The Aerospace Engineering Program consists of required courses and elective courses (the Science Elective, Applied Math Elective, Technical Elective and General Education coursework). The program is intended to provide a broad background in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and engineering science, together with sufficient depth in the required engineering courses to provide the essentials which form the base of the program. Building on the base, the student chooses technical and non-technical elective courses. Technical elective courses allow students to obtain significant exposure to technical areas of their own choosing.

The remaining electives of a non-technical nature are very important and should be chosen carefully. A good program of non-technical electives will broaden your interests, making you more able to appreciate the various people and cultures within our society. Your non-technical electives must be selected to satisfy the University-wide requirements for General Education and requirements of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Of the total credit hours of coursework required for the B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, 30 credit hours must be completed at this institution. The standard program followed by a student making normal progress toward the degree may be completed in four academic years. The course load per semester may vary from 15 to 18 credit hours. Those students who wish to attend summer school classes may reduce the calendar time required to complete the degree requirements.

Elective Policy

AE students are required to take a total of 3 hours of Technical Elective (TE) coursework, 3 hours of an Applied Math Elective, and 4 hours of Science Elective. A TE course is any course offered by the departments of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), or a course in mathematics or the sciences which is not a required course for the AE degree. All TE’s must be coursework at the 300 level or above. In some instances graduate level courses may be used as TE’s

The General Education Program

The General Education Program at the State University of New York at Buffalo is designed to encourage and reward four kinds of academic activity: informed critical thought, the sharing of some common bodies of knowledge, the introduction of students to the activities of the faculty in a wide range of disciplines, and the personal use of the creative arts. The General Education Program requires students to take a minimum number of courses outside of their chosen major.

In addition, the Program requires demonstration of minimum skills in writing and mathematics. A placement process in writing and mathematics is applied to entering students. Depending on their placement, students may be required to take English 101 an d/or English 201 (neither of which can be used as General Education courses) in addition to the courses listed above. Students may also be advised to take one or more mathematics courses before attempting Mathematics 141. Students are also required to pass a Library Skills Test.

The General Education requirement for transfer students depends on the number of credits completed at other schools. Transfer students will be advised of these requirements by the SEAS Office of Student Services, 410 Bonner Hall, at the time of their admission. Further details on these requirements may also be obtained by contacting the Office of Student Services directly.

Academic Integrity

The university has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of academic dishonesty. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respecting the academic endeavors of others. By placing their name on academic work, students certify the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgments.

The university community depends upon shared academic standards. Academic dishonesty in any form by any member of the university community represents a fundamental impairment of these standards. When an instance of suspected or alleged academic dishone sty by a student arises, it shall be resolved first through informal consultation between the student and the instructor and then, if necessary, through the formal proceedings of the MAE Department, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the University.