University Catalog 2016-2017

University of Colorado Boulder
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Aerospace Engineering Sciences

    The mission of the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences is to provide quality education, including hands-on learning, and to conduct foremost research in aerospace engineering sciences. These goals are accomplished through fundamental and multidisciplinary research and by preparing aerospace engineering students to meet the needs of 21st-century society through the conception, design and application of aerial and spacecraft systems.

    The department is uniquely characterized by:

    • blending aeronautics, astronautics and science applications;
    • providing an undergraduate experience characterized by rigorous preparation in mathematics and engineering sciences, a hands-on experiential approach to learning and an extensive emphasis on design in a systems context; 
    • emphasizing in our graduate education and research programs forefront aerospace technology development and the integration of engineering and science activities to solve critical problems in the Earth and space sciences; and 
    • creating graduates who are broadly educated, interdisciplinary, agile, team-oriented engineers and scientists, with end-to-end mission and systems perspectives.

    Program Educational Objectives

    During their first three to five years after graduation, Aerospace Engineering Sciences graduates will have: 

    • established themselves in professional careers or received a graduate degree; 
    • demonstrated ethical leadership, project management and/or innovation; and 
    • played significant roles in the research and development of engineering systems and products.

    Student Outcomes

    Students completing the undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering sciences will be knowledgeable in the following areas:

    • the professional context of the practice of aerospace engineering and expectations of new graduates in aerospace engineering organizations, including an awareness of ethics issues, economics and the business environment;
    • the history of aerospace engineering, providing a perspective on current events; 
    • aerospace engineering as a highly multidisciplinary endeavor, requiring a systems perspective to integrate technologies and manage complexity; and 
    • major principles and scientific methods underlying the technologies comprising aerospace vehicles and systems. 

    Upon graduation, students will have developed the following general skills and abilities:

    • strong written, oral and graphical communication skills;
    • an ability to quantitatively estimate, model, analyze and compute;
    • an ability to define and conduct experiments using modern laboratory instruments, and to interpret experimental results;
    • an ability to seek out and gather information, enabling independent and lifelong learning;
    • interpersonal and organizational skills that enable individuals to work effectively in teams and assume leadership positions;
    • an ability to identify needs, requirements and constraints, and to design appropriate reliable engineering solutions;
    • an ability to formulate technical problems clearly, and to correctly apply appropriate methods and procedures for their solution; 
    • an ability to program computers, and skills in the use of modern engineering analysis, simulation software and operating systems; and
    • an ability to understand societal needs, business issues and the ethical concerns and responsibility of the industry.

    Course code for this program is ASEN.

    Bachelor's Degree Program(s)

    Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences

    Degree Requirements

    The undergraduate curriculum is designed to prepare students to advance to a distinguished professional career in the aerospace industry or for graduate school, consistent with our stated Program Educational Objectives. In particular, this involves providing students with an interdisciplinary systems perspective of aerospace engineering. The curriculum accomplishes these goals by: 

    • providing a strong basis in mathematics, science and engineering fundamentals; 
    • extending these fundamentals to advanced topics in aerospace engineering; 
    • complementing the engineering education with sufficient exposure to the humanities and social sciences; and 
    • beginning and ending in major design experiences that stress an interdisciplinary systems perspective. 

    AES students are also encouraged to consider a technical minor or double major in electrical engineering, computer science, applied math, engineering physics, astrophysical and planetary sciences or atmospheric and oceanic sciences. In most cases, the junior- and senior-level courses required for the above-mentioned minors can be applied to the professional area elective requirements. 

    For students having sufficient ability and interest, planning for graduate study should begin by the start of the junior year. Such a plan should consider the foreign language requirements of appropriate graduate schools and an advanced mathematics program. Students who wish to combine the business and aerospace engineering sciences curricula are advised to consider obtaining the BS degree in aerospace and a master’s degree in business rather than a combined BS degree. 

    Bioengineering Option/Premedical Curriculum

    Courses can be specifically designed for students who wish either to attend medical school or to enter graduate work in bioengineering after receiving the BS degree. Students should consult their academic advisor, as well as their prehealth advisor, regularly to assure the adequacy of their curricula. 

    Curriculum for BS in Aerospace Engineering Sciences

    The BS curriculum in aerospace engineering sciences is revised annually to keep up with new advances in technology, to make use of new educational methodologies and to satisfy updated program accreditation criteria. A total of 128 semester credit hours is required.

    Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours

    Freshman Year
    Fall Semester—15

    • APPM 1350 Calculus 1 for Engineers—4
    • First-Year Projects course—3
    • COEN 1500 Introduction to Engineering—1
    • Humanities or social science elective—3
    • CSCI 1320 Computer Science I—4

    Spring Semester—17

    • APPM 1360 Calculus 2 for Engineers—4
    • ASEN 1022 Material Science for Aerospace Engineers—3
    • PHYS 1110 General Physics 1—4
    • Humanities or social science elective—6

    Sophomore Year 
    Fall Semester—16

    • APPM 2350 Calculus 3 for Engineers—4
    • ASEN 2001 Introduction to Statics, Structures and Materials—4
    • ASEN 2002 Introduction to Thermodynamics and Aerodynamics—4
    • ASEN 2012 Experimental and Computational Methods in AES—2
    • Free elective—2

    Spring Semester—17

    • APPM 2360 Introduction to Differential Equations with Linear Algebra—4 
    • ASEN 2003 Introduction to Dynamics and Systems—5
    • ASEN 2004 Aerospace Vehicle Design and Performance—5
    • Humanities or social science elective (upper division)—3 

    Junior Year
    Fall Semester—16

    • ASEN 3111 Aerodynamics—4
    • ASEN 3112 Structures—4
    • ASEN 3113 Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer—4 
    • PHYS 1120 General Physics 2—4

    Spring Semester—16

    • ASEN 3128 Aircraft Dynamics—4
    • ASEN 3200 Orbital Mechanics/Attitude Determination and Control—4
    • ASEN 3300 Electronics and Communications—4
    • Professional area electives—3
    • Free elective—1

    Senior Year
    Fall Semester—16 

    • ASEN 4013 Foundations of Propulsion—3
    • ASEN 4018 Senior Projects 1: Design Synthesis—4
    • College-approved writing course—3
    • Professional area electives—6

    Spring Semester—15 

    • ASEN 4028 Senior Projects 2: Design Practicum—4
    • Professional area electives—6
    • Humanities or social science elective (upper-division)—3
    • Free elective—2

    Courses selected must meet humanities and social science requirements as detailed at www.colorado.edu/engineering/academics/policies/hss.

    Students who are unsure of their major selection are advised to take CHEN 1211/CHEM 1221 Chemistry for Engineers in the fall of the freshman year in case the student decides to change their major. The 5 credit hours earned for this course may then apply as free electives for ASEN majors who take the class.

    Professional Area Electives

    • Any ASEN course at the 4000 level or above that is not a required course can be used as a professional area elective.
    • A professional area elective (PAE) is generally a course in math, engineering or science at the 3000-level or above. Elective courses most likely to help an aerospace engineer’s career development are ASEN, APPM, CSCI, ECEN and PHYS courses. It is suggested that students secure advance approval for professional area elective courses from their advisor.
    • Upper-division independent study from technical areas (math, science and engineering) is acceptable for up to 6 credit hours of professional area elective credit. The upper-division ROTC courses AIRR 3010, NAVR 3030 and NAVR 3040 are acceptable for 3 hours of professional area elective credit. 
    A full listing of approved PAE courses can be found in the degree audit.
     

    Prerequisites and Passing Grades

    The minimum passing grade for a course that is a prerequisite for another required course is C. If a grade of C- or lower is received in a course which is a prerequisite to another, the student may not register for the subsequent course until the first grade has been raised to a C or higher. 

    The minimum passing grade for a course that is not specifically a prerequisite for another required course is D-. 

    The AES department reserves the right to drop students enrolled in ASEN courses who have not met the minimum prerequisite requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate with the department if summer course work and/or transfer credit will be used to meet the prerequisite requirement.

    Aerospace engineering students are expected to take APPM courses for the required mathematics courses (APPM 1350, 1360, 2350, 2360) once they have matriculated into the program. 

    Concurrent Bachelor's/Master's Program

    BS/MS Program

    The concurrent BS/MS program in Aerospace Engineering Sciences (ASEN) enables the program’s top BS students to be admitted to the MS program during the junior or senior year, and to work thereafter toward both the BS and MS degrees in ASEN. This program allows for early planning of the MS portion of the student’s education, taking graduate courses as part of the BS degree requirements, more flexibility in the order in which courses are taken and more efficient use of what would otherwise be a final semester with a light credit hour load. Up to 6 credit hours may be counted toward both the BS and MS degree programs. Therefore, in theory, the minimum number of credit hours required for the concurrent BS/MS degrees will be 152. Current CU-Boulder Aerospace students are eligible to apply after they have completed eight core ASEN courses and have a minimum CU-Boulder cumulative and ASEN major GPA of 3.25. For more information, visit www.colorado.edu/aerospace/current-students/undergraduates/bsms-degree.

    Graduate Degree Program(s)

    Graduate Degrees in Aerospace Engineering Sciences 

    The Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder is one of the top aerospace engineering departments in the nation. Aerospace engineers work on Earth and in space not only to extend frontiers but also to understand more fully and to preserve our terrestrial environment. Few fields offer more exciting and diverse careers: becoming an astronaut (15 graduates to date have become astronauts), designing the next generation of aircraft and spacecraft, monitoring our global habitat via remote sensing from space, in situ sensing with unmanned vehicles and helping to develop environmentally clean energy and transportation systems. 

    Aerospace graduate students often formulate degree plans on the basis of their interests and needs. Portions of the program are designed to promote the student’s engineering and professional development. Graduate students are admitted into a specific focus area that provides research advising, financial support and sets specialized admission and program requirements and recommendations for course work within and outside the department. The four focus areas are: 

    • Aerospace Engineering Systems
    • Astrodynamics and Satellite Navigation Systems 
    • Bioastronautics
    • Remote Sensing, Earth and Space Sciences 

    Each focus area has defined the required characteristics of its successful graduates at the MS and PhD level, and defined the required and elective courses that support its educational program.

    Aerospace-related research centers in the college include the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research, the Center for Aerospace Structures, the Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles and BioServe Space Technologies. Other research centers within the university that are involved in space-related research activities are the Center for the Study of Earth from Space, the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, JILA and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.

    Requirements for Advanced Degrees

    Graduate students applying for admission to aerospace engineering sciences are required to submit the results of the analytical, quantitative and verbal sections of the general examination, Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

    The department offers graduate programs leading to the MS and PhD degrees in aerospace engineering sciences. Portions of the program are designed to promote the student’s engineering and professional development.

    Courses below the 5000 level in aerospace engineering cannot count toward graduate degree requirements; up to 6 credits of 4000 level relevant courses from approved departments outside aerospace may be accepted for master’s degree credit if they fit with the student’s degree plan. Such courses must have academic content consistent with graduate study in aerospace engineering sciences. 

    Advising. Once students have selected a research area for the thesis, academic advising is done by their thesis advisor. 

    Master of Science Degree (Plan I/II)

    • A total of 30 semester hours (including both course and thesis hours), at least 24 semester hours of which must be completed at the 5000 level or above, and at least 18 semester hours of ASEN courses.
    • Two to four required courses (6–12 semester hours) must be taken in the student’s primary focus or thrust area and one course (3 hours) must be taken in a second focus or thrust area.
    • One graduate level math course (3 hours) in ASEN, APPM or MATH. 
    • Seminar credits do not count toward the MS degree.
    • Students must complete 6 semester hours consisting of either (1) MS thesis (Plan I), (2) approved certificate program (Plan II) or (3) a two-semester team projects course (Plan II). The Plan I project culminates with an oral presentation and/or written report or oral examination.
    • Completion of all degree requirements within four years of the date of commencing course work, normally completed in one to two years.
    • Master’s degree residence requirements can be met only by residence on the CU-Boulder campus for two semesters or three summer sessions, or a combination of at least one semester and two summer sessions.
    • Pass all courses with a grade of B- or better and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.

    Professional Master of Engineering 

    The Professional Master of Engineering offers an affordable option for international and non-resident students, and for students who are interested in a more flexible coursework-only program.

    • A total of 30 semester hours, at least 24 semester hours of which must be completed at the 5000 level or above, and at least 18 semester hours of ASEN courses
    • One graduate level math course (3 hours) in ASEN, APPM or MATH
    • No focus area curriculum is required

    Doctoral Degree

    Course Requirements. A minimum of 36 semester credit hours of courses numbered 5000 or above (at least 18 of these must be in ASEN) with a minimum of 3.25 GPA, and 30 credit hours of thesis credit are required for the degree. A maximum of 18 credit hours may be transferred from another accredited institution and applied toward a PhD degree if approved by the graduate committee of the department and the Graduate School. All courses taken for the master’s degree at the 5000 level or above at the University of Colorado may be applied toward the doctoral degree at the university. The formal course work must include a minimum of 18 hours of courses or their equivalent in aerospace engineering sciences.

    Preliminary Examination. Students must pass a preliminary examination by no later than the end of the third semester if the student already has an aerospace master’s degree upon entry to the program, or the fifth semester if the student does not have an aerospace master’s degree. The exam is administered by a committee consisting of three regular or research aerospace faculty members, two of whom must be from the student’s main focus or thrust area and the third from a secondary focus or thrust area. The exam will include a written and an oral element, as determined, prepared and evaluated by the exam committee. 

    Comprehensive Examination. By no later than the fifth semester, or seventh semester, students must also pass an oral examination before the student’s doctoral committee of five or more graduate faculty members chosen by the student and approved by the department and the Graduate School. This should be preceded by individual examinations or interviews, either written or oral or both, by every committee member. The oral examination before the committee is based primarily on a written proposal for the thesis research provided by the student to committee members in advance. 

    PhD Thesis. Students must write a thesis based on original research conducted under the supervision of a graduate faculty member. The thesis must fulfill all Graduate School requirements. After the thesis is completed, an oral final examination on the thesis and related topics is conducted by the student’s doctoral committee.

    Certificate Program(s)

    Graduate Certificate in Astrodynamics and Satellite Navigation Systems

    The certificate recognizes student accomplishments at the graduate level in successfully completing a specialized program of study in Astrodynamics and Satellite Navigation (ASN). It is essentially a specialization of the aerospace engineering sciences master of science (MS) degree in the ASN focus area with additional requirements for breadth and depth in the ASN area.

    The certificate will make students more desirable to future employers looking for astrodynamics and satellite navigation specialists.

    Certificate Requirements

    Complete all four core area subjects in ASN, plus two advanced ASN courses of the student’s choosing.

    Core Requirements

    • ASEN 5010 Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics and Control
    • ASEN 5050 Astrodynamics (can be satisfied by taking an additional 6000-level course that has ASEN 5050 as a prerequisite.)
    • ASEN 5070 Statistical Orbit Determination
    • ASEN 5090 Introduction to Global Navigation Satellite Systems

    Advanced Requirements

    Select ANY two 6000-level courses in ASN including, but not limited to:

    • ASEN 6010 Advanced Spacecraft Dynamics and Control
    • ASEN 6080 Advanced Statistical Orbit Determination
    • ASEN 6090 GNSS Software and Applications
    • ASEN 6091 Satellite Navigation Receiver and Architectures
    • ASEN 6519 Advanced Spacecraft Attitude and Control
    • ASEN 6519 Spacecraft Formation Flying 
    • ASEN 6519 Optimal Trajectories
    • ASEN 6519 Advanced Astrodynamics and Celestial Mechanics