The first aero course you will take is AAE 200 (AAE stands for Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering). Students typically take this class during autumn quarter of their sophomore year, since there are certain math prerequisites that you’ll complete as a freshman. AAE 200 will explain how wind tunnels work, the behavior of air as it flows around a vehicle, and how to estimate the performance of a given aircraft.
Thanks for the question!
Kevin Disotell
Undergraduate Student
Aerospace Engineering
Ohio State University disotell.1@osu.edu
The Aerospace Program at Ohio State is a very challenging program, but a fun and rewarding one at the same time. You don’t begin taking aero classes until your sophomore year at OSU (during the first year, students take the Fundamentals of Engineering Program). You can take that opportunity to talk to professors and students in person during your first year and even tour the OSU Aero labs.
Many people in Aero learn how to multitask work, personal lives, and other activities along with the major. I was able to work part time as a teaching assistant and be a member of Sigma Gamma Tau for two years now. Outside of class, I still find time to participate in design teams and work on art and pottery. Other people in the major are involved in ROTC, intramural, club, and varsity sports and sororities/fraternities. It all depends on how well you learn to balance your time but the short answer is yes, we do have a social life : ) Some people find it easier to take 5 years to complete this program, breaking up Junior Year (reputed to be the most difficult one!) into 2 years.
This is a math focused program. If you are taking/have taken Calculus or Pre-Calculus in high school, you are well on track. The professors in Aero do a fantastic job explaining all of the topics. They are also available during office hours (or any time you happen to catch them in their office, which happens a lot). Make sure to talk to and get to know all of your professors. Many undergraduates work with professors in the Aero labs.
The books we use are also very helpful. You’ll find that the most important thing you can do in this major is to come to class and take very good notes and put in good effort on the homework.
Classes usually start at 8:30 or 9:30 am (some start at 7:30 but I’ve yet to have one). A typical day looks like 3 classes per day.
First I would like to thank you for allowing interested individuals to ask questions about this great program.
As a student, I realize that there are a lot of commitments that need to be made when pursuing a challenging program such as Aerospace Engineering. So far I have managed to take most of my classes on a part time basis. I have a full time job that does not have a flexible schedule.
My question is once I start taking AERO classes, will I have to reconsider some of my priorities or will I be able to continue working full time while taking classes part time and trying to be active within student groups.
Working full time and being a full time aerospace student will be very stressful, especially if you don’t have a flexible schedule at your job. All of the aerospace engineering classes at Ohio State are only offered once per academic year, and you can’t take certain classes without having the prerequisites completed if you decide to split your course load. You’ll definitely have to reconsider your priorities, but avoid compromising your schoolwork.
Kevin Disotell
Undergraduate Student
Aerospace Engineering
Ohio State University disotell.1@osu.edu
Since the Aerospace department is relatively small compared to other engineering departments, it has less flexibility when offering classes to students. If your work schedule requires you to work during the day, it will end up conflicting with your classed. Aero classes are only offered once a year, and if you are not able to take a class during a specific quarter, you have to wait till the following year.
If you work at night, you may be able to pull it off, but it will be tough. I am currently working 25 hours/week, plus taking Aero classes, finishing an Astronomy minor, the President of a professional engineering sorority, and the secretary of Sigma Gamma Tau, Aerospace honorary. I burn my candle at both ends, and get very little sleep during the week.
You must be very ambitious to be an Aerospace major. If you really want to be an Aero major, but procrastinating is one of your better skills, you might want to consider losing the job, or finding a more flexible one. I am currently employed by OSU and they make it very easy to switch my hours around in the case of needing to study or go to a meeting.
To be realistic, for every hour spent in an Aero class each week, there is typically 2-4 hours outside of class spent on homework, projects, programming, and studying. That’s approximately 45-70 hours a week (assuming average 15 credit hours/quarter) studying/in class. I’d say it definitely worth if if you like a challenge and have a strong desire to learn. But full time may be too much depending on your schedule.
If you have any other questions, you can email me.
-Deena Dombrosky
Hi,
I am planning on applying to the Aerospace program at this college. My main concern is about the courses. I want to know if this program requires me to take any kind of a computer programming course, because that is one of my weaknesses.
You will only have to take two programming courses during your undergraduate studies. The first course will occur during your freshman year and will include C, C++, and MATLAB programming. The second course will occur during your junior year and it uses MATLAB to solve differential equations. MATLAB mirrors C programming, so many of the concepts from C will carry over to MATLAB.
Beyond these two programming courses, you will have to use MATLAB in a few other AAE courses on homework assignments. MATLAB is also used in industry so a good foundation will help you with your job search down the road.
I plan on transferring into the OSU aerospace from CU-Boulder. I am not able to use uselect because my school isn’t a part of it, so I have some questions about which of my credits will transfer. Last semester I took Cal. 1, a humanities course, introductory to chemistry, and engineering projects (a hands-on engineering project design course). This semester I’m taking Cal. 2, chemistry for engineers, another humanities, and engineering computing. Do you have any idea which of these courses will transfer and how far behind I will be the typical OSU aerospace sophomore student?
I’m sorry for the late response to your question. I had to do a little investigating in order to give you an answer. It looks like that because your school isn’t part of uselect, figuring out which classes transfer is going to be much more difficult. You are actually going to need to contact each department separately and ask them to evaluate the course. I’ve gathered a couple of contacts:
You’ll probably need to send copies of your syllabus in order for the courses to be evaluated.
Another option that you have, if your courses don’t transfer is to try for examination credit. Many departments/courses have exams that if you pass, they will give you credit for the course. It will not affect your GPA at all but you will get the necessary credit.
The courses that you’ve taken so far seem very similar to courses taken during your freshmen year in engineering here at OSU. If all of your courses transfer, you might be able to start Aero 200 in the fall. However, if you don’t meet all of the necessary pre-req requirements, you’ll have to finish those up and won’t be able to start Aero 200 until Autumn 2011. Because of the size of our department, most of our courses are only offered once a year.
I hope this answers your questions. If there’s anything else, don’t hesitate to ask!
What kind of changes and new programs can I expect to see as an aero student?
What will the recent $20 million dollar donation do for the program? I asked an aero graduate student this same question, and they said they havn’t seen any of that money; they didn’t even know there was a donation.
The aerospace department is currently working through a merger with the mechanical engineering department and the entire university is also preparing to move from the quarter system to semesters in 2012. These changes will result in some major modifications to the current curriculum. Semesters will change the way some material is presented, and the merger will expand the pool of professors teaching in the department as well as the courses available to members of the aero major. With all these general changes in the future it’s hard to say what specifically is likely to change.
My limited understanding of the donation is that the funds are being used to set up an endowment to fund a new faculty position. Other than that, I know very little about the details of the donation. For any more specific information I would refer you to Dr. Benzakein, the department chair, benzakein.2@osu.edu.
I hope this answers some of your questions, maybe in a couple months, as the merger advances, more details will be available.
How does OSU’s aerospace department rank compared to the rest of the nationals, or more specifically, CU- Boulder’s? I realize CU-Boulder is a great school for aerospace engineering but it costs twice as much as OSU.
According to the U.S. News & World Report rankings that are popularly referenced, Ohio State’s aerospace program was ranked 21st nationally in 2009 (CU-Boulder was ranked 15th). However, caution must be taken in interpreting that ranking. U.S. News and other similar mediums place a large weight on the number of Ph.D. students produced by a school (i.e., the strength of the graduate program). Other rankings use different metrics. For example, check out Aviation Week’s ranking of schools from which industry recruits most highly (see p. 16): http://www.ndia.org/Divisions/Divisions/STEM/Documents/ArticlesOfInterest/Aviation_Week_Workforce_Study_09.pdf. You’ll see that in 2009, Ohio State was tied for fifth in the nation from the perspective of top “aerospace workforce” schools. In fact, I think one of the advantages of OSU is its close ties to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, GE Aviation in Cincinnati, and even Honda R&D Americas — all of which are prominent aerospace workforce jobs. So, it depends what you’re looking for in your career. Feel free to contact me for anything else.
Kevin Disotell
Undergraduate Student
Aerospace Engineering
Ohio State University disotell.1@osu.edu
I am currently a senior in high school and plan on enrolling in Ohio State in the fall. I am really interested in Aerospace, but at the same time I am a little intimidated by the projects. I love technology, but usually when it comes to building, or starting projects (like in my physics class), I’m not very good at it. Do you have any tips to help me overcome this weakness? Also, my current ACT math score is a 21, if I am able to get a higher score when I take it in April, will I be able to get directly enrolled as an engineering student?
I’ll give you three main words of advice to start.
First, don’t get hung up on standardized testing. I think you will find that an engineer has a pretty unique set of skills that are not covered in those tests. If you work hard in your classes and develop good study skills you won’t have too much trouble completing a degree.
Second (and don’t take this as discouragement from engineering), you don’t need a degree in Aerospace Engineering to get an Aerospace job. In fact you may have an easier time getting an Aerospace job in other engineering majors or even in Business majors like finance or management. So don’t let your interest in Aerospace take you away from finding a major that suits your skills. How are you at computer programming? Aerospace companies love that.
Third, in terms of projects a better skill is good communication. The teams that win project competitions aren’t the teams with one brilliant engineer, but they are the teams that have good communication and a good leader. This is also true for what companies are looking for. Its ironic that sometimes engineering companies are less willing to hire some one with a really high GPA because they are afraid that the person might lack proper communication skills.
E-mail me if you have any more questions. I’ll see if I can help you out.
Some of the general elective courses (GEC’s) are big. Classics 101 or Art History are taught in lecture halls with ~100+ students in the class. The more specific the courses though, the smaller the classes. Our aero classes for example are about 50 students per class, in a regular classroom.
I plan on enrolling into Aerospace Engineering in my sophomore year, but I am a little shaky on my future in this industry. I understand that graduating from OSU will allow me to develop many connections throughout the world and finding a job shouldn’t pose a great threat, but that is my main concern. Well, one of them.
If I graduate with this degree, from OSU, will I have the necessary skills to compete for a spot in another graduate program? (i.e. MIT’s program.) And whether or not I obtain my master’s in the field (I plan to), will finding a job be difficult?
There are three things that I think an aerospace degree at OSU provides you. First, a really good education: the aero classes, while difficult, teach a tremendous wealth of information. We learn the thermodynamic knowledge of Chemical Engineers, the structures knowledge of Mechanical Engineers, the computer programming skills of Computer Science Engineers, not to mention really good technical writing skills. I have competed against other aerospace engineers in design competitions and for job offers and I honestly think that OSU professors teach us just as well, if not better, than some of the other great Aero schools.
Second, getting your aerospace degree at OSU will prove to be a very valuable experience: we have some of the best professors in certain fields of Aerospace that are renown throughout the country, we have some of the best wind tunnels in our facilities, we have software that is used by industry. A lot of students go to work at the lab – the aerospace labs out near the Don Scott airport. They get a chance to publish papers alongside their professors and present at conferences. At some other schools, professors teach what CFD/FEA is…we have access to computational fluid dynamics programs like Fluent and finite element analysis programs like Nastran since the second year.
And third, and probably the most valuable skill you will walk away with, problem solving. You will not be handed everything on a plate, spelled out exactly how to solve this or that problem, how exactly to design this satellite or that plane. You will be asked to think for yourself and you will be challenged. But in the end it is about learning how to problem solve for yourself and validate all of your assumptions and decisions.
I can’t guarantee you that you will get a fantastic job offer as soon as you graduate or that you will be accepted into MIT grad school – no one can guarantee that. But I can say that after 3-4 years in the major, you will learn a lot and many many doors will open for you. Your professors care about you and will answer questions you have on homework or give you advice on where to apply for jobs/graduate school or how to design a plane for a competition. My biggest advice is to take advantage of everything while you are here. Enter design competitions, apply for internships, do research with professors. All of the opportunities are here waiting for you.
Hope that helps. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at tolstykh.1@osu.edu.
Although Ohio State has one of the largest campuses by area in the country, it is surprising how well it is organized. All of your engineering classes will usually be held within a small radius (e.g., Smith Laboratory, Hitchcock Hall, Scott Laboratory… see the center of this map: http://www.osu.edu/map/building.php?building=148) which is easily walkable. All of those buildings are located near central campus and are at most a 10-minute walk from any of the freshman residence halls.
Feel free to contact me with any other questions.
Kevin Disotell
Undergraduate Student
Aerospace Engineering
Ohio State University
E-mail: disotell.1@osu.edu
In general there are 3 main sets of residence halls, the majority of which are all freshman. The north campus dorms are mostly scholars and honors, although some other freshman live there as well. South campus is where the majority of freshman live, and very few upperclassmen live there. On west campus there are the two towers, right next to the Shoe. Those are almost all freshman as well. In any case there are a majority of freshman living there. If you’re interested I suggest taking a tour of each.
hello… i was wondering how long is it to get a master’s degree in aerospace engineering and is it interesting to be in this field. I always loved space and planes so i would love all the information i can get…
Aerospace is a very interesting field. After graduation you can work on just about anything that deals with fluids: planes, airships, Navy ships, submarines, cars, hydroelectric dams, etc, as well as other vehicles like satellites, rockets, and the like. It’s definitely not a cakewalk, but very rewarding.
As for the graduate degree, this really depends on what you are looking to do. For instance, I am completing my Masters degree this June 2010 and I started September 2009 (i.e., it took me 3 quarters). However, I am doing the non-thesis option which is primarily coursework. Even so, many of the faculty typically suggest taking 4-5 quarters to complete a non-thesis Masters.
For a thesis option, it’s a little more tricky. If you take electives for graduate credit when you’re a senior, you can focus more of your time on research during your grad program. In this case you can probably get done in as little as 4-5 quarters (keep in mind, that’s working really hard at it). The typical Masters student takes about 6 quarters to complete the program; usually the first year is coursework and literature research for your thesis, the second mainly research/experimentation and writing your thesis.
Finally, two big things to keep in mind when choosing thesis vs. non-thesis. 1) You need to defend your thesis. This is a 3 hour presentation to your committee about what you’ve done over the last two years. Since you’ve become “specialized” by this point (e.g., in structures, controls, aerodynamics, etc.) they will ask you questions that are very detailed and require a very thorough understanding of the material. You will need to spend quite a bit of time studying and reviewing all the coursework you’ve learned over the last 5-6 years. For the non-thesis, the oral presentation is not mandatory (though your adviser may require one on a case-by-case basis). Instead, you usually work on a capstone project (sometimes known as a mini-thesis) that represents the culmination of your knowledge. This is usually less in-depth but still requires a great deal of work.
And, 2) the thesis looks better. If you sit two applicants down, both with Masters degrees, a company will look more favorably at the one who has shown the extra effort. But in the end, the “right” decision is really up to you. If you are not looking to get into a research field or go for your PhD, a practical, working knowledge suffices. You’ve already demonstrated you have the extra ambition by going for another degree. Your own career plans will point you in the right direction.
A quarter is 10 weeks long, but OSU is planning on switching to semesters in 2012 I believe.
Everyone is required to live in OSU on campus dorms for freshmen year.
Hi this fall I’m going to be a senior in high school so I’m starting to seriously consider colleges. OSU is a school I’m looking into. I’ve been raised to bleed scarlet and grey, but lately I’ve been hearing OSU has a good engineering reputation, which I’m interested. I would like to go into AE but I’m just wondering a few things.
1. What makes OSU such a great place to get an aero degree?
2. What can I do with an aero degree and what kind of jobs are there in aero (especially in Ohio)?
3. How is OSU in terms of internships and co-op?
4. What’s your personal opinion of OSU’s aero program?
If you could get to answering any of my questions if not all it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Sorry it’s taken so long to respond! Those are some great questions Matt. We’ll try to answer them as best I can.
1) There are many things that make OSU a great place to get an Aerospace engineering degree.
a. OSU is a big research school. There are many opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved in research, whether it’s through an honors thesis or working directly with a professor on one of their research projects. This is a great opportunity to apply and expand on what you learn in the classroom.
b. OSU is also a big school in general. There are over 800 student organizations on campus that allow you to get involved in a variety of interests. Apart from sports and hobby organizations, there are also several aerospace related groups, such as AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), SGT (Sigma Gamma Tau, which sponsors this blog), and the Aerial Robotics Team, that give you the chance to network with others with similar interests and have fun applying your classroom experiences.
2) Obtaining a degree in aerospace engineering opens up several opportunities.
a. The most obvious are designing aircraft and spacecraft; from high performance military jets to ultra-light planes to manned spacecraft.
b. An aerospace degree also prepares you for fields that may seem less obvious. Knowledge of aerodynamics, and fluid dynamics in general, can be applied to marine vessels, pipe flow, power plant turbomachinery, etc.
c. Aerospace engineering students take a wide variety of classes, focusing on structures, aerodynamics, control systems, and engine design, that can also be applied to other engineering problems. It is not uncommon for an aerospace engineer to find a career outside of the aerospace industry.
d. The types of jobs you could get with an aerospace engineering degree include designing and analyzing aircraft, spacecraft and other vehicles, managing engineering projects, researching with NASA or other organizations, or becoming a professor (who often both research and teach) if you go on to get a doctorate.
e. In Ohio, two major aerospace employers are NASA Glenn (near Cleveland), and the Air Force Research Lab (near Dayton).
3) Ohio State has many resources to help students find internships and co-ops.
a. Every fall quarter, the college of engineering holds a career fair where over 100 companies come looking for inters and co-op students.
b. Every winter, Women in Engineering puts on a career fair, similar to the fall career fair (men and women are welcome!).
c. There is also the Engineering Career Services office that maintains a website where it posts internship and co-op opportunities for students, and helps students with interviewing skills and résumés.
4) My personal experience at Ohio State as an Aerospace engineering student has been very positive. If you decide to pursue an Aero degree here at OSU, you’ll realize that there is a “family” aspect to our department. By the end of your third year, there may only be 45 of the original 100 aerospace students left in the major. It is difficult coursework, but that fosters a unique camaraderie among the students. There are many excellent professors who are both good teachers and researchers. I feel I have learned a great deal in my three years at Ohio State, and the many opportunities I have had to get involved outside of the classroom has definitely increased the value of this experience.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
Sorry it took so long to respond to your question. As a freshman, you’ll take a wide variety of courses. There is a Calculus sequence, Physics sequence, and a general engineering sequence. The only “Aero” course you’ll take during your freshman year is what the university calls a survey course. Basically, this is designed to introduce you to some of the procedures you’ll need to know, such as scheduling. It also serves as a forum for your questions regarding the aerospace program. However, there’s no real aerospace material as part of that course. You won’t get into that until your second year. As a side note, Sigma Gamma Tau, the organization that operates this blog, plans to visit the survey class, allowing incoming students to poll us as well.
The department has a “recommended” four year schedule that can be found at http://aerospace.osu.edu/sites/default/files/page/2009/03/AAE Curriculum Bingo Sheet_0.pdf . Personally, I have followed this schedule very closely, although there is some flexibility, such as completing your undergraduate work in 5 years, as you mentioned. Although a 5 year schedule is not published by the department (as far as I know), typically, students opt to split their Junior year in two (you’ll understand why after seeing the schedule). Depending on you’re particular situation and desires, the five year plan may be a better option. Either way, the coursework will be challenging, but it is well worth the effort.
I hope I was able to satisfactorily answer your question. If you have any others, feel free to ask!
Yes, I would say that most of our graduates get jobs in the aviation industry, though some also go into the space industry and into other engineering fields.
Hi,
I’ll be starting my undergraduate classes this year at OSU Aerospace engineering and i would like to know which residence hall is the best for the aerospace program.
I have heard that Lincoln tower is good but i would like to know which one is the closest to the Aero building.
Also, if you haven’t taken calculus in high school will that be a problem if you take it at OSU?
Lastly, what classes would you recommend to me for the first year because i have seen the list of courses, and i want to take the advanced courses not the courses for the beginners.
In terms of proximity, any of the dorms on North campus would be the closest to the engineering area. The west campus towers (Lincoln and Morrill) are possibly the nicest, though also the most expensive. I’ve lived on South campus, either in dorms or in an apartment, for all four of my years here; at most, it’s a 15 minute walk to class, and I personally like the South campus area the best.
I came into OSU having not taken any Calculus in High School, and it worked out fine for me.
Unfortunately, the freshman year schedule is pretty much set by the college. There are some options for honors courses, such as honors physics, which you can probably ask about at your orientation in the summer.
I hope that answered your questions. Please let me know if you are curious about anything else!
-Michael Lawrence
Senior OSU Aerospace Engineering Student
When do I take my first aerospace class?
Hi Anthony,
The first aero course you will take is AAE 200 (AAE stands for Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering). Students typically take this class during autumn quarter of their sophomore year, since there are certain math prerequisites that you’ll complete as a freshman. AAE 200 will explain how wind tunnels work, the behavior of air as it flows around a vehicle, and how to estimate the performance of a given aircraft.
Thanks for the question!
Kevin Disotell
Undergraduate Student
Aerospace Engineering
Ohio State University
disotell.1@osu.edu
What is the social life like when pursuing and aerospace engineering degree at ohio state?
Is the math as difficult as it looks?
How are the professors?
When time do classes usually start?
Hi Roy,
The Aerospace Program at Ohio State is a very challenging program, but a fun and rewarding one at the same time. You don’t begin taking aero classes until your sophomore year at OSU (during the first year, students take the Fundamentals of Engineering Program). You can take that opportunity to talk to professors and students in person during your first year and even tour the OSU Aero labs.
Many people in Aero learn how to multitask work, personal lives, and other activities along with the major. I was able to work part time as a teaching assistant and be a member of Sigma Gamma Tau for two years now. Outside of class, I still find time to participate in design teams and work on art and pottery. Other people in the major are involved in ROTC, intramural, club, and varsity sports and sororities/fraternities. It all depends on how well you learn to balance your time but the short answer is yes, we do have a social life : ) Some people find it easier to take 5 years to complete this program, breaking up Junior Year (reputed to be the most difficult one!) into 2 years.
This is a math focused program. If you are taking/have taken Calculus or Pre-Calculus in high school, you are well on track. The professors in Aero do a fantastic job explaining all of the topics. They are also available during office hours (or any time you happen to catch them in their office, which happens a lot). Make sure to talk to and get to know all of your professors. Many undergraduates work with professors in the Aero labs.
The books we use are also very helpful. You’ll find that the most important thing you can do in this major is to come to class and take very good notes and put in good effort on the homework.
Classes usually start at 8:30 or 9:30 am (some start at 7:30 but I’ve yet to have one). A typical day looks like 3 classes per day.
I hope this answered some of your questions!
- Masha Tolstykh
First I would like to thank you for allowing interested individuals to ask questions about this great program.
As a student, I realize that there are a lot of commitments that need to be made when pursuing a challenging program such as Aerospace Engineering. So far I have managed to take most of my classes on a part time basis. I have a full time job that does not have a flexible schedule.
My question is once I start taking AERO classes, will I have to reconsider some of my priorities or will I be able to continue working full time while taking classes part time and trying to be active within student groups.
Thank you for your time.
-Ben Butler
Hi Ben,
Working full time and being a full time aerospace student will be very stressful, especially if you don’t have a flexible schedule at your job. All of the aerospace engineering classes at Ohio State are only offered once per academic year, and you can’t take certain classes without having the prerequisites completed if you decide to split your course load. You’ll definitely have to reconsider your priorities, but avoid compromising your schoolwork.
Kevin Disotell
Undergraduate Student
Aerospace Engineering
Ohio State University
disotell.1@osu.edu
Hey Ben.
Since the Aerospace department is relatively small compared to other engineering departments, it has less flexibility when offering classes to students. If your work schedule requires you to work during the day, it will end up conflicting with your classed. Aero classes are only offered once a year, and if you are not able to take a class during a specific quarter, you have to wait till the following year.
If you work at night, you may be able to pull it off, but it will be tough. I am currently working 25 hours/week, plus taking Aero classes, finishing an Astronomy minor, the President of a professional engineering sorority, and the secretary of Sigma Gamma Tau, Aerospace honorary. I burn my candle at both ends, and get very little sleep during the week.
You must be very ambitious to be an Aerospace major. If you really want to be an Aero major, but procrastinating is one of your better skills, you might want to consider losing the job, or finding a more flexible one. I am currently employed by OSU and they make it very easy to switch my hours around in the case of needing to study or go to a meeting.
To be realistic, for every hour spent in an Aero class each week, there is typically 2-4 hours outside of class spent on homework, projects, programming, and studying. That’s approximately 45-70 hours a week (assuming average 15 credit hours/quarter) studying/in class. I’d say it definitely worth if if you like a challenge and have a strong desire to learn. But full time may be too much depending on your schedule.
If you have any other questions, you can email me.
-Deena Dombrosky
Hi,
I am planning on applying to the Aerospace program at this college. My main concern is about the courses. I want to know if this program requires me to take any kind of a computer programming course, because that is one of my weaknesses.
Thanks.
Yesha,
You will only have to take two programming courses during your undergraduate studies. The first course will occur during your freshman year and will include C, C++, and MATLAB programming. The second course will occur during your junior year and it uses MATLAB to solve differential equations. MATLAB mirrors C programming, so many of the concepts from C will carry over to MATLAB.
Beyond these two programming courses, you will have to use MATLAB in a few other AAE courses on homework assignments. MATLAB is also used in industry so a good foundation will help you with your job search down the road.
Hope this information helps.
Stephen.
I plan on transferring into the OSU aerospace from CU-Boulder. I am not able to use uselect because my school isn’t a part of it, so I have some questions about which of my credits will transfer. Last semester I took Cal. 1, a humanities course, introductory to chemistry, and engineering projects (a hands-on engineering project design course). This semester I’m taking Cal. 2, chemistry for engineers, another humanities, and engineering computing. Do you have any idea which of these courses will transfer and how far behind I will be the typical OSU aerospace sophomore student?
Hi Max,
I’m sorry for the late response to your question. I had to do a little investigating in order to give you an answer. It looks like that because your school isn’t part of uselect, figuring out which classes transfer is going to be much more difficult. You are actually going to need to contact each department separately and ask them to evaluate the course. I’ve gathered a couple of contacts:
Engineering Courses
Bob Gustafson
Chemistry Courses
Math Courses
Counseling Office (614)292-6994
Humanities Courses
humanities@osu.edu
You’ll probably need to send copies of your syllabus in order for the courses to be evaluated.
Another option that you have, if your courses don’t transfer is to try for examination credit. Many departments/courses have exams that if you pass, they will give you credit for the course. It will not affect your GPA at all but you will get the necessary credit.
The courses that you’ve taken so far seem very similar to courses taken during your freshmen year in engineering here at OSU. If all of your courses transfer, you might be able to start Aero 200 in the fall. However, if you don’t meet all of the necessary pre-req requirements, you’ll have to finish those up and won’t be able to start Aero 200 until Autumn 2011. Because of the size of our department, most of our courses are only offered once a year.
I hope this answers your questions. If there’s anything else, don’t hesitate to ask!
Stephanie
What kind of changes and new programs can I expect to see as an aero student?
What will the recent $20 million dollar donation do for the program? I asked an aero graduate student this same question, and they said they havn’t seen any of that money; they didn’t even know there was a donation.
The aerospace department is currently working through a merger with the mechanical engineering department and the entire university is also preparing to move from the quarter system to semesters in 2012. These changes will result in some major modifications to the current curriculum. Semesters will change the way some material is presented, and the merger will expand the pool of professors teaching in the department as well as the courses available to members of the aero major. With all these general changes in the future it’s hard to say what specifically is likely to change.
My limited understanding of the donation is that the funds are being used to set up an endowment to fund a new faculty position. Other than that, I know very little about the details of the donation. For any more specific information I would refer you to Dr. Benzakein, the department chair, benzakein.2@osu.edu.
I hope this answers some of your questions, maybe in a couple months, as the merger advances, more details will be available.
How does OSU’s aerospace department rank compared to the rest of the nationals, or more specifically, CU- Boulder’s? I realize CU-Boulder is a great school for aerospace engineering but it costs twice as much as OSU.
Hi Max,
According to the U.S. News & World Report rankings that are popularly referenced, Ohio State’s aerospace program was ranked 21st nationally in 2009 (CU-Boulder was ranked 15th). However, caution must be taken in interpreting that ranking. U.S. News and other similar mediums place a large weight on the number of Ph.D. students produced by a school (i.e., the strength of the graduate program). Other rankings use different metrics. For example, check out Aviation Week’s ranking of schools from which industry recruits most highly (see p. 16): http://www.ndia.org/Divisions/Divisions/STEM/Documents/ArticlesOfInterest/Aviation_Week_Workforce_Study_09.pdf. You’ll see that in 2009, Ohio State was tied for fifth in the nation from the perspective of top “aerospace workforce” schools. In fact, I think one of the advantages of OSU is its close ties to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, GE Aviation in Cincinnati, and even Honda R&D Americas — all of which are prominent aerospace workforce jobs. So, it depends what you’re looking for in your career. Feel free to contact me for anything else.
Kevin Disotell
Undergraduate Student
Aerospace Engineering
Ohio State University
disotell.1@osu.edu
I am currently a senior in high school and plan on enrolling in Ohio State in the fall. I am really interested in Aerospace, but at the same time I am a little intimidated by the projects. I love technology, but usually when it comes to building, or starting projects (like in my physics class), I’m not very good at it. Do you have any tips to help me overcome this weakness? Also, my current ACT math score is a 21, if I am able to get a higher score when I take it in April, will I be able to get directly enrolled as an engineering student?
Thank you sincerely for your time!
Stephen,
I’ll give you three main words of advice to start.
First, don’t get hung up on standardized testing. I think you will find that an engineer has a pretty unique set of skills that are not covered in those tests. If you work hard in your classes and develop good study skills you won’t have too much trouble completing a degree.
Second (and don’t take this as discouragement from engineering), you don’t need a degree in Aerospace Engineering to get an Aerospace job. In fact you may have an easier time getting an Aerospace job in other engineering majors or even in Business majors like finance or management. So don’t let your interest in Aerospace take you away from finding a major that suits your skills. How are you at computer programming? Aerospace companies love that.
Third, in terms of projects a better skill is good communication. The teams that win project competitions aren’t the teams with one brilliant engineer, but they are the teams that have good communication and a good leader. This is also true for what companies are looking for. Its ironic that sometimes engineering companies are less willing to hire some one with a really high GPA because they are afraid that the person might lack proper communication skills.
E-mail me if you have any more questions. I’ll see if I can help you out.
How big our the classes starting freshman year? Are there huge lecture halls?
Some of the general elective courses (GEC’s) are big. Classics 101 or Art History are taught in lecture halls with ~100+ students in the class. The more specific the courses though, the smaller the classes. Our aero classes for example are about 50 students per class, in a regular classroom.
Hi,
I plan on enrolling into Aerospace Engineering in my sophomore year, but I am a little shaky on my future in this industry. I understand that graduating from OSU will allow me to develop many connections throughout the world and finding a job shouldn’t pose a great threat, but that is my main concern. Well, one of them.
If I graduate with this degree, from OSU, will I have the necessary skills to compete for a spot in another graduate program? (i.e. MIT’s program.) And whether or not I obtain my master’s in the field (I plan to), will finding a job be difficult?
Thank’s for your time.
see msg below
Hi Zack,
There are three things that I think an aerospace degree at OSU provides you. First, a really good education: the aero classes, while difficult, teach a tremendous wealth of information. We learn the thermodynamic knowledge of Chemical Engineers, the structures knowledge of Mechanical Engineers, the computer programming skills of Computer Science Engineers, not to mention really good technical writing skills. I have competed against other aerospace engineers in design competitions and for job offers and I honestly think that OSU professors teach us just as well, if not better, than some of the other great Aero schools.
Second, getting your aerospace degree at OSU will prove to be a very valuable experience: we have some of the best professors in certain fields of Aerospace that are renown throughout the country, we have some of the best wind tunnels in our facilities, we have software that is used by industry. A lot of students go to work at the lab – the aerospace labs out near the Don Scott airport. They get a chance to publish papers alongside their professors and present at conferences. At some other schools, professors teach what CFD/FEA is…we have access to computational fluid dynamics programs like Fluent and finite element analysis programs like Nastran since the second year.
And third, and probably the most valuable skill you will walk away with, problem solving. You will not be handed everything on a plate, spelled out exactly how to solve this or that problem, how exactly to design this satellite or that plane. You will be asked to think for yourself and you will be challenged. But in the end it is about learning how to problem solve for yourself and validate all of your assumptions and decisions.
I can’t guarantee you that you will get a fantastic job offer as soon as you graduate or that you will be accepted into MIT grad school – no one can guarantee that. But I can say that after 3-4 years in the major, you will learn a lot and many many doors will open for you. Your professors care about you and will answer questions you have on homework or give you advice on where to apply for jobs/graduate school or how to design a plane for a competition. My biggest advice is to take advantage of everything while you are here. Enter design competitions, apply for internships, do research with professors. All of the opportunities are here waiting for you.
Hope that helps. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at tolstykh.1@osu.edu.
Masha Tolstykh
Is your living hall close to majority of your classes. How does that work?
Hi Roy,
Although Ohio State has one of the largest campuses by area in the country, it is surprising how well it is organized. All of your engineering classes will usually be held within a small radius (e.g., Smith Laboratory, Hitchcock Hall, Scott Laboratory… see the center of this map: http://www.osu.edu/map/building.php?building=148) which is easily walkable. All of those buildings are located near central campus and are at most a 10-minute walk from any of the freshman residence halls.
Feel free to contact me with any other questions.
Kevin Disotell
Undergraduate Student
Aerospace Engineering
Ohio State University
E-mail: disotell.1@osu.edu
what are the main freshman residence halls?
In general there are 3 main sets of residence halls, the majority of which are all freshman. The north campus dorms are mostly scholars and honors, although some other freshman live there as well. South campus is where the majority of freshman live, and very few upperclassmen live there. On west campus there are the two towers, right next to the Shoe. Those are almost all freshman as well. In any case there are a majority of freshman living there. If you’re interested I suggest taking a tour of each.
hello… i was wondering how long is it to get a master’s degree in aerospace engineering and is it interesting to be in this field. I always loved space and planes so i would love all the information i can get…
Aerospace is a very interesting field. After graduation you can work on just about anything that deals with fluids: planes, airships, Navy ships, submarines, cars, hydroelectric dams, etc, as well as other vehicles like satellites, rockets, and the like. It’s definitely not a cakewalk, but very rewarding.
As for the graduate degree, this really depends on what you are looking to do. For instance, I am completing my Masters degree this June 2010 and I started September 2009 (i.e., it took me 3 quarters). However, I am doing the non-thesis option which is primarily coursework. Even so, many of the faculty typically suggest taking 4-5 quarters to complete a non-thesis Masters.
For a thesis option, it’s a little more tricky. If you take electives for graduate credit when you’re a senior, you can focus more of your time on research during your grad program. In this case you can probably get done in as little as 4-5 quarters (keep in mind, that’s working really hard at it). The typical Masters student takes about 6 quarters to complete the program; usually the first year is coursework and literature research for your thesis, the second mainly research/experimentation and writing your thesis.
Finally, two big things to keep in mind when choosing thesis vs. non-thesis. 1) You need to defend your thesis. This is a 3 hour presentation to your committee about what you’ve done over the last two years. Since you’ve become “specialized” by this point (e.g., in structures, controls, aerodynamics, etc.) they will ask you questions that are very detailed and require a very thorough understanding of the material. You will need to spend quite a bit of time studying and reviewing all the coursework you’ve learned over the last 5-6 years. For the non-thesis, the oral presentation is not mandatory (though your adviser may require one on a case-by-case basis). Instead, you usually work on a capstone project (sometimes known as a mini-thesis) that represents the culmination of your knowledge. This is usually less in-depth but still requires a great deal of work.
And, 2) the thesis looks better. If you sit two applicants down, both with Masters degrees, a company will look more favorably at the one who has shown the extra effort. But in the end, the “right” decision is really up to you. If you are not looking to get into a research field or go for your PhD, a practical, working knowledge suffices. You’ve already demonstrated you have the extra ambition by going for another degree. Your own career plans will point you in the right direction.
Good luck!
how long is a quarter and in freshmen year, do you have to stay in the dorms or drive home after the classes?
A quarter is 10 weeks long, but OSU is planning on switching to semesters in 2012 I believe.
Everyone is required to live in OSU on campus dorms for freshmen year.
Hi this fall I’m going to be a senior in high school so I’m starting to seriously consider colleges. OSU is a school I’m looking into. I’ve been raised to bleed scarlet and grey, but lately I’ve been hearing OSU has a good engineering reputation, which I’m interested. I would like to go into AE but I’m just wondering a few things.
1. What makes OSU such a great place to get an aero degree?
2. What can I do with an aero degree and what kind of jobs are there in aero (especially in Ohio)?
3. How is OSU in terms of internships and co-op?
4. What’s your personal opinion of OSU’s aero program?
If you could get to answering any of my questions if not all it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Sorry it’s taken so long to respond! Those are some great questions Matt. We’ll try to answer them as best I can.
1) There are many things that make OSU a great place to get an Aerospace engineering degree.
a. OSU is a big research school. There are many opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved in research, whether it’s through an honors thesis or working directly with a professor on one of their research projects. This is a great opportunity to apply and expand on what you learn in the classroom.
b. OSU is also a big school in general. There are over 800 student organizations on campus that allow you to get involved in a variety of interests. Apart from sports and hobby organizations, there are also several aerospace related groups, such as AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), SGT (Sigma Gamma Tau, which sponsors this blog), and the Aerial Robotics Team, that give you the chance to network with others with similar interests and have fun applying your classroom experiences.
2) Obtaining a degree in aerospace engineering opens up several opportunities.
a. The most obvious are designing aircraft and spacecraft; from high performance military jets to ultra-light planes to manned spacecraft.
b. An aerospace degree also prepares you for fields that may seem less obvious. Knowledge of aerodynamics, and fluid dynamics in general, can be applied to marine vessels, pipe flow, power plant turbomachinery, etc.
c. Aerospace engineering students take a wide variety of classes, focusing on structures, aerodynamics, control systems, and engine design, that can also be applied to other engineering problems. It is not uncommon for an aerospace engineer to find a career outside of the aerospace industry.
d. The types of jobs you could get with an aerospace engineering degree include designing and analyzing aircraft, spacecraft and other vehicles, managing engineering projects, researching with NASA or other organizations, or becoming a professor (who often both research and teach) if you go on to get a doctorate.
e. In Ohio, two major aerospace employers are NASA Glenn (near Cleveland), and the Air Force Research Lab (near Dayton).
3) Ohio State has many resources to help students find internships and co-ops.
a. Every fall quarter, the college of engineering holds a career fair where over 100 companies come looking for inters and co-op students.
b. Every winter, Women in Engineering puts on a career fair, similar to the fall career fair (men and women are welcome!).
c. There is also the Engineering Career Services office that maintains a website where it posts internship and co-op opportunities for students, and helps students with interviewing skills and résumés.
4) My personal experience at Ohio State as an Aerospace engineering student has been very positive. If you decide to pursue an Aero degree here at OSU, you’ll realize that there is a “family” aspect to our department. By the end of your third year, there may only be 45 of the original 100 aerospace students left in the major. It is difficult coursework, but that fosters a unique camaraderie among the students. There are many excellent professors who are both good teachers and researchers. I feel I have learned a great deal in my three years at Ohio State, and the many opportunities I have had to get involved outside of the classroom has definitely increased the value of this experience.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
Mike and Steve
what does a freshman aerospace schedule look like? For that matter is there a 4 or 5 year schedule I could get my hands on?
Max,
Sorry it took so long to respond to your question. As a freshman, you’ll take a wide variety of courses. There is a Calculus sequence, Physics sequence, and a general engineering sequence. The only “Aero” course you’ll take during your freshman year is what the university calls a survey course. Basically, this is designed to introduce you to some of the procedures you’ll need to know, such as scheduling. It also serves as a forum for your questions regarding the aerospace program. However, there’s no real aerospace material as part of that course. You won’t get into that until your second year. As a side note, Sigma Gamma Tau, the organization that operates this blog, plans to visit the survey class, allowing incoming students to poll us as well.
The department has a “recommended” four year schedule that can be found at http://aerospace.osu.edu/sites/default/files/page/2009/03/AAE Curriculum Bingo Sheet_0.pdf . Personally, I have followed this schedule very closely, although there is some flexibility, such as completing your undergraduate work in 5 years, as you mentioned. Although a 5 year schedule is not published by the department (as far as I know), typically, students opt to split their Junior year in two (you’ll understand why after seeing the schedule). Depending on you’re particular situation and desires, the five year plan may be a better option. Either way, the coursework will be challenging, but it is well worth the effort.
I hope I was able to satisfactorily answer your question. If you have any others, feel free to ask!
-Steven Whitaker, SGT President
Unfortunately that link had spaces in it…try this out instead:
https://aerospace.osu.edu/sites/default/files/page/2009/03/AAE%20Curriculum%20Bingo%20Sheet_0.pdf
Hi, I wanted some information on what kind of jobs do Aerospace engineers after graduation from OSU get? Are they mostly in the Aviation industry?
Hi Gill,
Yes, I would say that most of our graduates get jobs in the aviation industry, though some also go into the space industry and into other engineering fields.
Hi,
I’ll be starting my undergraduate classes this year at OSU Aerospace engineering and i would like to know which residence hall is the best for the aerospace program.
I have heard that Lincoln tower is good but i would like to know which one is the closest to the Aero building.
Also, if you haven’t taken calculus in high school will that be a problem if you take it at OSU?
Lastly, what classes would you recommend to me for the first year because i have seen the list of courses, and i want to take the advanced courses not the courses for the beginners.
Thanks
Hi Vivek,
In terms of proximity, any of the dorms on North campus would be the closest to the engineering area. The west campus towers (Lincoln and Morrill) are possibly the nicest, though also the most expensive. I’ve lived on South campus, either in dorms or in an apartment, for all four of my years here; at most, it’s a 15 minute walk to class, and I personally like the South campus area the best.
I came into OSU having not taken any Calculus in High School, and it worked out fine for me.
Unfortunately, the freshman year schedule is pretty much set by the college. There are some options for honors courses, such as honors physics, which you can probably ask about at your orientation in the summer.
I hope that answered your questions. Please let me know if you are curious about anything else!
-Michael Lawrence
Senior OSU Aerospace Engineering Student