Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering Concentration, B.S.M.E.

The concentration in Aerospace Engineering is available as a way to specialize your B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. In the aerospace engineering concentration, you’ll learn about the development of aircraft (aeronautics), spacecraft (astronautics) and related technologies. Aerospace engineering areas of study include flight aerodynamics, flight and orbital mechanics, stability and control, aerospace propulsion, aerospace structures and materials, and vehicle design. If you’re interested in this concentration, you should apply in your first or second year.

Faculty teaching in the concentration bring deep industry and research experience to the classroom from fields including aerodynamics, aerospace materials, aircraft structures, combustion, computational fluid dynamics, flight mechanics, hypersonics, trajectory planning and unmanned systems. In fact, engineering faculty lead UNC Charlotte’s Aviation Innovation and Research Institute, together with Charlotte Douglas International Airport – the only partnership of its kind between a major city and its major airport.

North Carolina is the birthplace of aviation and home to over 700 aerospace-related companies, including Lockheed Martin, RTX, GE Aviation, Flytrex, Spirit Aerosystems, Boom Supersonic, HondaJet and Curtiss-Wright. Aerospace engineering positions are on the rise across the state and the nation, at a pace faster than the average for all occupations.

As a graduate of this program, you’ll be prepared to be an aerospace engineer, flight test engineer, structural analysis engineer, spacecraft design engineer, orbital mechanics analyst and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) engineer, among others.