The Master of Aerospace Engineering (MAE) is a multidisciplinary professional graduate degree for recent graduates as well as working professionals. The MAE program emphasizes applied skills and experience needed in industry -- in contrast to the Master of Science in Aeronautics & Astronautics (MSAA), which emphasizes preparation for independent, academic research.
The MAE is a terminal degree (does not lead to a PhD).
The following requirements apply to students admitted to the Master of Aerospace Engineering program BEFORE Autumn 2013 only.
Prospective MAE applicants and students admitted for Autumn 2013 or later should refer to the current degree requirements.
Pre-2013 Degree Requirements
For students admitted prior to Autumn 2013, the MAE program requires a minimum of 12 courses plus 8 credits of independent or team project work. Students in the Pre-2013 MAE program may enroll on a part-time or full-time basis.
There is no thesis requirement for the MAE, but written and oral reports must be submitted at the conclusion of the project, which may be a laboratory experiment, team or independent design study, work-related project, or other project selected in consultation with the student’s research advisor or the Graduate Program Advisor.
Pre-2013 Curriculum
There are four main areas of study within the MAE degree: controls, fluids, propulsion and structures.
Below is the suggested coursework dependent upon your area of study. Courses outside those in the suggested program plans (below) must be approved prior to registration or may not be counted toward the degree.
All courses that count toward the degree must be graded.
| Area of Interest: | Controls | Fluids | Propulsion & Power | Structures |
| Core Courses (choose 4) |
AA 516, 528, 547, 548, 597 AA 571 / ME 588 |
AA 501, 503, 504, 506, 507, 508, 543, 544 | AA 524, 525, 527, 529, 556, ME 524 |
AA 530, 531, 532, 540 |
Mathematics Courses (choose 2)
AMATH 581, 582, 584, 585, or other graduate-level courses in numerical methods or statistics.
Technical Electives (choose 3)
Any graduate technical elective course in the College of Engineering.
Business, Manufacturing or Systems Electives (choose 2)
Any graduate course in business and management, manufacturing, systems analysis, or human centered design and engineering.
Free Elective (choose 1)
Any technical or non-technical graduate-level course.
Project (8 credits)
Your advisor must approve the report for the MAE independent or team project, and an electronic copy must be submitted to the department. MAE students must also present their project to their advisor in an oral presentation.
Distance Learning Option
Distance learning (online) enrollment is available for the MAE program. Lectures are recorded and can be watched via streaming video, while homework and exams can be completed remotely. Though the online and on-campus degrees are identical in content and curriculum, they do have different tuition and registration processes. For more information on our online program, please visit: http://www.pce.uw.edu/engineering.html
NOTE: Some courses listed above are not available in a distance-learning format (mainly the business courses). In this case, other approved online courses may be substituted. Please contact department advising staff in advance for assistance in identifying potential substitutions.
NOTE: The Certificate in Business Administration or the Global Integrated Systems Engineering Certificate, which are administered through UW Professional and Continuing Education, may be substituted for the Project and Bus/Mfg/Systems classes. The Entrepreneurship Certificate, which is administered through UW Business School, may also be substituted for the Project and Bus/Mfg/Systems requirements. These substitutions are only valid for the MAE (Pre-2013). These substitutions are *not* applicable to the MAE-CMS program.