Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (BSAE) is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET). ABET reviews and approves engineering and technology programs in the United States.

Objectives of the Aerospace Engineering Program

The Aerospace Engineering program exists in partial fulfillment of the University's purpose "to pro-vide a comprehensive education to prepare graduates for productive careers and responsible citizenship with special emphasis on the needs of aviation, aerospace, engineering and related fields." The program's focus is primarily on the engineering of mission-oriented vehicles for atmospheric and space flight.

The goal of the Aerospace Engineering program is to produce graduates who

Are ready for constructive roles in society.
Qualify for entry-level engineering jobs in the aerospace industry (or aviation-related fields).
Qualify for admission to graduate programs in Aerospace Engineering (or related engineering fields).
Are prepared to continue learning throughout their lives.

Expected Outcomes of the Aerospace Engineering Program

1. Engineering responsibilities and methodology: From their first semester onward, students will be made aware of what engineering is and what will be expected of them as engineers, including a commitment to continuing education and to engineering ethics. This will be accomplished through interdisciplinary team activities and design projects, workshops and seminars, and the consistent assignment of open-ended problems throughout the curriculum.

2. Professional activity and development: Students will be encouraged throughout their Embry-Riddle careers to actively participate in professional organizations, stay abreast of industry activity, and to continue their professional development.

3. Technical communication: Throughout the curriculum, wherever appropriate, student teams will make professional quality oral and written presentations.

4. General education: Students will satisfy the University's general education requirements to broaden the student's education, develop effective communication skills, and obtain awareness of social issues and ethical issues.

5. Basic science and mathematics: Students will demonstrate a knowledge of chemistry fundamentals (including oxidation/reduction, the essentials of physical chemistry and the basics of organic compounds as related to composite materials), basic physics (mechanics, heat, sound, electricity and optics) and mathematics (differential and integral calculus, differential equations, matrix algebra and vector calculus) to use as tools in support of their studies of engineering topics and beyond.

6. Engineering mechanics: Students will demonstrate a knowledge of the fundamentals of classical engineering mechanics (as applied to rigid, elastic and fluid media) to provide a foundation for the professional component of the curriculum as well as to become familiar with basic engineering problem solving techniques, including team approaches.

7. Aerodynamics and aeronautics: Students will demonstrate a knowledge of topics in aerodynamics, to include a majority of the following: the aerospace environment; applications of mass, momentum, energy and entropy principles to one and two dimensional flows; potential flow; viscous flow and boundary layers; aerodynamics of airfoils in incompressible and compressible flows; steady state aircraft performance; static stability; propeller and rotary wing fundamentals; applications of the concept of panel methods; supersonic flow and aerodynamic heating.

8. Thermal sciences: Students will demonstrate knowledge of a sequence of topics in thermodynamics, heat transfer, and propulsion so as to be able to assess the operational capabilities and analyze the performance of air-breathing and rocket engines.

9. Structures: Students will demonstrate a knowledge of topics in aerospace structures and materials, to include as a minimum: the equilibrium of forces and moments in three dimensions; shear and bending moment diagrams; stresses and deflections due to elastic tension, compression, shear and torsion on stable cross sections; compression and shear buckling; composite materials; basics of the finite element method; and vibration, fatigue and fracture mechanics concepts.

10. Electronics: Students will demonstrate a knowledge of topics in electric circuits, analog and digital electronic fundamentals, electromechanical devices, and instrumentation fundamentals.

11. Astronautics: Students will demonstrate a knowledge of topics in orbital mechanics, gyroscopic motion and control systems with aerospace applications.

12. Laboratories and data interpretation: Students will demonstrate an ability to perform laboratory work, including statistical processing of data and error analysis, in materials, structures, aerodynamics, power and energy systems, electronics, and instrumentation.

13. Design: Students will carry out and defend the conceptual design of an aircraft or a spacecraft in an industry-like environment, in teams, using realistic constraints and considerations of cost, safety, manufacturability and maintainability, and the needs of the public. Students will likewise also carry out the detail design of an aircraft or spacecraft system.

14. Support hardware and software: The program will be supported throughout by the use of modern equipment and the most relevant modern tools and techniques of engineering analysis, design and production, including student experience with industry-level solid modeling (CAD/CAM), finite element and computational fluid mechanics software.