AAE Distance Graduate Education
Overview
The School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, through Purdue University's Engineering Professional Education program, is offering graduate level courses in aerospace engineering so that students can earn non-thesis MS degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics entirely via distance learning courses.
To pursue a non-thesis MS AAE degree, students need to apply for admission to the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics and be accepted following the same criteria as on-campus students. The School's programs lead to the degrees of Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics (MSAE), Master of Science in Engineering (MSE), and Master of Science (MS). The MSE degree is awarded to those graduate students whose undergraduate degree is in an engineering field different from Aeronautics and Astronautics. The MS degree is awarded to graduate students whose undergraduate degree is in the physical sciences or mathematics rather than in engineering.
Once accepted to the MS program in AAE, the student will need to work with an AAE faculty member as the graduate committee advisor, and ask at least two additional engineering faculty members to serve on the graduate committee. This committee, and particularly the advisor, can help with course selection for the student's plan of study.
To earn a non-thesis MS AAE degree, the student must take 10 courses (for a total of 30 credit hours). The student can select a major area of study in AAE (at least 4 courses), as well as a minor area (at least 2 courses) and a minor area in Mathematics (at least 2 courses). The MS minor area is very flexible and can be in any broad area of Engineering and Sciences. More details can be found in the Graduate School rules.
Engineering Professional Education administers distance learning courses for Purdue Engineering. The EPE site will be able to answer questions about class registration, tuition and fees, course content delivery and other support functions for our distance learning courses.
In addition to the non-thesis MS AAE degree, it is possible to pursue advanced studies relevant to aerospace engineering and earn an Interdisciplinary Master of Science in Engineering or a Master of Science degree from Purdue with a concentration in Aeronautics and Astronautics (see https://engineering.purdue.edu/ProEd/programs/masters-degrees/interdisciplinary-engineering/aaen-worksheet for more details). You can also take graduate classes in a non-degree status to improve your knowledge in an area of interest; courses taken under non-degree status can be transferred to your degree if the grades are B or higher.
The School of Aeronautics and Astronautics is also offering several non-credit short courses that allow students to increase their knowledge in specialized topics or gain an overview of new areas in aerospace engineering. These short courses are administered by Purdue's Engineering Professional Education, which maintains a list of all Professional Development Short Courses.
The School is excited about this opportunity to reach students through distance education. With our history of quality education, we are confident that our school's participation with Engineering Professional Education will be a benefit to all participants.
Current and Prospective Courses
Current and prospective distance education course offerings in the disciplinary areas for the AAE degree include the following courses. Courses from other Schools and Departments deemed appropriate for AAE students also appear below. Courses chosen for a student's plan of study must be approved by the student's advisory committee.
Aerodynamics
AAE 51400 – Intermediate Aerodynamics
AAE 59000 – Molecular Gas Dynamics
AAE 62400 – Laminar to Turbulent Transition
AAE 62600 – Turbulence and Turbulence Modeling
ME 50900 – Intermediate Fluid Mechanics
ME 51000 – Gas Dynamics
ME 51300 – Engineering Acoustics
Aerospace Systems
AAE 56000 – System of Systems Modeling and Analysis
AAE 59000 – Hypersonic Performance and Design
ME 55300 – Product and Process Design
ME 57100 – Reliability-based Design
Astrodynamics & Space Applications
AAE 50800 – Optimization in Aerospace Engineering
AAE 52300 – Introduction to Remote Sensing
AAE 53200 – Orbit Mechanics
AAE 57500 – Introduction to Satellite Navigation and Positioning
AAE 59000 – Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics
AAE 60700 – Variational Principles of Mechanics
AAE 63200 – Advanced Orbital Dynamics
AAE 67500 – Advanced Signals & Systems for Satellite Navigation
AAE 69000 – Orbital Perturbations
Dynamics and Control
AAE 56400 – Systems Analysis and Synthesis
AAE 56800 – Applied Optimal Control and Estimation
AAE 60700 – Variational Principles of Mechanics
ECE 58000 – Optimization Methods for Systems and Control
ECE 60000 – Random Variables and Signals
ECE 60200 – Lumped System Theory
ECE 68000 – Modern Automatic Control
ME 56000 – Kinematics
ME 56200 – Advanced Dynamics
ME 56500 – Vehicle Dynamics
ME 57500 – Theory and Design of Control Systems
ME 57800 – Digital Control
ME 57900 – Fourier Methods in Digital Signal Processing
ME 67500 – Multivariable Control System Design
Propulsion
AAE 53900 – Advanced Rocket Propulsion
AAE 59000 – Aerospace Propulsion
ME 52500 – Combustion
Structures & Materials
AAE 55400 – Fatigue of Structures and Materials
AAE 55500 – Mechanics of Composite Materials
AAE 55800 – Finite Element Methods in Aerospace Structures
AAE 59000 – Characterization of Advanced Composite Materials
AAE 65400 – Fracture Mechanics
AAE 69000 – Multiscale Structural Mechanics
ME 56300 – Mechanical Vibrations
ME 56900 – Mechanical Behavior of Materials
Mathematics
MA 51100 – Linear Algebra with Applications
MA 52500 – Introduction to Complex Analysis
MA 52700 – Advanced Mathematics for Engineers and Physicists I
MA 52800 – Advanced Mathematics for Engineers and Physicists II
ME 58100 – Numerical Methods in Mechanical Engineering
STAT 51400 – Design of Experiments
STAT 51600 – Basic Probability and Applications
Tentative Course Schedule
Tentative course schedules, listing all Purdue courses offered by Engineering Professional Education (including AAE courses), are available at: https://engineering.purdue.edu/ProEd/App/courses/courses_by_school. Planned AAE course offerings for the next several semesters are summarized below.