Throughout history, engineers have pushed the technological
frontiers, building what others thought couldn’t be built and creating
what never before existed. Hundred years after the first flight,
aerospace engineers have pushed the boundaries farther and higher than
most and now have exciting opportunities in cutting-edge fields that range
well beyond the traditional aerospace applications in airplanes,
spacecraft and rocket science. Aerospace engineers can now apply their
skills in numerous technology-based industrial sectors, ranging from
automobiles to power generation to air separation to computer industries.
Aerospace engineering graduates can work in such exciting new areas as
computational fluid dynamics, robotics, artificial intelligence, process
automation, and smart materials.
Here at the University at Buffalo, our four-year
undergraduate
program leading to the B.S. degree in aerospace engineering is designed to
prepare students to assume leadership positions in the aerospace industry
and related industries. This includes the traditional aeronautics and
astronautics applications (subsonic and supersonic aircraft, satellites,
space shuttle, space station, etc.) as well as aerospace-related component
development (design of structures, devices and instruments) and vehicle
and propulsion system design. A variety of industries appreciate and seek
the talents of aerospace engineers. The automotive industry, for example,
has recently seen increased interest in aerospace technologies such as
aerodynamics, feedback control, propulsion, system dynamics, and
lightweight structures. The aerospace engineering program is also intended
to prepare students for service in aerospace-related government agencies,
such as NASA; FAA; and the U.S. Air Force, Navy, or Marine flying
services. While many students enter industry directly after completing the
B.S. program, a significant number elect to pursue graduate work in
engineering or other fields.
The undergraduate aerospace engineering program
imparts
knowledge of the fundamentals of the profession to provide a meaningful
foundation for the entire career span of its graduates. The goal is to
provide students with a broad, solid foundation in applied mathematics,
physics, and the engineering sciences during the first and second years.
During the third and fourth years, students will build upon this
foundation by learning the specialized topics of aerodynamics, propulsion,
structures, vehicle design and stability and control. A formal statement
of the program objectives for Aerospace Engineering is presented on the
next page.
Our cooperative education program gives a number of students the
opportunity to obtain practical experience working with local and national
companies. Our laboratories boast sophisticated testing and
instrumentation systems and our extensive computational facilities are
available 24 hours a day to meet the demands of our students. Most
importantly, our nationally and internationally recognized faculty is here
to help you attain your goal of becoming an aerospace engineer, who will
work during your career to push the technological boundaries over further.
