Space Engineering Certificate

The Space Engineering Certificate (SpEC) allows students across all majors at Purdue University to study fundamental principles of aerospace engineering. The 16-credit curriculum at the West Lafayette campus guides students to explore opportunities in the interdisciplinary fields of space exploration, space commerce, space research, space policy, and more.

The video below gives additional background information about this certificate.

Certificate Requirements

SpEC Seminar (1 credit)

Students must take the Space Engineering seminar course, ENGR 10351.

Two study tracks (12-15 credits)

Students must choose a primary track (minimum 9 credit hours) and a secondary track (minimum 3 credit hours).

Six main study tracks are available:

  1. Communications and Cybersecurity in Space
  2. Space Missions and Space as a Laboratory
  3. Space Commerce and Policy
  4. Space Transportation
  5. In-Space Manufacturing, Assembly, and Debris Management
  6. Humans Living and Exploring in Space (includes 3 sub-tracks). 

The following conditions apply when fulfilling this requirement:

  • Courses cannot be counted for both Primary and Secondary tracks
  • 9 credit hours must be outside of the School of the student's primary BS degree
  • Only one sub-track may be selected from Humans Living and Exploring in Space
  • Courses taken for this certificate can also count towards technical electives

See the Purdue Course Catalog for the complete list of available courses in each track.

Practical Expericence (0-3 credits)

Students must show participation in a significant practical aerospace experience. Options that fulfill this requirement include:

  • An aerospace-related co-op or internship
  • An applied learning course, such as: Design-Build-Test, Senior Design, Vertically Integrated Projects
  • Participation in an aerospace-related student club or collegiate competition

Co-ops and internships must be verified through the Purdue Office of Professional Practice with the appropriate zero-credit course. Club/competition or seminar/conference participation is verified by completing this form.

Note: If the Practical Experience provides no course credit, then a 3-credit course must be taken from any Space Industry area to complete the 16 credits required for the certificate. Examples of candidate courses are listed below.

Sample Plan of Study 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add the SpEC certificate to my plan of study?

Your academic advisor can help you add the certificate to your plan of study. CoE Academic Advisors

Can I register for SpEC from any major?

Undergraduate students from any major are eligible to register. However, the SpEC certificate is currently designed for undergraduate students from the College of Engineering and College of Sciences. 

Can I use any previous technical elective courses to fulfill the certificate requirements?

Only courses listed in the certificate courses can be used towards the certificate. However, your certificate courses can be used as technical electives for your major requirements.

If the technical elective course is a design-build-test course with a substantial aerospace application, then it may count toward the certificate. 

What are the requirements for the Aerospace Experience?

Examples of these practical experiences include:

  1. Campus-based research experience in the aerospace topics
  2. Design-build-test project course in an aerospace topic.
    1. Credits earned for this aerospace design-build-test course are counted towards the required 16 credits.
  3. Relevant project-based experience through a Purdue student organization (e.g., Purdue Space Program) or sponsored competition (e.g., NASA Lunabotics);
  4. Off-campus (including paid) internship or co-op rotation in an aerospace topic

How are the credit hours for Practical Aerospace Experience awarded?

Credit options 

  • Supervised campus-based research (via independent study with a faculty member)
  • Design-build-test course 

Non-credit options

  • Project experience through Purdue organization or sponsored competition
  • Off-campus internship or co-op rotation

Note: Both options should have a significant aerospace application.

How is Practical Aerospace Experience validated?

  • Experience validation forms for
    • ​prior internships or co-op rotation
    • project experience through Purdue organization or sponsored competition
    • supervised campus-based research
    • DBT courses
  • Register for the OPP internship course
    • for upcoming internship experiences

Note: Students can use standard credit validation forms from the school of their primary BS degree. An example of required information to submit for experience validation can be found here.

Who do I contact for more information?

The first point of contact is your academic advisor. For general requirement questions, email SpEC at spec@purdue.edu

Taking the next step

Students are ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all certificate requirements. To add this certificate to your records, schedule a meeting with your academic advisor to add it to your degree plan.