Program Description
All undergraduates are eligible to participate in the aerospace minor.
Students intending to earn this minor should seek advice and pre-approval of their minor academic program from the Undergraduate Office in Mechanical Engineering before taking courses toward the minor.
The aerospace minor develops the engineering analysis and design skills necessary for creating and understanding aerospace vehicles and their subsystems. The minor includes diverse topics relevant to applications both in the earth's atmosphere (e.g., aerodynamics) and in space (e.g., spacecraft thermal systems or orbital mechanics). Students in this minor will take at least four core aerospace courses, along with up to two supporting courses in engineering fundamentals or courses with applicability to aeronautics and spacecraft.
Academic Standards
A grade of at least C– in each course. If a course is offered only S–U, a grade of S is acceptable.
Minor Requirements
At least six (6) courses (minimum of 18 credits) from the lists below must be completed. At most one course from outside Cornell can be used in place of one of those listed below, by petition. Any course used to satisfy early Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) graduation requirements may not be used for the aerospace minor.
Rules for Selecting Courses
Rules for Mechanical Engineering (ME) Majors
- Select at least four Core Aerospace Engineering courses, of which one must choose MAE 3050 Introduction to Aeronautics or MAE 4060 Introduction to Spaceflight Mechanics (or both).
- Select at most two Applicable to Aerospace Engineering courses. No Fundamentals courses may be used.
- Two courses must be selected from the Aerospace Engineering subject field under the Major Approved Electives list in Mechanical Engineering. These two courses may not be used toward fulfillment of the Mechanical Engineering B.S. degree requirements.
Rules for Other Majors
- Select at least four Core Aerospace Engineering courses, of which you must choose MAE 3050 Introduction to Aeronautics or MAE 4060 Introduction to Spaceflight Mechanics (or both).
- Select at most two Applicable to Aerospace Engineering and Fundamentals courses from group B and group C.
- Students may not use any courses to satisfy requirements of both the Mechanical Engineering Minor and the Aerospace Engineering Minor.
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
| |
MAE 3050 | Introduction to Aeronautics | 4 |
MAE 4060 | Introduction to Spaceflight Mechanics | 3 |
MAE 4150 | GPS: Theory and Design | 4 |
MAE 4160 | Spacecraft Technology and Systems Architecture | 3 |
or MAE 4161 | Spacecraft Technology and Systems Architecture |
or MAE 5160 | Spacecraft Technology and Systems Architecture |
MAE 4900 | Individual and Group Projects in Mechanical Engineering (with Aerospace Focus) 1 | 1-4 |
ENGRG 3400 | Engineering Student Project Teams | 1-3 |
MAE 4230 | Intermediate Fluid Dynamics | 3 |
or MAE 4231 | Intermediate Fluid Dynamics |
or MAE 5230 | Intermediate Fluid Dynamics with CFD |
MAE 4440 | Spacecraft Thermal Management | 3 |
or MAE 4441 | Spacecraft Thermal Management |
or MAE 5440 | Spacecraft Thermal Management |
MAE 4510 | Propulsion of Aircraft and Rockets | 3 |
or MAE 5510 | Propulsion of Aircraft and Rockets |
MAE 4540 | Propulsion of Spacecraft | 3 |
or MAE 5540 | Propulsion of Spacecraft |
MAE 4070 | Dynamics of Flight Vehicles | 3 |
or MAE 5070 | Dynamics of Flight Vehicles |
Graduation Requirements for Engineering Minor Degree Programs
Requirements
Students may pursue minors in any department in any college that offers them, subject to limitations placed by the department offering the minor or by the students' major. Completed minors will appear on the student's transcript. Not all departments offer minors. Additional information on specific minors can be found above, in the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook, in the undergraduate major office of the department or school offering the minor, and in Engineering Advising.
An engineering minor recognizes formal study of a particular subject area in engineering normally outside the major. Students undertaking a minor are expected to complete the requirements during the time of their continuous undergraduate enrollment at Cornell. Completing the requirements for an engineering minor (along with a major) may require more than the traditional eight semesters at Cornell. However, courses that fulfill minor requirements may also satisfy other degree requirements (e.g., distribution courses, advisor-approved, or major-approved electives), and completion within eight semesters is possible.
An engineering minor requires:
- successful completion of all requirements for an undergraduate degree.
- enrollment in a major that approves participation in the minor.
- satisfactory completion of six courses (at least 18 credits) in a college-approved minor.
Students may apply for certification of a minor at any time after the required course work has been completed in accordance with published standards. An official notation of certification of a minor appears on the Cornell transcript following graduation.