Academics

The Center for Space Science and Engineering has as its key mission to provide education in space science and engineering at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students who choose to pursue studies in space science and engineering have a broad spectrum of course work opportunities at Virginia Tech.

The curriculum is interdisciplinary with coursework offerings in several departments including aerospace engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and physics. Students may take specialized technical electives at the advanced undergraduate level, as well as specialized coursework at the MS and PhD levels.

Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Concentration in Space Engineering for students graduating in calendar year 2020

Space Engineering is a core topic area in both Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. Analysis and understanding of the space environment, space payloads, and/or space mission design and operations is critical to the design, analysis, and functioning of those space vehicles and payloads. The Concentration in Space Engineering will allow students with a particular interest in those topics to focus their technical electives in that area and receive recognition on their transcripts. This concentration will be available to all Aerospace and Ocean Engineering majors. Students majoring in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering may pursue more than one departmental concentration.

Choose a minimum of 9 credit hours from the following 3 credit hour courses (minimum of 6 credit hours must be AOE courses):

              Course                   Title 

• AOE  2664 -- Space Environment
• AOE   3744 -- (ECE 3144)  Aerospace Electronics
• AOE  4174 -- Spacecraft Propulsion
• AOE  4814 -- Spacecraft Pos., Nav., and Timing, and Orbit Determ.
• AOE  4984-E1 -- (ECE 4154)  Introduction to Space Weather
• ECE  3104 -- Introduction to Space Systems and Technologies
• ECE  3154 -- Space Systems Lab
• ECE  4164 -- Global Navigation Satellite Systems
• ECE  4194 -- Engineering Principles of Remote Sensing
• PHYS  3655/3656 -- Introduction to Astrophysics

Undergraduate Courses

Specialized advanced undergraduate courses of particular interest in Electrical and Computer Engineering ECE and Aerospace and Ocean Engineering AOE are as follows:

• ECE 4124 Radio Wave Propagation
• ECE 4154 Introduction to Space Weather
• ECE 4164 Introduction to Global Positioning System GPS Theory and Design
• ECE 4194 Engineering Principles of Remote Sensing
• ECE 4605 Radio Engineering
• ECE 4644 Satellite Communications
• AOE 4134 Astromechanics
• AOE 4140 Spacecraft Dynamics and Control
• AOE 4174 Spacecraft Propulsion

Graduate Courses

Specialized graduate courses of particular interest to space science and engineering students in Electrical and Computer Engineering ECE and Aerospace and Ocean Engineering AOE are as follows:

• ECE 5105 Electromagnetic Waves I
• ECE 5160: Introduction to Space Plasmas
• ECE 5164 Space Science I: Solar Wind and Magnetosphere
• ECE 5165 Space Science II: Ionosphere and Aeronomy
• ECE 5635 Radar Systems Analysis and Design I
• ECE 6115 Advanced Antenna Theory and Design I
• AOE 5234 Orbital Mechanics
• AOE 6234 Spacecraft Dynamics and Control

How to Apply

Those interested in doing graduate or postdoctoral studies should contact individual Space@VT faculty members to discuss research opportunities. Prospective graduate students must apply to the appropriate academic department (e.g. the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering or the Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering) through the Virginia Tech Graduate School.