Several colleges offer introductory courses in the freshman year for undergraduate aerospace engineering curriculum. These courses are designed to motivate students to pursue engineering and give them a brief introduction to the discipline. Many students may not have a strong background in calculus or mechanics. Therefore, these courses provide a basic knowledge to help students continue in aerospace engineering with a solid knowledge base. Introductory courses are typically centered on vehicle engineering, introduction to aerospace and design, introduction to applied physics and electrical engineering and introduction to mechanical engineering.
Laboratory courses require students to examine their engineering skills and knowledge through experimental approach. These courses enable students to develop proficiency in modern laboratory instrumentation and implement it further in projects or elective courses. Laboratory and experimental courses are offered at both bachelor's and master's levels. They usually have demonstrations and experiments in aerodynamics, aero elasticity, propulsion, structure of flight vehicles, basic electronic techniques, digital electronics, gas dynamics, measurement methods, optical system, signal processing and flight equipment. Many colleges also offer computer-based laboratory courses where students gain knowledge in computation, system design and fabrication.
Many colleges conduct aerospace seminar courses at bachelor's and master's levels to involve students in developmental activities and enhance professional skills. Students are encouraged to participate in aerospace activities and communicate ideas with each other. Different programs are arranged for students to present aircraft designs or models, and group discussions are held to talk about aerospace technology. Faculty members present the research and recent developments in space, flight and surface transportation. The schedule for seminars is usually once a week. Guest speakers are also invited to discuss current problems, situations and advances in aerospace engineering.
Aerospace engineering schools offer independent study for students to conduct aerospace research supervised by a faculty member. It is usually offered in both bachelor's and master's programs. A student proposes a study topic to the advisor for approval and starts working on it. Each student has to produce a research paper by the due date and later gives a presentation on it to a panel of judges. The area of study can be related to designs, aerospace structure, propulsion, flight dynamics, wind engineering, gas dynamics, aero elasticity, spacecraft systems, computational aerodynamics and hypersonics.