Utah State University to Offer New Aerospace Engineering Ph.D. Program
Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering associated with the design, development and testing of all types of flying vehicles, including airplanes, rockets, missiles and spacecraft, including the space shuttle Endeavour.
This fall, the College of Engineering at Utah State University will welcome doctoral students into a new program designed to create the next generation of top aerospace engineering experts.
The new Ph.D. program in aerospace engineering was approved by the Utah System of Higher Education Board of Regents May 15 and will be the only such program offered in Utah and one of only 12 offered in the western United States.
Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering associated with the design, development and testing of all types of flying vehicles, including airplanes, rockets, missiles and spacecraft. USU’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering has traditionally offered a master’s degree in aerospace engineering, but there has never been a Ph.D. program offered within the Utah System of Higher Education.
“The new degree program will establish a separate degree path for existing aerospace engineering graduate students and attract new students who are looking specifically for a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering,” said David Geller, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. “Offering this Ph.D. better positions USU to capture regional talent that would otherwise leave the state.”
Geller said Utah is one of the top ten states in the nation with the highest concentration of aerospace industries. Students completing the program will acquire highly technical expertise sought by research organizations in industry, government and academia.
“Given the large concentration of aerospace industries in Utah, USU graduates with a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering will clearly be first in line to fill these available high-paying positions; keeping home-grown talent close to home,” he said.
MAE department head Robert Spall, Ph.D., said the department offers robust foundational and specialty courses that provide the breadth and depth needed for a quality advanced aerospace degree program without the need to develop any new courses. Spall says one of the most attractive aspects about the new program will be its small size.
“We will start the new program with only a handful of students,” he said. “This will give our students a unique chance to work closely with their professors and get the attention they need.”
Students in the new program will specialize in areas of astronautical engineering, including propulsion, guidance and navigation, spacecraft control, orbital mechanics and computational fluid dynamics.
Related links:
USU Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Contact: Robert Spall, 435-797-2878, robert.spall@usu.edu
Writer: Matt Jensen, 435-797-8170, matthew.jensen@usu.edu
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