About the Department
The Penn State Department of Aerospace Engineering, established in 1961 and the only aerospace engineering department in Pennsylvania, is consistently recognized as one of the top aerospace engineering departments in the nation. The department is also an international leader in aerospace education and research.
Our undergraduate program was ranked 12th and our graduate programs were ranked 15th nationally by U.S. News & World Report, in 2020 and 2022, respectively. One in 25 holders of a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering in the U.S. earned it at Penn State.
Our students are consistently among the most highly recruited by industry, government, and graduate schools nationwide. In 2016, Penn State topped the list of preferred suppliers of engineering talent to the aerospace and defense industry according to the Aviation Week 2016 Workforce Study.
The department is built upon the fundamentals of academic integrity, innovation in research, and commitment to the advancement of industry. Through an innovative curriculum and world-class instruction that reflects current industry practice and embraces future trends, Penn State Aerospace Engineering students develop professional excellence, engineering thinking, and gain deep technical knowledge in the core disciplines and integrative systems of aerospace engineering.
Our students emerge as broadly educated, technically sound aerospace engineers who will become future leaders in a critical industry, and who will go on to develop the most innovative technologies and systems that provide solutions to societal challenges and that contribute to programs of national importance.
