Aerospace Engineering Sciences

The mission of the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences is to provide quality education, including hands-on learning, and to conduct foremost research in aerospace engineering sciences. These goals are accomplished through fundamental and multidisciplinary research and by preparing aerospace engineering students to meet the needs of 21st-century society through the conception, design and application of aerial and spacecraft systems.

The department is uniquely characterized by:

• blending aeronautics, astronautics and science applications;
• providing an undergraduate experience characterized by rigorous preparation in mathematics and engineering sciences, a hands-on experiential approach to learning and an extensive emphasis on design in a systems context; 
• emphasizing in our graduate education and research programs forefront aerospace technology development and the integration of engineering and science activities to solve critical problems in the Earth and space sciences; and 
• creating graduates who are broadly educated, interdisciplinary, agile, team-oriented engineers and scientists, with end-to-end mission and systems perspectives.

Freshman Year
Fall Semester—15

• APPM 1350 Calculus 1 for Engineers—4
• First-Year Projects course—3
• COEN 1500 Introduction to Engineering—1
• Humanities or social science elective—3
• CSCI 1320 Computer Science I—4

Spring Semester—17

• APPM 1360 Calculus 2 for Engineers—4
• ASEN 1022 Material Science for Aerospace Engineers—3
• PHYS 1110 General Physics 1—4
• Humanities or social science elective—6

Sophomore Year 
Fall Semester—16

• APPM 2350 Calculus 3 for Engineers—4
• ASEN 2001 Introduction to Statics, Structures and Materials—4
• ASEN 2002 Introduction to Thermodynamics and Aerodynamics—4
• ASEN 2012 Experimental and Computational Methods in AES—2
• Free elective—2

Spring Semester—17

• APPM 2360 Introduction to Differential Equations with Linear Algebra—4 
• ASEN 2003 Introduction to Dynamics and Systems—5
• ASEN 2004 Aerospace Vehicle Design and Performance—5
• Humanities or social science elective (upper division)—3 

Junior Year
Fall Semester—16

• ASEN 3111 Aerodynamics—4
• ASEN 3112 Structures—4
• ASEN 3113 Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer—4 
• PHYS 1120 General Physics 2—4

Spring Semester—16

• ASEN 3128 Aircraft Dynamics—4
• ASEN 3200 Orbital Mechanics/Attitude Determination and Control—4
• ASEN 3300 Electronics and Communications—4
• Professional area electives—3
• Free elective—1

Senior Year
Fall Semester—16 

• ASEN 4013 Foundations of Propulsion—3
• ASEN 4018 Senior Projects 1: Design Synthesis—4
• College-approved writing course—3
• Professional area electives—6

Spring Semester—15 

• ASEN 4028 Senior Projects 2: Design Practicum—4
• Professional area electives—6
• Humanities or social science elective (upper-division)—3
• Free elective—2

Requirements

• Online application for admission 
• $50 nonrefundable ($70 U.S. for international students) application fee, payable online (if sending a check or money order, make payable to the University of Colorado; print student’s name and date of birth on check)
• Official high school transcript
• Official college transcripts (if applicable)
• SAT or ACT test scores (if applicable)
• Personal essays
• Letter of recommendation
• TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS 6.5

Scholarships

• International students are eligible for a few merit-based CU Boulder scholarships, but must submit official ACT or SAT scores as part of the application to be considered.