Minor in Aerospace Engineering

Offered by: Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Administered by: M&AE Associate Director
Contact: M&AE Undergraduate Coordinator: 108 Upson Hall, 255-3573, mae_ug@cornell.edu
Eligibility: Engineering undergraduates affiliated with the following Majors are eligible to participate in the Aerospace Engineering minor: BE, EP, CE, ChemE, CS, ECE, IM, ISST, ME, MS&E, ORE, and SES. Approval of the Aerospace Engineering Minor is being considered by other Engineering Majors and acceptance of this Minor by any additional Majors will be posted here upon confirmation.

Students intending to earn a Minor in Aerospace Engineering should seek advice and pre-approval of their Minor academic program from the Associate Director of Undergraduate Affairs in Mechanical Engineering before taking courses toward the Minor.   

Educational Objectives:

The aerospace minor develops the engineering analysis and design skills necessary for creating and understanding aerospace vehicles and their subsystems.  The minor includes diverse topics relevant to applications both in the earth’s atmosphere (e.g. aerodynamics) and in space (e.g. spacecraft thermal systems or orbital mechanics).   Students in this minor will take at least four core aerospace courses, along with up to two supporting courses in engineering fundamentals or courses with applicability to aeronautics and spacecraft.

Requirements:

1) Six courses from the lists below, each worth at least 3 credits, must be completed.  No substitutions will be accepted from other departments at Cornell or elsewhere.

2) Rules for ME majors:

 a) You must select least 4 courses from group A, of which you must choose MAE 3050(305) or MAE 3060(306) (or both).

 b) You must select at most 2 courses from group B.  No courses from group C may be used.

 c) You may use at most 4 courses to satisfy both the Aerospace Minor requirements and the BSME degree requirements.  The major concentration courses may not be among these overlapped courses.

3) Rules for other majors:

 a) You must select least 4 courses from group A, of which you must choose MAE 3050(305) or MAE 3060(306) (or both).

 b) You must select a total of at most 2 courses from group B and group C.

 c) You may not use any courses to satisfy requirements of both the Mechanical Engineering Minor and the Aerospace Engineering Minor.

GROUP A: Core Aerospace Engineering 

MAE 3050(305)  Intro to Aeronautics

MAE 3060(306)  Spacecraft Engineering

MAE/ECE 4150(415)  GPS: Theory and Design

*MAE 4291(429): Supervised Senior Design Experience, with Aerospace Focus or MAE 4900(490): Special Investigations in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, with Aerospace Focus

MAE 4230(423)/5230(523): Intermediate Fluid Dynamics

MAE 5060(506): Aerospace Propulsion Systems

MAE 5070(507): Dynamics of Flight Vehicles

* MAE 4291 and 4900 require a form signed by the project advisor, stating that the project focuses on Aerospace and is suitable as a core aerospace course for the minor.  MAE 4291 or 4900 must be worth 3 credits or more.  Students are restricted to at most one MAE 4291 OR one MAE 4900 counting towards the minor.  (may not count both MAE 4291 and MAE 4900 towards the minor)

GROUP B: Courses Applicable to Aerospace Engineering

MAE 4170(417)/5170(517): Introduction to Robotics: Dynamics, Control, Design

MAE 4550(455)/ CEE 4770(477)/ MSE 5550(555)/ TAM 4550(455):  Introduction to Composite Materials

MAE 4700(470)/5700(570): Finite Element Analysis for Mechanical and Aerospace Design or CEE 4720(472): Introduction to the Finite Element Method

MAE 4770(477)/5770(577): Engineering Vibrations

MAE 4780(478)/5780(578)/ChemE 4720(472)/ ECE 4720(472): Feedback Control Systems

MAE 5430(543): Combustion Processes

MAE 5710(571): Applied Dynamics or TAM 5700(570): Intermediate Dynamics 

GROUP C: Fundamentals

ENGRD 2020(202)

ENGRD 2030(203)

MAE 2120(212)

ENGRD/MAE 2210(221)

MAE 3230(323)

MAE 3240(324)

MAE 3250(325)

MAE 3260(326)

MAE 3780(378) or ECE 2100(210)/ENGRD 2100(210) or PHYS 3360(360)

Academic Standards:

A grade of C- or better in each course.  If a course is offered only S/U, a grade of S is acceptable.