Aerospace Engineering

Facilities
Accreditation
Department Administration

Aerospace technology has grown out of the problems of design, construction, and operation of vehicles that move above the Earth's surface, vehicles ranging from airplanes and helicopters to rockets and spacecraft. Design of such vehicles has always been challenging, not only because of the high premium placed on lightweight vehicles performing efficiently and with high reliability, but also because they must sometimes operate in hostile environments. These same requirements exist not only for future spacecraft and high-performance transport aircraft, but also to the next generation of ground transportation, such as high-speed trains, over-water transportation, and automated motor vehicles. In addition to working on vehicle-oriented design problems, aerospace engineering graduates are often involved in systems management in the broadest sense. Because of the anticipated life mission of the aerospace student, the undergraduate curriculum at the University of Michigan is designed to convey a clear understanding of the fundamental aspects of the fields most pertinent to aerospace engineering. Real-life problems in aerospace and related areas are emphasized in the applications of theory. In their senior year, students select a design course in which they are given an appreciation of the interrelation of the various areas of study in the design of a whole system.

Facilities

The Aerospace Engineering Department is primarily housed in the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) building. The Aerospace Engineering program office and all the faculty and staff offices are located in this building. The FXB building also houses instructional and research laboratories, a CAEN computing lab, the Aerospace Engineering Library and Learning Center, several lecture rooms, the Boeing Auditorium and the Lockheed Design Room. Other department facilities including the Plasma and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL), the 5'x7' and 2'x2' Wind Tunnels and the Student Fabrication Laboratory are housed in nearby buildings.

Department Laboratories

Engineering knowledge is gained in part through experience with engineering problems and the experimental approach to their solution. In required laboratory courses, the student is introduced to the basic principles of operation and use of modern laboratory instrumentation. These courses, taken in the junior and senior year, may be followed by additional experimental work either in formal elective courses or in projects of the student's choosing. The department's laboratories include subsonic and supersonic wind tunnels; shock and detonation tubes; laser diagnostic equipment; fabrication laboratory; structural test equipment; flight controls test equipment; and a wide range of optical, electronic, and computer equipment. Students also gain experience in the use of computers for computation, system design and fabrication, and simulation. Undergraduate students at Michigan profit by their contact with graduate students and faculty members, who carry out research work parallel to the areas of undergraduate instruction and student projects.

Accreditation

This program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012, telephone (410) 347-7700.