The University of Texas at Austin offers aerospace engineering degrees at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral level. Undergraduate students have the option of studying atmospheric flight or space flight at a deeper level of learning. Graduate schooling is offered for students with an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering, science or mathematics. Students with science and mathematics degrees are required to take additional prerequisites before beginning graduate school. The main areas of study in the graduate school include aerothermodynamics and fluid mechanics, solids, structures and materials, structural dynamics, guidance and control, and orbital mechanics. The University of Texas at Austin prepares students to work in the public and private sectors as aerospace engineers.
Wichita State University has had its aviation department since 1928 and is located near many major airline hubs in the Midwest. Wichita State offers opportunities for undergraduate and graduate education, substantial research and close faculty involvement with students. Students are work with companies while they are still in school to experience on-the-job training that is extremely valuable to them in the workplace. Wichita State specializes in the areas of composites, applied aerodynamics, engineering mechanics, computational fluid dynamics, structures and flight simulation. Student activities at the undergraduate and graduate level include designing and building small aircraft, participating in conferences and competing in engineering competitions around the country.
Purdue University also offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering in its School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The program wants students to come away with an education in the basic principles of aerospace engineering as well as having the ability to solve real-world engineering problems. Purdue challenges its students with research opportunities and professional membership in associations. As of October 2010, current projects include designing unmanned aerial vehicles, collecting and analyzing remote flight information, and looking at zero gravity. Purdue prides itself on the large number of graduates who end up with positions in aerospace engineering and remain in the field for many years.