Graduate Degrees

The Master of Science program in Aerospace Engineering (MSAE) is a program in which students conduct original work related to Aerospace Engineering.

The Master of Science (M.S.) program in Aerospace Engineering (AE) has 2 options.

• The Thesis Option requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate work.  The course work includes 6 hours earned in the satisfactory completion of a thesis.
• The Project Option requires a minimum of 30 hours of graduate work.  The course work includes 3 hours in the satisfactory completion of a project (AE 895, M.S. Thesis or Project). 
• Students must take at least one semester of AE 690, Professional Development for Graduate Students.

No more than two courses below the 700 level may be used to satisfy degree requirements, in addition to the required AE 690 course. Graduate mathematics courses are considered those taken at the 600 level and higher, however, Master’s students may also use no more than 1 mathematics course (up to 3 hours) at the 500 level to meet degree requirements. All AE courses other than AE 690 must be 700 level and above.

The candidate must pass a final oral examination in which the thesis or research project (results of the independent investigation) is defended, and the candidate demonstrates a working knowledge in aerospace engineering.

Thesis or Project Committee

As part of the Plan of Study a student is required to form a thesis or project committee with a minimum of three Graduate Faculty, a minimum of two must be AE faculty members. Additional committee members may be selected by the student from either AE or other School of Engineering faculty members. The chairman of the committee must be an AE faculty member.

The Master of Engineering (ME) program in Aerospace Engineering (MEAE) is a program which emphasizes systems design and management skills and procedures. The MEAE program requires a total of 30 credit hours of graduate course work.

MEAE General Description

The minimum course requirements for the ME degree are: 

• At least 30 credit hours of graduate-level courses; which shall include either 3 or more credit hours in aerospace design or at least 3 and up to 6 semester hours of approved management courses.
• Students must take at least one semester of AE 690, Professional Development for Graduate Students.
• No more than two courses below the 700 level may be used to satisfy degree requirements, in addition to the required AE 690 course. All AE courses other than AE 690 must be 700 level and above.

Completion of MEAE

The MEAE degree does not require a full committee, only a graduate advisor. All plan of study changes are approved by the student’s graduate advisor and the department graduate advisor.

Upon completion of all coursework, the student’s plan of study must meet final approval and the student must complete the ME Completion Form and submit it to the AE graduate program manager.

The Doctor of Philosophy program in Aerospace Engineering (PhDAE) is a traditional program that requires students to successfully demonstrate their abilities in a broad spectrum of aerospace technology, mathematics and original research. To earn the PhD degree students must: 

• Complete PhD course requirements in accordance with an approved plan of study
• Pass the Doctoral Qualifying Exam (DQE) 
• Complete the Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship (RS2) requirement 
• Satisfy the residency requirements 
• Pass a comprehensive oral examination 
• Prepare and defend a PhD dissertation which must contain an original contribution to the field by the candidate. 

Ph.D. Degree Requirements 

The Ph.D. program requires 66 credit hours beyond the B.S. These 66 credit hours consist of at least 24 credit hours of dissertation and at least 36 credit hours of coursework.  The 36 hours of coursework can include up to 24 credit hours of relevant coursework from an MS degree completed at a recognized graduate school. Students must complete at least 18 hours of approved coursework as a KUAE graduate student. The minimum coursework requirements are as follows: 

• Core courses of at least 9 credit hours of graduate mathematics beyond the B.S. are required. The 9 credit hours must include a minimum of 6 credit hours of graduate-level courses from the Mathematics Department.  
• Graduate mathematics courses are MATH 590 or any other math course 600-level or above.  
• Only AE 712, Techniques of Engineering Evaluation, is considered a mathematics-intensive engineering course that meets the Core requirement. 
• Breadth courses consist of 12 credit hours distributed outside the area of specialization in aerodynamics, structures and materials, dynamics and controls, design, propulsion, and astronautics. 
• Depth courses consist of 15 credit hours of technical courses (600-level and above) in the area of specialization. 

Students must also take at least .5 hours of AE 690, Professional Development for Graduate Students. 

No more than three courses below the 700 level may be used to satisfy degree requirements, in addition to the required AE 690 course.  All AE courses other than AE 690 must be 700 level and above. 

It is required that the doctoral qualifying exam (DQE) be taken within the first year for students with a master's degree, and within the second year for students without a master's degree.  In order to be eligible for the DQE, students must be in good academic standing and have a KU GPA of 3.0.  If the student fails to meet these requirements, they will work with their major advisor to develop an alternate plan of study.  

The DQE tests the breadth of knowledge and determines the student’s ability to formulate mathematical representations of real physical situations. The examination covers mathematics and 2 of these 5 areas: 

• Aerodynamics 
• Astronautics 
• Dynamics and controls
• Propulsion 
• Structures and materials 

A student is allowed only 2 attempts to pass this examination.  If a student has completed AE 712 with a grade of B or higher, the mathematics section of the qualifying exam is waived. 

The aspirant forms a dissertation committee and completes a Plan of Study after the first semester and before the end of the second semester. The dissertation committee must have 5 members, including 3 tenured or tenure-track faculty from aerospace engineering and at least 1 member from a department other than aerospace engineering. The committee approves the aspirant’s program and administers the comprehensive examination and the formal oral defense and dissertation. 

When the aspirant has completed most of the course work and satisfied the research skills, responsible scholarship and residency requirements, they must take the comprehensive examination. The comprehensive exam cannot be taken until research skills, responsible scholarship, and residency requirements have been met. 

• The research skill requirement provides the aspirant with a research skill distinct from, but strongly supportive of, the dissertation research. One research skill is required. Possible research skills include computer science, mathematics, statistics, specific laboratory skills, and specific skills in the physical or biological sciences. The selected research skill must be listed on the Plan of Study form.
• The responsible scholarship requirement serves to ensure that students are trained in responsible research practices. Aspirants can satisfy the responsible scholarship requirement by enrolling in 2 semesters of AE 690, Professional Development for Graduate Students. This course covers ethical behavior for graduate students, intellectual property, and technical writing.
• The residency requirement is met by completing 2 semesters, which may include 1 summer session, in resident study and enrollment in 6 credit hours or more. During the period of residence, the student must be involved full-time in academic pursuits, which may include up to half-time teaching or research. 

The comprehensive examination is made up of two parts. The first part must consist of a written research proposal outlining in some detail the work to be done for the dissertation. The second part is an oral examination in which they must defend the research plans and demonstrate competence in their particular and related areas.  Upon passing the comprehensive oral examination the aspirant becomes a candidate for the AE Ph.D. degree.  The dissertation committee directs the preparation of the approved dissertation topic and research.  The candidate now completes the dissertation work or research and writes the dissertation.  The dissertation must contain an original contribution made by the candidate to the field.  In addition, a comprehensive review of the pertinent literature must be included.  This dissertation must be approved by the candidate's dissertation committee. A formal oral and public defense of the dissertation is required before the candidate’s committee, any other interested members of the graduate faculty, and the general public. Candidates for the Ph.D. must also satisfy the university’s general requirements for the degree. 

To be awarded the Ph.D. degree a student must: 

1. Complete all coursework with a 3.0.  Grades of C-, D, and F are not allowed. 

2. Satisfy residency requirements. 

3. Pass the Doctoral Qualifying Examination. 

4. Satisfy the Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirements. 

5. Pass the Comprehensive Exam. 

6. Prepare and defend a Ph.D. dissertation that must contain an original contribution to the field by the candidate. 

Note well: 

a. The dissertation must be publicly defended in the presence of the candidate's dissertation committee.  Public notice of this defense must be given at least two weeks before the defense.  The dissertation defense must be public and reasonable questions from the public must be addressed by the candidate. 

b. At least one month must elapse between passing the comprehensive oral examination and conducting the final dissertation defense. 

Maximum Tenure 

The dissertation must be completed within eight years after being admitted to the Ph.D. program in AE. In cases that require more than eight years, the dissertation committee may grant an appeal for an extension of this period. 

The Doctor of Engineering emphasizes systems design and management skills, often in applied rather than theoretical research and requires 66 credit hours beyond the B.S degree. These 66 credit hours consist of at least 24 credit hours of DE project and at least 42 credit hours of coursework.  The 42 hours of coursework can include up to 24 credit hours of relevant coursework from an MS degree completed at a recognized graduate school. Students must complete at least 18 hours of approved coursework as a KUAE Graduate student. The minimum coursework requirements are as follows: 

• Core courses of at least 9 credit hours of graduate mathematics beyond the B.S. are required. The 9 credit hours must include a minimum of 6 credit hours of graduate-level courses from the Mathematics Department.
• Graduate mathematics courses are those taken that are 600 level and higher, plus MATH 590, Linear Algebra. 
• Only AE 712, Techniques of Engineering Evaluation, is a mathematics-intensive engineering course and the only non-MATH course that meets the Core requirement. 
• Depth and breadth technical courses comprising at least 21 credit hours of technical courses (beyond 600 level) which must be distributed in the areas of: 
  • structures and materials
  • aerodynamics 
  • design 
  • dynamics and controls 
  • propulsion 
  • astronautics 
• Depth management courses of at least 12 credit hours (beyond 600 level) must be taken in Engineering Management courses 
• At least 24 credit hours of DE Project 

Students must also take at least .5 hours of AE 690, Professional Development for Graduate Students. 

No more than three courses below the 700 level may be used to satisfy degree requirements, in addition to the required AE 690 course.  All AE courses other than AE 690 must be 700 level and above. 

It is required that the doctoral qualifying exam (DQE) be taken within the first year for students with a master's degree, and within the second year for students without a master's degree.  In order to be eligible for the DQE, students must be in good academic standing and have a KU GPA of 3.0.  If the student fails to meet these requirements, they will work with their major advisor to develop an alternate plan of study.  

The DQE tests the breadth of knowledge and determines the student’s ability to formulate mathematical representations of real physical situations. The examination covers mathematics and 2 of these 5 areas: 

• Aerodynamics
• Astronautics 
• Dynamics and controls 
• Propulsion
• Structures and materials 

A student is allowed only 2 attempts to pass this examination.  If a student has completed AE 712 with a grade of B or higher, the mathematics section of the qualifying exam is waived. 

The aspirant forms a project committee and completes a Plan of Study after the first semester and before the end of the second semester. The project committee must have at least 5 members, including 3 tenured or tenure-track faculty from aerospace engineering and at least 1 member from engineering management. The committee approves the aspirant’s program and administers the comprehensive examination and the formal oral defense and project. 

When the aspirant has completed most of the course work and satisfied the research skills, responsible scholarship and residency requirements, they must take the comprehensive examination.  The comprehensive exam cannot be taken until research skills, responsible scholarship, and residency requirements have been met. 

• The research skill requirement provides the aspirant with a research skill distinct from, but strongly supportive of, the dissertation research. One research skill is required. Possible research skills include computer science, mathematics, statistics, specific laboratory skills, and specific skills in the physical or biological sciences. The selected research skill must be listed on the Plan of Study. 
• The responsible scholarship requirement serves to ensure that students are trained in responsible research practices. Aspirants can satisfy the responsible scholarship requirement by enrolling in 2 semesters of AE 690, Professional Development for Graduate Students. This course covers ethical behavior for graduate students, intellectual property, and technical writing. 
• The residency requirement is met by completing 2 semesters, which may include 1 summer session, in resident study and enrollment in 6 credit hours or more. During the period of residence, the student must be involved full time in academic pursuits, which may include up to half-time teaching or research. 

The comprehensive exam is made up of two parts. The first part must consist of a written project proposal outlining in some detail the work to be done for the project. The second part is an oral examination in which they must defend the project plans and demonstrate competence in their particular and related areas. Upon passing the comprehensive examination, the aspirant becomes a candidate for the D.E. The project committee directs the preparation of the approved project topic. A formal oral and public defense of the project is required before the committee, any other interested members of the graduate faculty, and the general public. Candidates for the D.E. must satisfy the university’s general requirements for the degree. 

To be awarded the D.E. degree in Aerospace Engineering all the following requirements must be satisfied: 

1. Complete all D.E. course requirements in accordance with an approved plan of study 

2. Pass the Doctoral Qualifying Examination (DQE) 

3. Complete the Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement 

4. Satisfy the residency requirements 

5. Pass a comprehensive oral exam 

6. Prepare and defend an approved D.E. dissertation which must contain an original contribution to the field by the candidate. 

Maximum Tenure 

The dissertation must be completed within eight years after being admitted to the D.E. program in AE. In cases that require more than eight years, the dissertation committee may grant an appeal for an extension of this period. 

We now offer fully online options for our M.S. and M.E. degrees. Class instructors are on-campus faculty lecturers. This program is the same as you would earn as an on-campus student within the same program. Admission standards and curriculum requirements are the same as those of the in-person degrees.

However, online degree options are specifically designed with working professionals in mind. Coursework is available in both synchronous (scheduled real time) and asynchronously (available any time). While real-time scheduled lecture interaction with peer students is preferred pedagogy, you have the flexibility to work on your own schedule. 

Online students also have a faculty advisor for one-on-one personalized educational planning and advising.