BS in Aerospace Engineering

What is an Aerospace Engineering Degree?

Aerospace engineering is primarily concerned with the design and analysis of aircraft and spacecraft. Subfields include aerodynamics, structures, controls, and propulsion systems. Students who choose to earn an aerospace engineering degree at Florida Tech are part of a prestigious program that consistently receives accolades, at a university that is ranked in the nation’s top tier.

Whether you want to design aircraft, develop new methods of propulsion, or be part of a team for space exploration, an aerospace engineering degree from Florida Tech is the one you want. Here you'll develop a strong background in engineering and get hands-on experience in fields like aerodynamics and fluid mechanics.

Earn an Advanced Degree

After receiving their aerospace engineering degree, many of our students go on to receive graduate degrees at Florida Tech, or at other prestigious universities including Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Virginia Tech, and MIT.

Why Pursue an Aerospace Engineering Degree at Florida Tech?

The aerospace engineering program at Florida Tech is a challenging course of study that offers students a chance to tackle compelling and relevant engineering problems using cutting-edge engineering tools and laboratory equipment.

Accreditation

The undergraduate aerospace engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Small Class Sizes and Low Student-to-Faculty Ratio

The academic environment in the College of Engineering is particularly conducive to personalized one-on-one attention from professors. With its small class sizes (usually fewer than 25 students per class), Florida Tech boasts a low student-to-faculty ratio while providing a high-quality curriculum. Working alongside professors in internships and research also gives students a more robust learning experience.

Work with Internationally Recognized Faculty

Our professors share a special dedication to teaching and working with students; they have many years of relevant background in aerospace systems and are leaders in innovative aerospace research. Two of our professors are Boeing Welliver Faculty Fellows, and three are American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Associate Fellows. In addition, one of our professors recently received the coveted AIAA Faculty Advisor of the Year award.

Great Florida Location in the Heart of the World’s Gateway to Space Exploration

Florida Tech is truly the ideal aerospace engineering university because of its position on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us). In addition to the many academic benefits our students gain at Florida Tech, the university also has connections to world-leading aerospace companies such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, and Harris Corporation. These relationships enable our students to form valuable connections that lead to future career opportunities.

The area has the fifth-largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides a variety of internship and employment opportunities.

Florida Tech is just minutes from 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.

Build Lasting Professional Relationships through Campus Organizations

Beyond the classroom, aerospace engineering majors build leadership and professional experience through exciting internships (see below) and participation in campus academic organizations like Sigma Gamma Tau (the aerospace engineering honor society), the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Student Rocket Society, student government, and over 100 other campus-wide student organizations.

In addition, Florida Tech’s student branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics promotes the collection of aerospace research, talks, tools, and activities, and plans a variety of events to share its interests.

It All Started With 37 Cents

Florida Tech was founded in 1958 as "Brevard Engineering College." It all started as an idea in the mind of Jerome P. Keuper, a visionary physicist working at Cape Canaveral.

As university lore would have it, Keuper expressed his desire to create a scientific and technological university to a friend over drinks at a local pub. Overhearing the conversation, a fellow patron pushed 37 cents in change across the bar and said, “There’s your first donation, Jerry. Now, go and build that college.”

So, Keuper did. And what started with 37 cents as a night school for the early “missilemen” of the U.S. space program is now a comprehensive national research university recognized worldwide for excellence in preparing students for careers of the future.

Core Values

• Research for the Benefit of All Humankind
• Education for a Lifetime of Success
• Global Citizenship for a Better World

Mission Statement

Florida Institute of Technology’s mission is to provide high-quality education to a culturally diverse student body in order to prepare students for entering the global workforce, seeking higher-education opportunities, and serving within their communities. The university also seeks to expand knowledge through basic and applied research and to serve the diverse economic, cultural, and societal needs of our local, state, national and international constituencies.

In support of this mission, we are committed to:

• Promoting student development by fostering and sustaining a productive institutional culture of assessment that leads to the continuous improvement of academic and administrative programs
• Developing an organizational culture that values and encourages intellectual curiosity, a sense of belonging and shared purpose among faculty, students, and staff, and the pursuit of excellence in all endeavors
• Recruiting and developing excellent faculty to become leaders in their respective fields and internationally recognized scholars
• Achieving recognition as an effective, innovative, technology-focused educational and research institution
• Recruiting and retaining an excellent, highly select, and culturally diverse student body
• Continually improving the quality of campus life for all members of the university community
• Providing personal and career growth opportunities for both traditional and nontraditional students and members of the faculty and staff
• Securing and maintaining professional accreditation for all appropriate programs

We Are Florida Tech

What we are is a private, coeducational, residential, research-intensive, doctoral-granting university located in Melbourne on Florida’s sunny “Space Coast.” But who we are is so much more. We are a community of researchers, scholars, and learners hailing from all around the world. We are engineers, aviators, innovators, leaders, educators, athletes, and astronauts. We have the brains of rocket scientists and the hearts of Panthers. We are Florida Tech.

We Are Relentless

Florida Tech is a university of leaders and learners—a diverse community of students, staff, faculty, and alumni who are united in the relentless pursuit of greatness.

We Are International

Students from more than 90 countries worldwide choose to live and learn at Florida Tech, making us a truly global university. When we say #YouAreWelcomeHere, we mean it.

We Create The Future

One of the primary tenets of Florida Tech’s mission is advancing science and technology for the benefit of Earth and all of its inhabitants. So, that’s what we do.

We Have Panther Pride

You may feel it the first time you visit the campus, the day you graduate, or at some point in between. But when you do, you’ll see that Panther Pride is more than school spirit. It’s a family.

We Make Connections

Florida Tech is proud to be part of the Brevard County community and welcomes its neighbors to explore the many personal, professional, corporate, and cultural opportunities we have to offer.

We Are STEM

There's a reason Florida Tech is known as Florida's STEM University™. To put it simply: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are in our DNA. This makes STEM a driving force behind who we are, what we do, and why we exist.