Admission Requirements

Applicants for the M.S. degree program will be admitted to the graduate program under one of the following categories if they meet the associated requirements.

  • Admission to Full Standing - A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale during the last two years or sixty credit hours of prior studies, or

  • Admission on Probation - A minimum grade point average of 2.75 to 3.0 during the last two years or sixty credit hours of prior studies

Applicants whose native language is not English must submit official, acceptable scores for either the TOEFL, the Academic Module of the IELTS examination, or the PTE - Academic. To be acceptable, the score must be sent to WSU directly from the testing agency, and must be less than two years old. Photocopies of score reports are unacceptable. The minimum acceptable scores for most programs are: TOEFL — 79 on the Internet-based test, or 550 on the paper-based test. IELTS — minimum overall band score of 6.5 is required. PTE - Academic — 58. Graduate coordinators may impose additional admission requirements for applicants whose previous degrees are not in aerospace engineering.

Degree Options

There are three M.S. degree program options available, with the following requirements:

  • Thesis Option - A minimum of 24 credit hours of graduate course work plus 6 credit hours of thesis
  • Directed Project - A minimum of 30 graduate credit hours of course work plus 3 credit hours of directed project
  • Non-Thesis Option - A minimum of 33 credit hours of graduate course work plus an exit exam over the core courses in the major (i.e., AE 711, 716, 812 for Aerodynamics; AE 722, 731, 777 for Structures; AE 707, 714, 773 for Controls). Non-thesis MS students starting the program in 2020 (and after) will also have to complete an Applied Learning Activity (ALA). See the attached document for further information (click here).

Degree Plan of Study

The Plan of Study is a tailored schedule of academic work. Graduate committee membership and the degree option (e.g., Thesis, Project, or Non-Thesis) are also defined. The final plan must be approved by the advisor and graduate school.

Each student must file a Plan of Study before the completion of 12 hours of course work, and it must include the following:

  • At least 12 credit hours in the Major, and
  • At least 3 credit hours in Math, beyond differential equations, or statistics

The Plan of Study form can be obtained from the M.S. Program Coordinator.

 

Non-Thesis Option Exit Examination

Major courses covered on the Exit Exam, for students pursuing the Non-Thesis Option, include:

Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics - AE 711, AE 716, and AE 812
Structures and Solid Mechanics - AE 722, AE 731, and AE 777
Flight Dynamics and Control - AE 707, AE 714, and AE 773

The exit exam is offered three times a year. Contact the M.S. Program Coordinator to confirm scheduled dates and to register to take the exam (at least 30-days prior to scheduled exam date).

Non-thesis MS students starting the program in 2020 (and after) will also have to complete an Applied Learning Activity (ALA). See the attached document for further information (click here).

 

Application

Interested individuals are invited to contact the Graduate School for application materials at the following address:

Wichita State University
Graduate School
Wichita, KS 67260-0004
Phone: (316) 978-3095

All applications need to be made directly to the Graduate School. Additional information about graduate studies in Aerospace Engineering can be obtained from:

Dr. Suresh Raju
Graduate Coordinator, M.S. Program
Wichita State University
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Wallace Hall, Room 200
1845 North Fairmount
Wichita, Kansas 67260-0044