Prescott Campus - College of Engineering

Aerospace Engineering Department

Welcome to the Web page for the Aerospace Engineering Program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott Arizona!

Aerospace Engineering is a very exciting field of engineering that is concerned with any vehicle going through the atmosphere, going through space, or even traveling the surface of another planet. Aerospace Engineering is a combination of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Aeronautical Engineering is the engineering associated with atmospheric flight, which includes aircraft, helicopters, missiles, or even automobiles. The same principles of aeronautical engineering would apply to any fluid medium – such as water. Astronautical Engineering is the engineering of space missions, which also covers a large number of topics.

Morphing If you are reading this page, you probably already know something about Aerospace Engineering. One of the reasons Aerospace Engineering is exciting is that it is a field where we generally are pushing the envelope on new technology – better, lighter, faster. Because of this – it is a constantly changing field and it continually challenges us.

If you aren't really sure what engineering is all about, let me paraphrase several sources at once: "Engineering is the art and science of utilizing nature's resources for the benefit on Humanity." In plain English, engineering is all about taking an idea and finding a way to make that idea work. This uses the principles of science, math, and technology to design or analyze something that can be created. We do the planning and analysis to make sure that things are going to work right – the first time, on time and on budget!

The Aerospace Engineering Program here at Embry-Riddle Prescott will help you grow as an individual by pushing you to learn and understand what it takes to become a successful Aerospace Engineer. We offer the opportunity to take tracks in Aeronautical (aircraft) or Astronautical (spacecraft) design so that you can apply your engineering knowledge and creativity to a project which you are passionate about.

Engineering is hard work. We liken it to the processing of metals – if engineering were easy, we would cast the information into you. However, it is not easy, instead we liken the process to forging – which creates a superior metal, but requires more skill and work. Our faculty and alumni agree that the work pays off in the ability of our graduates to "hit the ground" running in their careers.

If you want to learn more about our programs, please explore these Web pages. If you have any further questions after reading, please feel free to contact us.