We apply a collaborative approach to both research and education -- emphasizing hands-on learning, teamwork, technical expertise, and system-level multidisciplinary thinking. At the graduate level PhD students are offered a one-year teaching practicum and may work with faculty in more than one focus area. MS students have the opportunity to work in teams on aerospace research projects like designing a small satellite (DANDE), an interstellar dust instrument (CRIA) or a lunar module prototype (HAB). Collaborative, multidisciplinary projects are also the focus of our capstone Senior Design course which follows the life cycle of industry projects from conception, to design reviews, development, construction, testing, and analysis of results. Students develop in-depth technical knowledge, effective communication skills, and a systems engineering perspective that enables them to produce creative solutions to complex problems.
"Our excellent Aerospace Engineering program dovetails with Governor Ritter's aerospace priority and ranks second nationally in the number of Ph.D. graduates, producing 1,600 alumni who work in Colorado. It is a major reason that Colorado ranks second only to California in space economy. And it is a perfect example of how the "human capital" that we as a university provide can enhance the economy of the state and help to develop and expand the local economy." excerpt from A Look at 2007-08: Investing in Our Future, Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson, May 8, 2008
A brief history of the Aerospace Engineering Sciences department
The AeroSpace Systems Science and Engineering Initiative (AS3E)
Awards:
Faculty
Graduate
Undergraduate
- The graduate specialty program in aerospace engineering is ranked 12th overall and 7th among public graduate programs in the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings. Our undergraduate program is ranked 16th overall and 11th among public undergraduate programs in aerospace engineering (2010 rankings).
- The Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences received nearly $10.5 million in sponsored research funding during fiscal year 2009.
- CU-Boulder has one of the highest numbers of astronaut alumni in the nation and a high participation rate in the NASA space program. To date, 18 CU-affiliated astronauts have flown in space.