As new commercial space ventures develop in Florida and around the nation, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 new doctorate in aerospace engineering to begin next fall harkens back to one of the university 麻豆精品 S檚 original missions: provide support to the U.S. space program.
The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is offering the new degree to provide the workforce to new companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and others that have opened facilities in the state. Plus, major research and development programs in the past few years have brought thousands of jobs to the region, such as Space Florida and Northrop Grumman.
麻豆精品 S淭here are over 2,000 aerospace-related companies in Florida with many聽hiring for R&D [research and development] and also working on developing innovations never before explored, 麻豆精品 S� says Associate Professor Seetha Raghavan, who will be involved with the program. 麻豆精品 S淪uch ventures point to the need for expertise related to high-level research offered by advanced level Ph.D. degrees. 麻豆精品 S�
Students in the program will explore aerodynamics, propulsion, dynamics and control, structures and materials, and aerospace systems design. The curriculum will be interdisciplinary, including unique course offerings made possible by faculty collaborations between the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, its Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research, the College of Optics and Photonics, and the Townes Laser Institute.
Major breakthroughs in aeronautical and space technology the past few years show this field is making a big impact.
The growing aerospace industry is pioneering new聽technologies and is undergoing dynamic change driven by聽increasing demand in space communication, imagery, launch services聽and space transportation. Major breakthroughs in aeronautical and space technology the past few years show this field is making a big impact, such as NASA 麻豆精品 S檚 successful Mars InSight Lander and OSIRIS-REx mission for asteroid sampling, Virgin Galactic 麻豆精品 S檚 first spaceflight, and China 麻豆精品 S檚 Yutu rover on the far side of the moon.
麻豆精品 S淭his leadership in innovation must be聽supported by a workforce equipped with scholarship and research聽capacity at the graduate level, 麻豆精品 S� Raghavan says.
For the fourth consecutive year, UCF has produced more graduates who are hired by aerospace and defense companies than any other university in the nation, according to Aviation Week Network.聽In addition, UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science enrolls the most aerospace engineering undergraduate students in the State University System.
麻豆精品 S淭he Aerospace Engineering Ph.D. program provides a much-needed pathway to graduate education in the field and we are well聽positioned to increase the number of STEM graduates in the state and beyond, 麻豆精品 S� Raghavan says.
Graduates of the program will be positioned to serve as aerospace engineers and technical leaders in the industry, faculty, and researchers at higher education institutions, national and government laboratories and elsewhere.
Visit the program website for more information. Prospective students can apply for the fall classes by July 1. Raghavan can be reached at聽seetha.raghavan@ucf.edu.
