Aerospace Honors Program
The Aerospace Engineering Honors Program at the University of Maryland provides a rigorous and comprehensive education for a career in technical leadership and scientific or engineering research. This program is intensive and is intended only for the top undergraduates in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
Honors course work encompasses the required curriculum for all University of Maryland Aerospace Engineering students, but at an advanced level. Students also have the opportunity to engage in a number of independent research projects.
Why is Maryland's Aerospace Engineering Honors Program special?
- Only students with the highest academic credentials are invited to participate.
- Classes are limited to a small number of students, which facilitates discussion and close interaction with faculty.
- Research opportunities are an integral part of the program, providing students with hands on experience during their under graduate education.
In your sophmore, junior, and senior years, you will take honors versions of core aerospace engineering courses, which go into greater depth and are more challenging than the standard program. In your senior year, you will enroll in elective courses and complete an honors project under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Successful completion of the Aerospace Engineering Honors Program will be noted on your diploma. The curriculum is designed to prepare our students for the world of engineering and emphasizes design and hands-on engineering.
Courses Offered
Honors sections of these aerospace engineering courses are offered:
ENAE 283H- Introduction to Aerospace Systems
Introduction to airplanes and space vehicles as aerospace systems. Fundamentals that describe these systems. Elements of aerodynamics, airfoils, and wings. Airplane performance, stability, and control. Aircraft and rocket propulsion. Fundamentals of orbital motion. Aspects of vehicle conceptual design.
ENAE 311H - Aerodynamics I
Fundamentals of aerodynamics. Elements of compressible flow. Normal and oblique shock waves. Flows through nozzles, diffusers and wind tunnels. Elements of the method of characteristics and finite difference solutions for compressible flows. Aspects of hypersonic flow.
ENAE 423H - Vibration and Aeroelasticity
Dynamic response of single and multiple degrees of freedom systems, finite element modeling, wing divergence, aileron reversal, wing and panel flutter.
ENAE 398H - Honors Research Project
Undergraduate honors research project conducted under the direction of an AE faculty member in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the College of Engineering Honors Program.
Student Projects
Research projects take you to places that you have never been before.
- Take a dive to view robots assembling space structures in near zero gravity.
- Test new fluids for dampers in the dynamometer testing facility.
- Put a composite structure in the autoclave and then test its strength.
- Spin some rotor blades in the hover stand to determine stability.
Invitation
At the end of their first academic year, each aerospace student is evaluated by the Aerospace Undergraduate Faculty Committee. Students will be invited to join the program based on their University of Maryland cumulative grade point average and progress toward their degree in Aerospace Engineering.
How can I receive more information?
If you have additional questions about the program, please contact:
Dr. Allison Flatau
Director, Undergraduate Studies
aflatau@umd.edu
Aerospace Engineering Honors Program
Department of Aerospace Engineering
3181 Martin Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-3285
1-800-DEP-AERO
Fax: (301) 314-9001
