Aerospace Engineering

www.cpp.edu/aro

Ali R. Ahmadi, Chair

Subodh Bhandari
Frank O. Chandler
Todd Coburn

Steven K. Dobbs
Donald L. Edberg
Navid Nakhjiri

The Aerospace Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. The vision of the Aerospace Engineering Department is to produce nationally recognized aerospace graduates who can contribute to achievements in national defense, space exploration, commercial aerospace, aeronautics, and academia.

The mission of the Aerospace Engineering Program is to provide an education by hands-on application of theory to produce graduates for a diverse society who can contribute immediately, effectively and ethically to the development of aerospace products and possess the educational foundations for their career growth in industry, and academia, with innovation and leadership.

Traditionally the aerospace engineer has been involved with the design and development of high speed vehicles such as aircraft, missiles and spacecraft. Over the years this list has evolved to include ocean vessels and high-speed land vehicles as well. The extreme environments in which these vehicles operate have dictated the construction of the most complex engineering systems devised by man and require integration and application of such disparate fields as aerodynamics and heat transfer, structural mechanics, control system theory and vehicle dynamics using systems engineering processes. Often the aerospace engineer is confronted with problems that cannot be fully defined but, in spite of this, require imaginative and sophisticated solutions.

The graduates of Aerospace Engineering will be practicing professionals who exhibit these Program Educational Objectives:

Demonstrate their knowledge of aerodynamics, aerospace materials, aircraft and spacecraft structures, aircraft and space propulsion, flight mechanics, stability and control systems, orbital mechanics, space environment, attitude determination and control, telecommunications, and design competence of aircraft and spacecraft using systems engineering principles;
Apply hands-on application of theory in laboratory, field experience and independent study opportunities involving teamwork and exposure to modern engineering analytical and computational tools;
Utilize a comprehensive educational foundation that emphasizes application based analysis and problem-solving, exposure to open-ended problems and engineering while fostering teamwork, communication skills, innovation, leadership, lifelong learning skills and individual ethnical professionalism in graduate studies and careers in aerospace engineering.

Students desiring to major in Aerospace Engineering should have a particularly high aptitude for science and mathematics, and incoming freshmen should have taken substantial college preparatory courses in these disciplines in high school. Incoming transfer students should have completed at least one year of college calculus and one year of college physics (with laboratory) prior to beginning the program at Cal Poly Pomona. The community college student planning to transfer into this department should consult a school counselor or department to determine which courses meet the program requirements.

The Student Outcomes at the time of graduation are:

An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering, especially with an understanding of physics, chemistry, mathematics, material science, electrical circuits, controls, and software required to address real-world engineering problems;
An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data especially for testing of aerospace structural elements, aerodynamic components and systems, aerospace propulsion systems, spacecraft, launch vehicles and flight control systems including autonomous controls;
An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability with the ability to turn data into meaningful engineering design using systems engineering life cycle development processes especially for the design of complex systems such as aircraft, launch vehicles and spacecraft from a conceptual design perspective and formulate the systems engineering life cycle development process including business case modeling;
An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams;
An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems with an understanding of engineering science fundamentals that enables them to examine real world engineering problems for the underlying physical principles and decide on appropriate methods of solution especially applied to analyzing aerospace structural elements, aerodynamic components and systems, aerospace propulsion systems, spacecraft, launch vehicles and trajectory flight control systems including autonomous controls;
An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility and an awareness of environmental and quality concerns of the engineering profession;
An ability to communicate effectively including good oral, written and graphic communications skills;
The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context with an understanding of the role of the engineer in industry, government, and society.
A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning;
A knowledge of contemporary issues;
An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering computational tools.

Aerospace engineering students are encouraged to become active in the student branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a national society organized for the advancement of aerospace knowledge. Qualified students are invited to join the student chapter of Sigma Gamma Tau, the national aerospace engineering honor society.

Programs

Major

Aerospace Engineering, B.S.: 194 units

Courses

Aerospace Engineering