Department: Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contacts
Office: Durand Building, 496 Lomita Mall
Mail Code: 94305-4035
Phone: (650) 723-3317
Web Site: http://aa.stanford.edu
Courses offered by the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics are listed under the subject code AA on the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses web site.
The Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics prepares students for professional positions in industry, government, and academia by offering a comprehensive program of undergraduate and graduate teaching and research. In this broad program, students have the opportunity to learn and integrate multiple engineering disciplines. The program emphasizes structural, aerodynamic, guidance and control, and propulsion problems of aircraft and spacecraft. Courses in the teaching program lead to the degrees of Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Engineer, and Doctor of Philosophy. Undergraduates and doctoral students in other departments may also elect a minor in Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Requirements for all degrees include courses on basic topics in Aeronautics and Astronautics, as well as in mathematics, and related fields in engineering and the sciences.
The current research and teaching activities cover a number of advanced fields, with emphasis on:
Aeroelasticity and Flow Simulation
Aircraft Design, Performance, and Control
Applied Aerodynamics
Astrodynamics
Autonomy
Computational Aero-Acoustics
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Computational Mechanics and Dynamical Systems
Control of Robots, including Space and Deep-Underwater Robots
Conventional and Composite Materials and Structures
Decision Making under Uncertainty
Direct and Large-Eddy Simulation of Turbulence
High-Lift Aerodynamics
Hybrid Propulsion
Hypersonic and Supersonic Flow
Micro and Nano Systems and Materials
Mission Planning and Spacecraft Operations
Multidisciplinary Design Optimization
Navigation Systems (especially GPS)
Optimal Control, Estimation, System Identification
Sensors for Harsh Environments
Space Debris Characterization
Space Environment Effects on Spacecraft
Space Plasmas
Space Policy and Economics
Spacecraft Design and Satellite Engineering
Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Control
Turbulent Flow and Combustion
Graduate Programs in Aeronautics and Astronautics
Admission
To be eligible to apply for admission to the department, a student must have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, physical science, mathematics, or an acceptable equivalent. Beginning with the application term 2021-2022, an MS degree will no longer be required to apply to the PhD program in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Students with a Bachelor’s degree who ultimately intend to complete a PhD degree are strongly encouraged to apply directly to the PhD program, rather than the MS program. A completed application (including letters of recommendation, transcripts and GRE/TOEFL scores) must be received by the application deadline.
Information about admission to the Honors Cooperative Program is included in the "School of Engineering” section of this bulletin. The department considers HCP applications for the Autumn, Winter and Spring Quarters; prospective applicants may contact the department’s student services office with questions.
The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test is required for application to the department. Further information and application forms for all graduate degree programs may be obtained from Graduate Admissions, the Registrar’s Office, http://gradamissions.stanford.edu.
Transfer Credits
The number of transfer credits allowed for each degree (Engineer and Ph.D.) is delineated in the “Residency Requirements” section of this bulletin; transfer credit is not accepted for the master's degree. Transfer credit is allowed only for courses taken as a graduate student, after receiving a bachelor’s degree, in which equivalence to Stanford courses is established and for which a grade of ‘B’ or better has been awarded. Transfer credits, if approved, reduce the total number of Stanford units required for a degree.
Fellowships and Assistantships
Fellowships and course or research assistantships are available to qualified graduate students. Fellowships sponsored by Gift Funds, Stanford University, and Industrial Affiliates of Stanford University in Aeronautics and Astronautics provide grants to several first-year students for up to five quarters to cover tuition and living expenses. Stanford Graduate Fellowships, sponsored by the University, provide grants for up to three full years of study and research; each year, the department is invited to nominate several outstanding doctoral or predoctoral students for these prestigious awards. Students who have excelled in their course work at Stanford are eligible for course assistantships in the department; those who have demonstrated research capability are eligible for research assistantships from individual faculty members. Students may also hold assistantships in other departments if the work is related to their academic progress; the criteria for selecting course or research assistants are determined by each hiring department. A standard, 20 hours/week course or research assistantship provides a semi-monthly salary and an 8-10 unit tuition grant per quarter. Research assistants may be given the opportunity of additional summer employment. They may use their work as the basis for a dissertation or Engineer’s thesis.
Aeronautics and Astronautics Facilities
The work of the department is centered in the William F. Durand Building for Space Engineering and Science. This 120,000 square foot building houses advanced research and teaching facilities and concentrates in one complex the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The Durand Building also houses faculty and staff offices and conference rooms.
Through the department’s close relations with nearby NASA-Ames Research Center, students and faculty have access to one of the best and most extensive collections of experimental aeronautical research facilities in the world, as well as the latest generation of supercomputers.
General Information
Further information about the facilities and programs of the department is available at http://aa.stanford.edu, or from the department’s student services office.
The department has a student branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which sponsors programs and speakers covering aerospace topics and social events. It also conducts visits to nearby research, government, and industrial facilities, and sponsors a Young Astronauts Program in the local schools.
Faculty
Emeriti: (Professors) Arthur E. Bryson, Richard Christensen, Daniel B. DeBra, Antony Jameson, Robert W. MacCormack, Bradford W. Parkinson, J. David Powell, George S. Springer, Charles Steele, Stephen W. Tsai*
Chair: Charbel Farhat
Director of Graduate Studies: Stephen Rock
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Marco Pavone
Professors: Juan Alonso, Brian J. Cantwell, Fu-Kuo Chang, Charbel Farhat, Ilan Kroo, Sanjiva Lele, Stephen Rock
Professor (Research): Todd Walter
Associate Professor: Sigrid Close, Mykel Kochenderfer, Marco Pavone, Debbie Senesky
Assistant Professors: Simone D'Amico, Grace Gao, Ken Hara, Mac Schwager
Adjunct Professors: Andrew Barrows, G. Scott Hubbard
Lecturers: Abid Kemal, Sherman Lo
* Recalled to active duty