The MSAE Program, offered by the Department of Aerospace Engineering , is designed to prepare students for professional careers in industry or advanced study in Ph.D. programs. Students develop skills in research, design, development, experiment design, testing, and systems integration in air and space transportation systems. In addition to advanced aerospace engineering courses, electives are available in science, business, and other engineering fields. Class schedules are designed for the convenience of employed engineers who wish to pursue graduate work on a part-time basis. The MSAE Program welcomes students with undergraduate degrees in other engineering or science disciplines. For more information visit the MS Aerospace Engineering website.

Educational Objectives

To provide MSAE graduates with

1. A strong foundation beyond the undergraduate level in their chosen focus area as well as in mathematics, basic science, and engineering fundamentals, to be able to solve current aerospace engineering problems.
2. Contemporary professional and lifelong learning skills to successfully compete for technical engineering positions in the local, national, and global engineering market, advance in their current position or pursue doctoral studies.
3. Expertise necessary to work in the analysis, design, development, and testing of aerospace engineering systems with possible specialization in areas such as aircraft design or space transportation and exploration.
4. Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to write engineering reports.
5. Ability to perform research and work independently to solve open-ended aerospace engineering problems.

University Admissions Requirements

Applicants must submit a complete graduate application by applying through the CSU Cal State Apply system and meet all the university admission requirements .

Admission to Graduate Standing - Classified or Conditionally Classified

Students can be admitted in either classified or conditionally classified standing. If an applicant’s preparation for advanced graduate work is considered inadequate to meet the course prerequisites or other departmental requirements, the conditions will include taking preparatory courses to meet these requirements. Such courses will not count as part of the master’s degree program requirements.

To be admitted to classified standing, a student must possess a BS degree in Aerospace Engineering or related field (e.g., Aeronautical Engineering, Astronautical Engineering or Space Engineering, etc.) from an accredited institution with a grade point average of 2.75 or better in the last 60 units.

Students may be admitted with conditionally classified standing if they have a BS degree in any engineering or science discipline from an accredited institution. Students with conditionally classified standing will take a series of BS Aerospace Engineering core courses based on their evaluation by the AE Graduate Coordinator.

If an applicant’s bachelor’s degree is not from a US or Canadian university, a GRE must be taken; minimum scores acceptable for admission are listed on the Graduate Program Test Requirements webpage. Applicants from countries in which the native language is not English must achieve a minimum English-Language Proficiency (ELP) test score as indicated on the Graduate Program Test Requirements webpage.

Advancement to Candidacy

Prior to registering for the first time (or upon re-entering), a student should consult with the AE Graduate Coordinator to develop a schedule of courses. Students admitted as conditionally classified must satisfy the requirements listed in their letter of acceptance

The university requirements for advancement to candidacy  for the master’s degree are outlined in the Graduate Policies & Procedures  section. Students should seek advancement to candidacy as soon as possible for their given program and on the advice of their graduate program coordinator. Graduate students may submit a Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form to the Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations (GAPE) office after satisfying the following: achieved classified status; completed a minimum of nine letter-graded units with all grades “C” or higher; fulfilled the Campus Graduate Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (CGGWAR) requirement; achieved a minimum cumulative and program 3.0 GPA, and, graduate within the seven-year time limit for degree completion. Graduate students must submit their petition no later than one semester prior to graduating. Courses that satisfy the CGGWAR are listed in the course requirements for the program.

Program of Study Requirements

Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, GPA, and culminating experience requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements  section of the Graduate Policies & Procedures . Students must comply with all other graduate requirements contained in this catalog.

Course Requirements

The AE Department offers courses designed to provide a flexible curriculum structure that allows students to follow a course of study to meet their individual career goals. As shown below, the program consists of 30 semester units of approved work, including 6 units devoted to a thesis or project. The required coursework includes 3 units of advanced mathematics, 12 units of aerospace core subjects, and 9 units of electives.

In selecting a project/thesis topic, the student must first identify a faculty member in his or her area of interest. Once the faculty member agrees to act as the student’s project/thesis advisor, a program of study is established, including the project/thesis topic.

Culminating Experience (Plan A or Plan B)

In selecting a Plan A (Thesis) or Plan B (Project) topic, the student must first identify a faculty member in his / her area of interest. Once the faculty member agrees to act as the student’s advisor, a program of study is established, including the thesis or project topic. In either option students perform graduate-level research and/or design and/ or development, involving aerospace systems or components of aerospace systems under the supervision of an AE faculty member. Students are encouraged to submit and present their work at student and/or professional conferences.

A project or thesis proposal is due to the AE 295A / AE 299  Course Coordinator no later than the 2nd week of class. A written progress report is due at the end of each month. The first progress report must include a review of the relevant literature. An end-of-semester written report is expected at the end of the 1st semester.

Plan A (Thesis)

A thesis requires approval by a committee of three members. Two of the thesis committee members must be SJSU faculty. An AE faculty member must agree to serve as the chair of the committee. Students must secure the commitment of all three members of their thesis committee. The committee must approve the student’s thesis proposal no later than the 2nd week of the 1st semester. The thesis must meet university requirements as stipulated in this catalog and in the SJSU Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines. It will be written under the guidance of the candidate’s thesis committee chair with the assistance of the other committee members. The candidate for the MSAE degree must successfully pass a final oral defense of the thesis.

Plan B (Project)

In the Project Option students work under the supervision of an AE faculty member.