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photo of Butch Wilmore in space

BS in Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace engineering uses the basic sciences and mathematics to develop the foundation for the design, development, production, testing, and applied research associated with aerospace vehicles. These vehicles include aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles. Auxiliary and propulsion systems are also an integral part of this education. These include guidance, control, environmental, ramjet, rocket, turbo-jet, and piston engine systems. Emphasis in the senior year is directed toward these topics, and the program culminates in a major aerospace design project.

Visit the course catalog for academic policies and requirement.

Curriculum

Below is the list of courses for each of the four years of the aerospace engineering program. 129 total credit hours are needed.

Term 1 Hours Milestone Notes
CHEM 120* or CHEM 128* 4 MATH 130 or higher or one Arts and Humanities*, Cultures and Civilizations*, or Social Sciences* Elective
EF 105 1
EF 151* or EF 157* 4
1ENGL 101* or ENGL 118* 3
MATH 132* or 141* or MATH 147* 4
Term 2
EF 152* or EF 158* 4 MATH 130 or MATH 131 or higher
ENGL 102* 3
MATH 142* or MATH 148* 4
MATH 200 2
ME 202 2
2Social Sciences Elective* 3
Term 3
MATH 241 OR MATH 247 4 EF 151* or PHYS 135*
ME 231, AE 201 4
PHYS 231* 3
Arts and Humanities Elective* 3
Cultures and Civilizations Electives* 3
Term 4
2Arts and Humanities Electives* 3 EF 152* or PHYS 136*
EF 230 2
MATH 231 or MATH 237 3
ME 321 3
AE 210* 2
ECON 201 or ECON 207 4
Term 5
AE 341 or AE 347, AE 370 or AE 377 7 CBE 201 or COSC 102* or ME 202 or MSE 201
ECE 301 3
ME 331, ME 391 or ME 397 6
Term 6
AE 363, AE 345, AE 351 9 No milestones
ME 363 or ME 367; ME 344 6
Term 7
AE 422 3 No milestones
AE 424 3
AE 425 3
AE 450 3
3Departmental Elective 3
Term 8
AE 449*, AE 429 6 No milestones
2Cultures and Civilizations Elective* 3
3Departmental Electives 6
TOTAL 129

* Meets University General Education Requirement.
1 Students receiving a grade of A or B in ENGL 118* will complete their first year composition requirement by choosing ENGL 102*, a sophomore literature course in the English Department, or ENGL 355*.
2 Choose from the University General Education list.
3 Choose from: ME 315, ME 365, ME 366, ME 405, ME 451, ME 463, ME 466, ME 470, ME 472, ME 475 or ME 477,ME 476, or ME 480. Other courses require prior approval by the department.

Honors Concentration

In addition to satisfying the requirements for the aerospace engineering major, candidates for the honors aerospace engineering concentration must also complete the following requirements.

  • Maintain an overall GPA of 3.4.
  • Four 100- or 200-level honors courses* (14 hours minimum, at least two courses must be from Materials Science and Engineering, Engineering Fundamentals, Physics, Math, Chemistry, Biology, Statistics, or MSE 207).
  • Complete two upper-division honors courses in aerospace engineering (AE 347, AE 377).
  • Satisfy the Breadth Requirements for the Cook Grand Challenge Honors Program.
* While most students fulfill this requirement with 100- and 200-level courses, students may substitute upper level courses on approval of the Honors faculty.

Five-Year BS/MS Aerospace Engineering Program

The department offers a 5 year BS-MS program for qualified students. The primary component of the program is that qualified students may take up to 9 hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Tennessee. This program is designed for students attending the University of Tennessee for their Master of Science degree because other universities may not accept these courses for graduate credit since they were used to satisfy requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree. Significant components of the program are:

  • Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.4 to be admitted to the program. Conditional admission may be granted after completing 64 hours of required course work while full admission is granted after completing 96 hours of required course work with a minimum overall GPA of 3.4 in required course work.
  • Students must at least have conditional admission before taking graduate courses for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. All courses taken for graduate credit must be approved by the departmental chair of the program. Students admitted to the program must request permission from the Graduate School to take approved courses for graduate credit. Students admitted to the program must also follow the normal procedure for admission to the Graduate School.
  • Admission of students into this program must be approved by the department and the Graduate School.
  • Students will not be eligible for graduate assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.

Click here for more information on the Five-Year BS/MS Program.