AEROSPACE ENGINEERING STRATEGIC VISION /// 2022-2027
Aerospace Engineering Degree Flexibilization
The identified aerospace megatrends require adjustments to our educational experiences. This innovation starts with our curriculum. How we educate the next generation of aerospace leaders will have a ripple effect in government, corporate, policy and academic settings. What and how we prepare students are evolving to meet future demands. We need the ability to think broader about an engineering degree, bring in non-traditional business models, and rethink an aerospace degree to be flexible and nimble. We have seen exponential opportunities here – and we are positioned to take advantage of them. Building on our current momentum, the sky’s the limit.
WHY MICHIGAN?
Our students learn by doing. The experiential opportunities for academic applications in and out of the classroom provide hands-on learning in ways that support the mission of the department and societal and industry needs.
Increasing curricular offerings focus on tools and processes of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), complex product development, and project leadership precisely as they will need to be deployed in industry. We are leading the way.
Enhanced curriculum content
Our curriculum needs to infuse fundamental aerospace concepts with the interdisciplinary technologies required to respond to the major needs of our field. Our curriculum must be flexible and rich of options to better align its content with the contemporary and anticipated future educational needs.
Enhanced Experiential Learning
U-M Aerospace has revolutionized experiential learning. Building on our air and space design, build, fly opportunities and new Model-Based Systems Engineering training, we are developing graduates with a solid and holistic engineering foundation and well-informed on the contemporary issues of our industry.
Aerospace Minor & Joint Degrees
Engineering the future takes a breadth of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. This will come from a variety of academic disciplines, and providing options for undergraduate students to explore different facets of the aerospace field will help them think beyond the traditional disciplines. This background will give students more opportunities to consider aerospace engineering now and in the future as they become engineering professionals and leaders.