Curriculum
The General Spacecraft Engineering courses are highly recommended for all students.
General Spacecraft Engineering
- MAE 5065
Introduction To Spaceflight Mechanics
- MAE 5160
Spacecraft Technology and System Architecture
- MAE 6900*
Special Investigations in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Combined, our General Spacecraft Engineering courses will teach you:
- orbital mechanics, attitude dynamics, and spaceflight maneuvers
- communications and structure
- guidance, navigation, and control
- spacecraft power, space propulsion, and payloads support
- entry, descent, landing, and surface mobility
- flight-computer hardware and software
*MAE 6900 is the course listing for our M.Eng Project. This is the only required course in the Master of Engineering program. For distance learning students, this course is completed over the summer through the SmallSat Mission Design Project.
Other courses are grouped by focus area. When taken together, they can help deepen your understanding of a particular subject within spacecraft engineering:
Orbital Mechanics
- MAE 6530
Space Exploration Engineering
- MAE 6700
Advanced Dynamics
- MAE 6720
Celestial Mechanics
Space Robotics
- MAE 5280
Adaptive and Learning Systems
- MAE 5816
Flexible Space Robotics
- MAE 5830
Astronautic Optimization
Propulsion
- MAE 5230
Intermediate Fluid Dynamics with CFD
- MAE 5430
Combustion Processes
- MAE 5510
Aerospace Propulsion
- MAE 5540
Propulsion of Spacecraft
- MAE 6430
Computational Combustion
- MAE 6540
Plasma Physics for Propulsion
Guidance and Navigation
- MAE 6060
Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics, Estimation and Control
- MAE 6760
Model Based Estimation
- MAE 6780
Multivariable Control Theory
The following Advanced Engineering Topics can round out your engineering skill set:
Advanced Engineering Topics
- MAE 5135
Mechanics of Composite Structures
- MAE 5700
Finite Element Analysis for MAE Design
- MAE 5730
Intermediate Dynamics
- MAE 5770
Engineering Vibrations
- MAE 5780
Feedback Controls
You may also take online courses from within Systems Engineering and Engineering Management to complement your curriculum:
Earn your degree while working full time
Join the forefront of spacecraft innovation.