USC
University of Southern California
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Aerospace Engineering Degrees

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering

The requirement for this degree is 128-129 units. A grade point average of C (2.0) is required in all upper division courses taken in engineering departments and all departments of science and mathematics. See the common requirements for undergraduate degrees section.

composition/writing requirementUnits
WRIT 130Analytical Writing4
WRIT 340Advanced Writing3

General Education (see here)units
General education+20

Pre-major requirementsunits
Math Requirement
MATH 125Calculus I4
MATH 126Calculus II4
MATH 226Calculus III4
MATH 245Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I4

Physics Requirement
PHYS 151L*Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics4
PHYS 152LFundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism4
PHYS 153LFundamentals of Physics III: Optics and Modern Physics4

Chemistry Elective
CHEM 105aL*General Chemistry, or
CHEM 115aLAdvanced General Chemistry, or
MASC 110LMaterials Science4

Major requirementsunits
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
AME 105Introduction to Aerospace Engineering4
AME 150LIntroduction to Computational Methods4
AME 201Statics3
AME 204Strength of Materials3
AME 261Basic Flight Mechanics4
AME 301Dynamics3
AME 308Computer-Aided Analysis for AeroMechanical Design3
AME 309Dynamics of Fluids4
AME 310Engineering Thermodynamics I3
AME 341aLbLMechoptronics Laboratory I and II3-3
AME 404Computational Solutions to Engineering Problems3
AME 441aLSenior Projects Laboratory3
AME 451Linear Control Systems I3

Astronautics
AME 481Aircraft Design, or4
ASTE 420**Spacecraft Design3
ASTE 280Astronautics and Space Environment I3

Major Electivesunits
AME core electives***9
Technical electives****6
Free electives**1-2
Total units: 128-129

*Satisfies GE Category III requirement.

** Students planning to take ASTE 420 must take 2 units of free electives in order to earn a total of 128 units.

*** Any upper division AME courses.

**** Technical electives consist of (1) any upper division course in engineering except CE 404, CE 412 and ISE 440, or (2) an upper division course in chemistry, physics or mathematics and MATH 225. No more than 3 units of 490 Directed Research course work can be used to satisfy the technical elective requirement.

+ The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.

Minor in Engineering Technology Commercialization

See listing in the Special Educational Opportunities section.

Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering

In addition to the general requirements listed in this catalogue, the department has identified requirements in the following areas of specialization: aerodynamics/fluid dynamics; aerospace controls; aerospace design; aerospace structures; computational fluid dynamics; hypersonics/kinetics of gases and plasmas; propulsion; and space science. Core requirements and elective requirements are defined for each area of specialization. Information on the current approved courses that comprise these core and elective requirements is available from the department.

Master of Science, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics)

The program prepares students for professional careers in engineering companies that develop products using computational tools of fluid and solid mechanics. The program also provides the necessary background for pursuing higher degrees, Engineer and Ph.D., in aerospace and mechanical engineering with specializations in computational fluid mechanics, computational solid mechanics and computational heat transfer. The degree course work provides a necessary background in basic aerospace and mechanical engineering disciplines (solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer), engineering mathematics and numerical methods. The capstone project courses, AME 535b and CE 551, provide practical examples using existing numerical programs to simulate structures, heat transfer and fluid flows as well as commercial mathematical packages for analyzing data.

Admission requirements follow the general admission rules for aerospace and mechanical engineering graduate programs. The program requires completion of a minimum of 27 units and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 for graduation. The program with thesis requires 28 units, four of which are thesis units.

Required core courses (24 units)Units
AME 404Computational Solutions to Engineering Problems3
AME 509Applied Elasticity, or
CE 507Mechanics of Solids I3
AME 525Engineering Analysis3
AME 526Engineering Analytical Methods3
AME 530aDynamics of Incompressible Fluids3
AME 535aIntroduction to Computational Fluid Mechanics3
AME 535bIntroduction to Computational Fluid Mechanics, or
CE 551Computer-Aided Engineering Project3
CE 529aFinite Element Analysis3

Selected technical electives from the following list or other electives approved by a graduate advisor: 3 units.

Technical electivesUnits
AME 511Compressible Gas Dynamics3
AME 516Convection Processes3
AME 590Directed Research1-12
AME 599Special Topics2-4, max 9
ASTE 545Computational Techniques in Rarefied Gas Dynamics3
CE 529bFinite Element Analysis3
CE 541aDynamics of Structures3
CE 542Theory of Plates3

One core class requirement may be waived at the discretion of a graduate advisor if a student documents that he or she completed or is enrolled in an equivalent course. The waived class must be replaced by a technical elective. Credit for one course of not more than 4 units from another accredited institution may be approved by a graduate advisor. The Master's Thesis (4 units) may be substituted for a technical elective class (3 units).

Master of Science in Product Development Engineering

See the listing under Product Development Engineering.

Master of Science in Systems Architecting and Engineering

See the listing under Systems Architecting and Engineering.

Master of Engineering in Computer-Aided Engineering

The Master of Engineering program educates and trains multidisciplinary professionals in the use of computational techniques in the planning, design and management of engineering projects. The emphasized computer-aided engineering subjects are modeling, simulation, visualization, optimization, artificial intelligence and advanced design, documentation, manufacturing and information management.

The program provides the graduate with advanced education in a particular engineering subject area, associated with aerospace, civil or mechanical engineering. This advanced engineering education is coupled with an intensive concentration in computational procedures appropriate for that subject area. The program also includes substantial project work to provide a background in the application of CAE techniques in real world situations. See the listing under Computer-Aided Engineering.

Engineer in Aerospace Engineering

Requirements for the Engineer in aerospace engineering are the same as the general requirements. Three to 6 of the units required for the degree must be AME 690. Prior approval must be obtained from the guidance committee before registration in AME 690.

Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering

The Doctor of Philosophy with a major in aerospace engineering is also offered. See general requirements for graduate degrees.

Certificate in Computer-Aided Engineering

See listing under Computer-Aided Engineering.

Graduate Certificate in Engineering Technology Commercialization

See listing in the Special Educational Opportunities section.