Course Planning Guide

Welcome!

This page will assist you in planning your coursework to satisfy the BAEM degree requirements. If you have any questions regarding the information on these pages, please feel free to contact your advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

BAEM Requirements

Table of Contents

Course Planning

BAEM Semester by Semester Academic Plan*

*For students admitted to CSE in fall 2021 or later. Students admitted to CSE earlier than fall 2021 should follow the previous 4-year-plan.

Freshman Year

Sophomore Year

*Courses required for entrance into BAEM Major (Upper Division)

**This course can be taken in the spring of junior year without affecting any other courses.

***This course serves as a technical elective and is therefore optional.

• You must pass CHEM 1061/65, PHYS 1302W, MATH 2374 (or equivalents) and AEM 2011 to be admitted to the BAEM Major. These courses can be in progress when you do the online application to the Major.
• You should be sure to take AEM 2012 in the spring, as this is a prerequisite for junior level courses. If you are taking AEM 2011 in the spring, you can take AEM 2012 over the summer to get back on track. You should also take AEM 2301 in the spring if possible, but it can be put off until your junior year if need be.
• Remember that the separate Statics (AEM 2011) and Dynamics (AEM 2012) courses are required for the BAEM. If you took the combined course (AEM 2021) you will be required to also take either AEM 2011 or AEM 2012 (your choice). The combined course AEM 2021, does count in place of AEM 2011 for applications to the Major and meets the prerequisites for junior year courses that require AEM 2012.
• If you are ahead in your coursework and want to take some courses from the junior year of the BAEM 4-year plan, EE 3005/6 is a good choice. Deformable Body Mechanics, AEM 3031, is not a good choice because AEM 4501 Aerospace Structures is really a second course in deformable body mechanics and thus it's best to have these courses in consecutive semesters. In addition the spring semester is the busy term for AEM 3031 as all the ME students take it that semester.

Junior Year

*This can be taken either in the junior or senior year.

• Be sure to get the EE courses done in the Fall semester.
• Students wishing to graduate with Latin Honors are required to do an Honors thesis. You should have worked out a plan to do your thesis with a faculty adviser by the end of your junior year in order to leave enough time to complete your thesis.

Senior Year

• AEM Technical Electives
• To check that you have fulfilled all the requirements for the degree get an Online APAS Report. Once you are registered for spring you should check that your APAS shows all Green (OK and IP), which indicates that you are on track to graduate in May.

Graduating seniors only need to fill out an electronic Application for their Undergraduate Degree with the Registrar's office. This form is due early in the semester in which you plan to graduate, so make sure you get it in on time, and see the degree application deadlines. There is no separate form that needs to be filed with the Department.

Total Credits: 122

Courses ending in W are writing intensive.

**AEM 2301 and AEM 4301 can both be moved one year later to the spring of Junior and Senior years, respectively, without affecting any other courses. This is typically what transfer students will need to do.

BAEM Prerequisite Chain

The proper sequence for the required courses for the BAEM degree can be obtained from the following prerequisite chains. It is most important that the courses shown below be taken on schedule because other courses in the program depend on them. Students are not allowed to take courses without first taking the required prerequisites.

Back to the Top

Transfer Student Course Planning

The following assumes that you have already taken all required prerequisite courses from the freshman and sophomore years. This includes AEM 2012 Dynamics, MATH 2373 Linear Algebra and Differential Equations, WRIT 1301 University Writing, and CSCI 1113 Programming in C/C++. If not, consult with your adviser or the Director of Undergraduate Studies. You can also look at the Sophomore Year Course Plan on this website.

Junior Year

• Depending on how many liberal education electives you have left to take, you may opt to take AEM 4301 in the fall of your senior year.
• Be sure to get the EE courses done in the Fall semester as they are prerequisites for AEM 4601.

Senior Year

The italicized fields indicate a change from the regular course plan.

• Students wishing to graduate with Latin Honors are required to do an Honors thesis. You should have worked out a plan to do your thesis with a faculty adviser by the end of your junior year in order to leave enough time to complete your thesis.
• AEM Technical Electives
• To check that you have fulfilled all the requirements for the degree get an Online APAS Report. Once you are registered for spring you should check that your APAS shows all Green (OK and IP), which indicates that you are on track to graduate in May.

Graduating seniors only need to fill out an electronic Application for their Undergraduate Degree with the Registrar's office. This form is due early in the semester in which you plan to graduate, so make sure you get it in on time, and see the degree application deadlines. There is no separate form that needs to be filed with the Department. Note: If you have AP or transfer credit for freshman writing (WRIT 1301) you will need to request a permission number via the SRS for AEM 4602W and AEM 4303W.

Back to the Top

Technical Electives

Three courses (9 credits) of upper division technical electives are required. Generally, the elective requirement is met by selecting non-required 3xxx, 4xxx, and 5xxx courses offered by Engineering departments; some courses from Mathematics or Science departments are also acceptable. There are exceptions and additions to this rule which are the subject of this section. 

• Technical Electives must be taken A-F.
• No course which is equivalent to a course required in the BAEM program may be used as an elective in the BAEM program; no 1xxx level Science or Mathematics course may be used; and no 1xxx level Engineering course may be used. 
  
• One technical elective may be a 2xxx or 3xxx level course (lower division technical elective) while the other two must be 4xxx or above (upper division technical electives) subject to the following exceptions:
  
  • The second semester of Chemistry: CHEM 1062 (lecture) and CHEM 1066 (lab) or equivalent counts as a lower division technical elective
  • CSE 4896 and CSE 4996 count as one 4-credit lowered division technical elective.
    
•  AEM 4796 Professional Experience will not count as a technical elective.
  
• Only one programming course may be used toward the BAEM program; thus an AEM student will not be given credit toward the degree for courses in more than one of , C/C++, Java, Python, etc. The recommended programming course is CS 1113, C/C++. 
  
• Only one "build" course may be used as a technical elective. These courses include AEM 4333, AEM 4391, AEM 5333, and any special topics offered (in 4x93 classes) that involve building a project. 
  
• The following 3xxx level Engineering courses contain material already covered in required courses and so are not acceptable as Technical Electives: CE 3502, ME 3332. These are essentially contained in the required AEM 4201.
  
• BAE 4744, CE 4101, IE 5513, IE 5413, and most other IE courses, are not suitable (but see IE course recommendations below).
  
•  No courses from the School of Management may be used as Technical Electives.
  
• History of Science courses and such courses cross listed in other departments do not count as technical electives (but are good choices for your Liberal Education Electives).
  
• Global Seminar courses do not count as technical electives.

AEM Technical Elective Courses

Full Course Descriptions

All the possible (but not necessarily offered) AEM technical electives are listed below by area. 

Our advice is to pick electives of interest to you. It is beneficial to be able to explain your rationale for picking tech electives to prospective employers, but trying to guess what electives they might care about is not a good approach. Employers want to see enthusiasm from students about the subjects they study.

Note that 5000 level AEM courses are generally more challenging and typically have a significant number of graduate students enrolled. Math 4000 level courses also fall into this category, however, the ME Department has all its senior technical electives listed at the 5000 level.

Fluids Technical Electives:

• AEM 4247 -- Hypersonic Aerodynamics (Honors students may take AEM 5247)
• AEM 4253 -- Computational Fluid Mechanics (Honors students may take AEM 5253)
• AEM 4290 -- Special Topics in Fluid Mechanics (when offered)
• AEM 4293 -- Directed Studies in Fluid Mechanics

Aerospace Systems Technical Electives:

• AEM 4305 -- Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics and Control
• AEM 4333 -- Aerospace Design: Special Projects
• AEM 4490 -- Special Topics in Aerospace Systems (when offered)
• AEM 4493 -- Directed Studies in Aerospace Systems
• AEM 5401 -- Intermediate Dynamics
• AEM 5431 -- Trajectory Optimization
• AEM 5451-- Optimal Estimation
• AEM 5651-- Aeroelasticity

Structures and Solids Technical Electives:

• AEM 4502 -- Computational Structural Analysis
• AEM 4511 -- Mechanics of Composite Materials
• AEM 4581 -- Mechanics of Solids (Honors students may take AEM 5581)
• AEM 4590 -- Special Topics in Solid Mechanics and Materials (when offered)
• AEM 4593 -- Directed Studies: Solid Mechanics
• AEM 5501 -- Continuum Mechanics
• AEM 5503 -- Theory of Elasticity

University Honors Program AEM:

• AEM 4894 -- Senior Honors Thesis

Note that 5xxx level courses count as both technical electives and honors experiences, which includes the courses 5247, 5253 and 5581 that have 4xxx level versions that undergraduates typically take. You will need a permission number to register for these courses.

Technical Electives from Other Departments

Courses from the CSCI, EE, MATH, MATS, ME and PHYS departments, to name a few, may be used as technical electives if they meet the Restrictions on Technical Electives. These courses can double count toward a Minor as well.

Computer Science Courses:

• CSCI 2021 - Machine Architecture and Organization (4.0 cr)
• CSCI 2011 - Discrete Structures of Computer Science (4.0 cr)
• CSCI 2033 - Elementary Computational Linear Algebra (4.0 cr)
• CSCI 4041 - Algorithms and Data Structures (4.0 cr)
• CSCI 4061 - Introduction to Operating Systems (4.0 cr)
• CSCI 4611 - Programming Interactive Computer Graphics and Games (3.0 cr)
• CSCI 5551 - Introduction to Intelligent Robotic Systems (3.0 cr)
• CSCI 5143 - Real-Time and Embedded Systems (3.0 cr)
• CSCI 5511 - Artificial Intelligence I (3.0 cr)
• CSCI 5512 - Artificial Intelligence II (3.o cr)
• CSCI 5521  - Introduction to Machine Learning (3.0 cr)

Note: CSCI 5302 is not suitable as a technical elective because it covers material that
is already discussed in AEM 3103.

Space Science Courses:

• AST 2001 -- Introduction to Astrophysics (prerequisite required PHYS II.) This course, together with PHYS 2303 or 2503, will give AEM students a Minor in Astrophysics.
• PHYS 3022 -- Introduction to Cosmology (prerequisite of PHYS 2601 -- Quantum Mechanics)
• PHYS 4611 -- Introduction to Space Physics (prerequisite PHYS 4002 -- Electricity and Magnetism)
  • Contact the instructor about the PHYS 4001 prerequisite and using AEM 2012 to meet it.

Environmental Science Courses:

• FNRM 3131 -- Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for Natural Resources
• CEGE 4219 -- Air Transportation Systems

*Note: You are limited to one technical elective below 4000 level

Math Courses: Useful especially if you plan to continue in school, you can never take enough math, so you may want to consider the following applied math courses as technical electives.

• MATH 4242 -- Applied Linear Algebra
• MATH 4428 -- Mathematical Modeling
• MATH 4512 -- Differential Equations with Application
• MATH 4567 -- Applied Fourier Analysis
• MATH 4603 -- Advanced Calculus I
• MATH 4604 -- Advanced Calculus II
• MATH 5467 -- Introduction to the Mathematics of Image and Data Analysis
• MATH 5485 -- Introduction to Numerical Methods I
• MATH 5486 -- Introduction to Numerical Methods II
• MATH 5525 -- Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations
• MATH 5535 -- Dynamical Systems and Chaos
• MATH 5583 -- Complex Analysis
• MATH 5587 -- Elementary Partial Differential Equations I
• MATH 5588 -- Elementary Partial Differential Equations II

There are more courses, see the MATH course catalog.

Summary BAEM Degree Requirements

Lower Division Requirements:

*courses required or entrance into BAEM Major (Upper Division)

Upper Division Requirements:

*Total Combined Credits: 122

Liberal Education Requirements

Diversified Core Physical & Biological Sciences – a minimum of two courses totaling at least 8 credits, including:

Suggested Courses in the History of Science: (Note that three of the courses below satisfy the Technology and Society (TS) liberal education theme.)

One of the educational outcomes of our program is to produce graduates who understand how engineering relates to the global and societal context in which it is practiced. We also want our graduates to behave in an ethical and professional manner. Liberal education electives should be selected, so far as possible, to support the achievement of these outcomes. History of Science courses are very useful for this purpose, in particular the following History of Science courses are highly recommended.

• HSCI 3331 - Technology and American Culture (HIS, TS)
• HSCI 3401 - Ethics in Science and Technology (HIS, CIV)
• HSCI 3421 - Engineering Ethics (HIS, CIV)
• HSCI 3714 - Technology and Civilization: Stone Tools to Steam Engines (HIS, TS)
• HSCI 3715 - Technology and Civilization: Waterwheels to the Web (HIS, TS)

*A list of full requirements is listed here.

Back to the Top

Dual Degrees and Minors

It is possible to get two degrees at the same time while attending the University of Minnesota. The following are the basic guidelines and specifics about a dual AEM/ME degree. It is suggested that you have a meeting with the AEM Director of Undergraduate Studies to make your plans for obtaining a dual degree.

Guidelines

• You must meet all the requirements for both degrees, however, common requirements need to only be taken once. For example: Math, Physics, and Chemistry courses that are taken count towards both degrees.

• Liberal education requirements only need to be met once.

• Required courses for one degree can be used as technical electives for the other degree provided that they meet the requirements for the technical electives for that degree.

Applying for a Second Major

The process for applying to your second major is the same as the first. Please see instructions on the AEM intranet.

Minors

This page lists some of the minors available on campus. Minors in Engineering, Math and Sciences can often be completed while using some of their courses as technical electives for the BAEM program.

BAEM Upper Division Honors Program

The BAEM Upper Division Honors Program falls under the University Honors Program (UHP). Please refer to their website for further information. In particular,

BAEM-specific information is available on the Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics page on the University Honors Program website.

The AEM Director of Undergraduate Studies is the BAEM UHP adviser. Feel free to reach out to them with any questions.

Degrees with Distinction

Degrees with distinction are conferred automatically.

*Calculated from last 60 semester hours of course work.

University Writing Requirements

All students must meet the Writing Intensive course requirements in addition to freshman composition. Students must take four (4) Writing Intensive (WI) courses. These are courses specifically designated WI, as seen on web page listed below. Additionally, one of the WI courses must be in your major and two must be at the 3000 level or higher. These last two requirements will be automatically satisfied for AEM majors because the senior laboratory course, AEM 4602W, and the flight dynamics course, AEM 4303W, are both WI courses.

Because the first two physics courses are also WI courses, students who entered as freshman usually do not have to worry about meeting the WI requirements.

Transfer Students have to meet the WI requirements. Check your APAS. If it does not show this requirement fulfilled, you will have to take a couple of WI courses in addition to the required AEM 4303W and 4602W courses. These courses can be from any subject area.

There is a class search tool at TwoStop to find all the WI classes offered in a given term. The Center for Writing has writing support for students to assist you with these courses.

Research Opportunities

Back to the Top

AEM Co-op and Intern Program

Co-Op Program

Qualified AEM students may participate in the CSE Engineering Co-op Program in order to gain valuable work experience while maintaining a full-time-student status and earning elective credits towards their degree.

Completion of the program requires engagement in co-op work over at least two terms, including a summer term.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be upper-division AEM majors in good academic standing as determined by the AEM Director of Undergraduate Studies.
• All required coursework through the spring semester of the junior year must be completed before a student can begin their co-op.
• Applicants are required to indicate that they plan to do a co-op when submitting a one-year plan and should not apply for a co-op until the plan has been approved by their faculty advisor.

Required Coursework

Students admitted to the Engineering Co-op Program are required to register for these courses:

• CSE 4896  Cooperative Industrial Assignment I (2 credits) (Spring & Summer)
• CSE 4996  Cooperative Industrial Assignment II (2 credits) (Fall & Summer)

Technical Elective Credits

The 4 credits from the CSE 4896 and CSE 4996 may be applied towards the 9 required technical elective credits for the BAEM degree and count as lower division technical elective credits. That means other lower division technical elective credits will not be accepted in conjunction with technical elective credits for a co-op.

AEM Co-op Schedule

Standard option: 
Students following the standard AEM 4-year plan can complete a co-op in one of two ways.

Option 1: Summer after junior year followed by fall of senior year.

Option 2: Fall of senior year followed by summer after senior year.

In both cases, students will need to take classes in the fall of their fifth year.

Non-standard options:
Students who are ahead of schedule with their classes may be able to create their own timelines for doing co-ops. In such cases students will need to contact the AEM Director of Undergraduate Studies for approval of their plan.

CSE Co-Op Page Apply to the Co-Op Program More about CSE's Co-Op