Top Astronautical Engineering Schools

Stanford University

• "U.S. News & World Report" ranked the top engineering programs for aeronautics and astronautics in 2010. Rankings were based primarily on the perceptions of prominent faculty members nationwide who completed surveys indicating their assessment of each program that they were familiar with. Faculty surveys were then quantified to produce an average score.

  Stanford University ranked third among all astronautical engineering schools in the nation with a score of 4.7 out of a possible 5.0. Stanford approaches the subject of astronautical engineering research with an interdisciplinary emphasis. Areas of specific emphasis within the program include computational-based design, navigation and control, sustainable aviation, space systems and structural health monitoring. Ongoing research at Stanford is focused on areas such as GPS systems, multidisciplinary aerospace simulation, structures and composites, guidance and control systems, aerospace robotics, aerospace computing and hybrid systems.

  Stanford University
  Durrand Building
  496 Lomita Mall
  Stanford, CA 94305
  650-723-2757
  aa.stanford.edu

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• One of the most recognized names in the engineering field is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT tied for first on the "U.S. News & World Report" rankings with a score of 4.8 out of 5.0. Like the Stanford program, the MIT program houses both the astronautics and aeronautics programs within the same department. MIT offers an undergraduate astronautical engineering major along with several different graduate degree options. Master's degree programs are offered with several interrelated areas of interest such as engineering and management, policy and technology and management of technology. The master of science degree and the Ph.D., or doctorate degree, are standard for those engaged in advanced research within specific areas of astronautical engineering. Research fields offered are space systems, aerospace computational engineering, space propulsion, air-breathing propulsion, materials and structures, aircraft systems engineering, humans in aerospace, air transportation systems, controls, autonomy and communications and networks.

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  School of Engineering
  77 Massachusetts Ave., 33-207
  Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
  617-253-1000
  web.mit.edu/aeroastro/

California Institute of Technology

• Tied with MIT for the top spot with a score of 4.8, the California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) offers one of the most innovative astronautical engineering programs available. The program at Cal Tech is interdisciplinary in its focus and emphasizes areas of research such as spacecraft navigation, jet propulsion systems and trajectories, space optical systems engineering, biological flows (propulsion), fluid mechanics, materials, elastic stability of structures and solids, and space missions and systems engineering. Cal Tech offers both a master of science and Ph.D. in the field of astronautics. The aeronautics and astronautics department also benefits from a collaborative relationship with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), located near the university.

  California Institute of Technology
  Division of Engineering & Applied Science
  1200 E. California Blvd., MC 105-50
  Pasadena, CA 91125-4400
  626-395-4750
  galcit.caltech.edu