Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace Engineering is a specialised branch of Mechanical Engineering. It is concerned with the design, construction, production and maintenance of vehicles and objects intended for use in and beyond the atmosphere. Aerospace Engineering is a growing field with applications in areas as diverse as aircraft, satellites, rockets, space stations and hot air balloons. Aerospace engineers address problems specific to the aerospace industry. These problems relate to how a vehicle moves, how high and how fast it can travel, how it holds together under the forces it experiences and how it is kept on course. Aerospace engineers analyse and solve these problems using their knowledge of mechanics and dynamics, materials and joining methods, thermodynamics, heat transfer, vibrations, guidance, control and modelling techniques.
The first two years of Aerospace Engineering are identical to those in the degree of Mechanical Engineering. In year three, specialised courses are offered in areas such as Aerospace Materials and Structures, Space Vehicle Design, and Astrophysics. In the final (fourth) year, students undertake some compulsory core subjects in Aerospace Propulsion, Aerospace Navigation and Guidance and management and also select subjects from a wide range of electives including Atmospheric and Environmental Physics, Advanced Aerodynamics, Advanced Propulsion and Space Plasma Physics. A final year project gives students an opportunity to integrate the skills they have learnt and employ them in a practical application in Aerospace Engineering. These projects range from rocket experiments to working on solar powered / human powered aircraft.
Graduates in Aerospace Engineering have a major advantage regarding future employment. While they have an opportunity of gaining employment in the exciting and ever expanding area of Aerospace Engineering, they can also find employment in all Mechanical Engineering areas, as a result of the sound base in Mechanical Engineering obtained during the Aerospace program.
School: Mechanical Engineering
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