Our graduate program at the Lexington campus offers both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace Engineering. Students can work with award-winning faculty on a wide range of research topics including autonomous systems, robotics and controls, experimental fluid mechanics, hypersonics, computational fluid modeling, aeroacoustics, combustion, and aerospace manufacturing and materials, among others.
Several major centers and research consortia are affiliated with the department to provide the facilities needed for our student research projects. These include:
Beyond these centers, faculty members and their students conduct research in numerous specialized laboratories.
Admission to the aerospace engineering graduate programs normally requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering (not necessarily in aerospace engineering), a GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 on all graduate and undergraduate work, GRE is not required, and Test of English as a Second Language scores of 550 (paper-based) / 213 (computer-based) / 80 (Internet-based). An undergraduate degree in chemistry or physics combined with a strong interest in engineering topics may be acceptable when certain required undergraduate courses are also taken. Satisfying the above requirements does not guarantee admission to the aerospace engineering graduate program.
Admission fees waived for domestic students with a 3.5 GPA. Contact Hannah Tyler for a fee waiver.
A master’s degree can help advance your professional goals, whether they are in industry, academia, or other areas. The MAE graduate program offers two options for the MS degree. The first is a thesis option (Plan A), which requires 24 credit hours of course work, 6 credit hours of residency, and a thesis. A non-thesis option (Plan B) consists of 30 credit hours of course work and a small-scale project. Enrollment in the non-thesis option requires the approval of the director of graduate studies and must be requested within the student’s first nine credit hours of graduate course work.
More details about the degree requirements can be found in the Graduate Handbook
The Ph.D. degree is a research degree granted on the basis of broad knowledge of aerospace engineering and in-depth study in a specific area leading to a dissertation reflecting original work by the doctoral candidate. To obtain a Ph.D. degree in aerospace engineering, in addition to meeting the general requirements of The Graduate School, a student must:
For a more detailed description of these requirements, contact the director of graduate studies.
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Donald and Gertrude Lester Professor; Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Jack and Linda Gill Professor; Director of Graduate Studies, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Affairs Officer II
