Aerospace Engineering

WPI’s Aerospace Engineering department embraces the science and technologies that create, develop, and improve aircraft and spacecraft. Using state-of-the-art equipment and facilities including wind tunnels, vacuum chambers, and controls instrumentation, students develop a sound understanding of the technical concepts relevant to aerospace engineering and design.

Our curriculum focuses on the broad engineering principles needed to develop the specialized skills required for aeronautical and astronautical careers. Faculty mentorship is ever present as students navigate an academic path toward achieving their personal and career goals.

Students routinely meet our high standards of excellence as they prepare to take on leadership roles in the world-leading U.S. aerospace industry. Graduates go on to rewarding careers as aerospace (or related) engineering professionals in industry or government, or pursue advanced degrees. Their technological, communication, and teamwork capabilities enable them to quickly move into leadership roles in business and society.

CONTACT
Phone: 508-831-5221
Fax: 508-831-5680
Preview 2024 QE MQP Provost Award winners

Aerospace Engineering Department Announces the Winner of the 2024 MQP Provost Award

We are proud to announce that the 2024 MQP Provost Award has been awarded to the team behind the project "Design, Analysis, and Testing of an Ionic Wind Propulsion System for an Electric Aircraft." The award-winning team members are Colleen Henderson, Cole Lederman, Cailin Borovicka, and Ariel Velasquez. Their project was supervised by Prof. Taillefer.

Congratulations to the team for their outstanding achievement!

New Faculty | Aerospace Engineering Department

Ameya Jagtap
Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering

Prior to joining WPI, I served as an Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics (Research) at Brown University for three and a half years. My academic journey includes earning both my PhD and Master's degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the esteemed Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in India. Following this, I engaged in postdoctoral research at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research—Center for Applicable Mathematics (TIFR-CAM) in India. Subsequently, I transitioned to Brown University to continue my postdoctoral research within the Division of Applied Mathematics. My research is ...

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Student Spotlight

Ron Isidor '27
Ron Isidor '27
BS in Mechanical Engineering, minor in Aerospace Engineering

Ron gets involved with student community groups and appreciates the supportive faculty as he pursues his studies. [...]

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Facts and Figures


#15

career outcomes

Poets&Quants (2022)
13:1

students-to-faculty ratio 

40+

current faculty members have won the NSF Career Award during their careers

National Science Foundation (2023)
Also Available

Experiential PhD: Working Full-Time While Pursuing Your PhD Degree

WPI supports individuals working full-time in industry to pursue PhD degrees either part-time or full-time on topics related to their employment. Want to learn more about this opportunity and how to obtain this industry-based PhD degree, visit the WPI Experiential PhD program page.

BS/MS Option

Aerospace engineering students may opt to earn an advanced degree in accelerated time with WPI's BS/MS degree option. Interested students should speak with the Aerospace Engineering program for guidance on requirements. Students must complete the online graduate application in their junior year (choose the BS/MS program and then Aerospace Engineering on the application) so they can be admitted and double count credits for the BS and MS in senior year.

 

After Graduation

Aerospace program graduates find a robust job market for the comprehensive hands-on technical, science, social science, and engineering skills they have. Grads often find careers in industries where aerospace is essential – like NASA and the U.S. Government. 

Alumni Impact

Student and Faculty Impact

drawing of flames

The Burning Questions

A WPI research team is toppling convention and opening new doors in the field of combustion and explosion science.