<p><strong>question at bottom</strong>
So I am a mechanical engineering student and will graduate in two more semesters. I want to go to graduate school for a masters in aerospace. I was looking at University of Texas at Austin and their website says I need minimum background courses. Copy and pasting what it says:
The minimum background for new graduate students without ASE undergraduate degrees is the following:</p>
<p>Aerothermodynamics ASE 320, Introduction to Fluid Mechanics
ASE 340, Boundary Layer Theory and Heat Transfer
ASE 376K, Propulsion </p>
<p>Guidance & Control ASE 330M, Linear System Analysis
ASE 367K, Flight Dynamics
ASE 370L, Flight Control Systems </p>
<p>Orbital Mechanics ASE 330M, Linear System Analysis
ASE 366K, Spacecraft Dynamics
ASE 372K, Advanced Spacecraft Dynamics </p>
<p>Structures ASE 319, Strength of Materials
ASE 321K, Structural Analysis
ASE 365, Structural Dynamics </p>
<p>Consult with your Advisor to see what you must take to remove any deficiencies.</p>
<p>I have to take two technical electives next semester. I plan on taking two from the list.
But my question is…Would I apply to UT as a undergrad and take these courses? Or can I apply for UT’s graduate school and take these courses along in the aerospace masters program. Right now I am upset by all this b/c I thought undergrad mechanical engineering was supposed to be very close with undergrad aerospace engineering, and the transition into masters would be easy.</p>
<p>Well, I guess this is where they tell you that if you knew you wanted to do aerospace, you should have looked into this a little sooner. It sounds like those are their admissions requirements, but what you might do is apply to take those classes in a non-degree track, just to fulfill requirements, then do the masters. Your other option would be to transfer your whole undergraduate degree to UT now and finish there in more than two semesters.</p>
<p>It’s hard to get into a program for a second bachelor’s, so I don’t think you’d apply as an undergrad, but you should probably call them.</p>
<p>I read that, too, and my interpretation was that they would accept people without equivalents to all of those courses in hand, but would require that they be completed as part of the MSE program, likely in addition to the MSE course requirements. I also got the sense that whether you had to complete ALL of them would be up in the air, so to speak. I note that a UT Aerodynamics BSE could graduate with half or fewer of those courses. It can’t really be that they expect everyone to show up having taken two semesters of Spacecraft Dynamics, unless they have a pretty solid interest in spacecraft design.</p>
<p>You have to call and talk to a real person.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I am going to try and talk with the graduate advisors soon.</p>
<p>Mainly I asked this question for advice on anyone who changed their major for their masters degree. And if they were allowed to take background courses while enrolled in graduate school</p>
<p>I read on here that it was better to get a bachelor in mechanical because it is more broad, so that is why I choose to pursue aerospace in graduate school. The first two years for both programs are basically the same. It looks I like could get a bachelor degree in aerospace in one year after I taken those background classes.</p>
<p>Hopefully they will accept some of my mechanical classes for some of those background classes. I have to do two technical electives to graduate for my mechanical eng. program, so I will just take some of those listed background classes and maybe take an extra elective so can complete the rest of those background courses in one semester.</p>