and Alexandre Martin
Electrical and Computer Engineering: James Lumpp, Jr.
Chemical and Materials Engineering: Matthew Beck