Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University

The undergraduate program, which is combined with engineering mechanics, is one of the 10 largest in the country and is consistently ranked among the best. Iowa State is recognized as a leader in preparing design engineers.

Major strengths of the department include

• theoretical aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics
• nondestructive evaluation
• computational mechanics, finite and boundary elements
• engineering design and design optimization
• mechanics of materials, wave mechanics, and ultrasonics
• acoustics, vibrations, and noise control
• flight mechanics, controls, and optimization

In aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, you will find a program committed to real-world preparation. This program includes

• a curriculum built on basic sciences, math, and engineering
• laboratories that emphasize practical skills
• equipment that matches industry and research standards

You will cap your aerospace coursework by participating in a major aircraft or spacecraft design project as part of a simulated industrial design team.


Top-Notch Faculty
The aerospace engineering faculty are a diverse group of educators. They include award-winning teachers, authors, researchers, inventors, leaders of professional societies, journal editors, and consultants. Their backgrounds include experience at aerospace corporations, government laboratories, and universities from around the world. You will have access to your instructors and the opportunity to receive individual attention from them.


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World-Class Facilities
The Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics offers the facilities and resources that let students concentrate on learning rather than having to search for materials and equipment. The department’s new home is Howe Hall, Phase I of the $63 million Engineering Teaching and Research Complex.

Dedicated in 1999, Howe Hall features

• environmental and aerodynamic wind tunnels
• underwater acoustics facilities
• teaching and research labs for mechanical vibrations, acoustics, stress analysis, composite materials aerospace structures, strength of materials, and fluid mechanics
• ultra-modern classrooms

A spacecraft systems and operations lab features a multidisciplinary team of volunteers who push the edge of technology as well as the edge of the atmosphere. Funded by the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, students use high-altitude balloons to test engineering design technology and develop remote sensing capabilities.


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Endless Opportunities
To meet other aerospace engineering students and learn what is going on in the industry, be sure to check out our student societies. The AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) student chapter holds regular meetings featuring outside speakers, and also organizes department-wide functions. Maybe you’d be interested in the Space Society, a university-wide student organization.

Students make themselves even more appealing to industry by participating in cooperative education programs and internships that involve practical work experience for pay.

The College of Engineering also offers

• foreign study programs in the United Kingdom, Germany, Argentina, Australia, and other countries, giving you an edge in today’s global markets
• internships and co-op programs that provide industry experience and give you a chance to earn money for college and living expenses; monthly salaries for aerospace engineering interns and co-op students are about $1,800*
• opportunities for hands-on, real-world experiences; aerospace engineering students recently helped a company improve the design of its single-person ultralight plane and also designed a more innovative experimental plane

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Scholarships
The support of more than 200 individuals and corporations maintains an engineering scholarship endowment of nearly $9 million. From these and other funds, the college awards more than 900 scholarships totaling more than $1.3 million each year. In addition, engineering students compete well for scholarships available to all Iowa State students.


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Employment Outlook
Engineering is a career path that works! More than 3 million engineers work in the U.S. today, making engineering the nation’s second-largest profession. The average starting salary for an aerospace engineering graduate is more than $43,000.

Aerospace engineering graduates are in demand. Nearly all students with engineering-related work experience have jobs by graduation. For example:

• 95% of co-op students are placed by graduation
• 85% of interns are placed by graduation
• 79% of graduates with summer work experience are placed by graduation

Iowa State’s aerospace engineering graduates are nationally known. They serve in top corporate and technical leadership positions in all major aerospace corporations in the U.S. and in NASA. They have built successful careers in aeronautics, design, flight safety, spacecraft engineering, hydrospace, transportation systems, sales/marketing, and manufacturing.


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For more information on opportunities in Iowa State’s aerospace engineering department, contact:

Department of Aerospace Engineering and
Engineering Mechanics
2271 Howe Hall, Room 1200
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2271
(515) 294-3776
www.aeem.iastate


* All statistics are based on surveys conducted in spring 1999.

Go to Aerospace Engineering web.

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