COURSE REQUIREMENTS
The Master's degree program requires 45 quarter
units of course work, which must be taken at Stanford. It can
be completed in one academic year, although some students opt
to take longer. The course work is divided into four categories:
Basic Courses, Mathematics Courses, Technical Electives, and
Other Electives.
Basic courses:
M.S. candidates must select eight courses as
follows:
(I) Five courses in the basic areas of Aeronautics
and Astronautics (one in each area):
- Fluids: 200A (Applied Aerodynamics), 200B (Applied Aerodynamics
II), or 210A (Fundamentals of Compressible Flow)
- Structures: 240A (Analysis of Structures)
- Guidance and Control: Engineering 105 (Feedback Control
Design)
- Propulsion: 283 (Propulsion)
- Experimentation: 236A (Spacecraft Design), 241X (Design,
Construction, and Testing of Autonomous Aircraft), 255 (Space
Experiments Laboratory), or 284B (Propulsion System Design
Laboratory) or ENGR 205 (Introduction to Control Design
Techniques), ENGR 206 (Control System Design), or ENGR 207A
(Modern Control Design I)
(II) Three courses, one each from three of the areas below:
- Fluids: 200A (Applied Aerodynamics), 200B (Applied Aeronautics
II), or 210A (Fundamentals of Compressible Flow)
- Structures: 240B (Analysis of Structures) or 256 (Mechanics
of Composites)
- Guidance and Control: 242A (Classical Dynamics), or 271A
(Dynamics and Control of Spacecraft and Aircraft), or 279A
(Space Mechanics)
- One course selected from AA courses numbered 200 and above,
excluding seminars and independent research.
Students who believe they have satisfied Basic
Course requirements previously may request a waiver of one or
more courses (see "Waivers and Transfer Credits" below).
Mathematics Courses:
M.S. candidates are expected to exhibit competence
in applied mathematics. Students meet this requirement by taking
two courses – a minimum of six units – of either advanced
mathematics offered by the Mathematics Department or technical
electives that strongly emphasize methods of applied mathematics.
Common choices include:
- AA214A (Numerical Methods in Fluid Mechanics); 214B,
214C
- CME200 (Linear Algebra with Application to Engineering
Computations)
- CME204 (Partial Differential Equations in Engineering)
- EE263 (Linear Dynamic Systems)
- CME108 (Introduction to Scientific Computing)
- Stat 110 or Stat 116 (Probability)
- Math 106 (Complex Variables); Math 115 (Fund. Concepts
of Analysis); or Math 120 (Modern Algebra)
The list of mathematics courses in the department's handbook
has addtitional suggestions, and includes all courses in Mathematics
numbered 200 or above. In order to use applied mathematics courses
not on either list to fulfill this requirement, prior approval
should be obtained from the student's advisor and the Candidacy
chair. (Note: Calculus, ordinary differential equations, and
vector analysis are fundamental math
prerequisites and
will not satsfy the mathematics requirement. They may be counted
only as a free elective.)
Technical Electives:
Students, in consultation with their advisor,
will select at least four courses from among the graduate-level
courses, totaling at least 12 units, from departments in the
School of Engineering and related science departments. Normally,
one course (3 units) may be directed research.
Other Electives:
It is recommended that all candidates enroll
in a humanities or social sciences course to complete the 45-unit
requirement. Practicing courses in, for example, art, music
and physical education, do not qualify in this category. Language
courses may qualify.
WAIVERS AND TRANSFERS OF CREDIT
Waivers of the Basic Courses required in the
M.S. program can only be granted by the instructor of that course.
Students who believe that they have had a substantially equivalent
course at another institution should consult with the course
instructor to determine if they are eligible for a waiver, and
with their advisor to judge the effect on their overall program
plans. To request a waiver officially, students should fill
out a Petition for Waiver form (reverse side of the department's
Program Proposal) and have it approved by the instructor and
their advisor. One additional technical elective must be added
for each Basic Course that is waived.
The following are preapproved waivers for which
no instructor signature is required: ENGR105 will be waived
if ENGR205 has been passed. AA200A will be waived if AA200B
has been passed.
Stanford University does not allow transfer credit
for Master's students beginning study after September, 2001.
PROGRAM PROPOSAL FOR MASTER'S DEGREE
Each Master's student must submit a "Master's
Program Proposal'' by the last day of classes in the first
quarter of study. It must be signed by the advisor, then
submitted to the A/A Student Services office for the Candidacy
Chair's signature. This first submission is intended as a planning
document to ensure that the student has identified at least
one plan of study that meets all department and university requirements
and that also fits the student's own abilities and interests.
Recommended timing: the student should discuss several
versions of this overall plan with the advisor when choosing
classes for the first quarter; then schedule an appointment
for just after midterms to work out a detailed course plan for
future quarters and file an official Program Proposal for department
review and approval.
Any changes to the program of study should be
made in consultation with the advisor and the Student Services
administrator. Such changes may be made more than once, but
the final Program Proposal must be filed early in the quarter
in which the degree is to be conferred. The changed program
of study should be summarized on a Program Proposal marked "Revision,"
signed by the advisor and submitted to the A/A Student Services
office for signature by the Candidacy Chair. The MS degree cannot
be conferred unless the student has successfully completed all
courses on the (most recent) fully-approved Program Proposal.
DEGREE COMPLETION
A minimum letter grade average of 2.75 is required
to fulfill the department's Master's degree requirements and
a 3.4 is the minimum required for eligibility to attempt the
Ph.D. qualifying examination. [Students must also meet the University's
quarterly academic requirements for graduate students, as described
in the Bulletin and in the Satisfactory Progress section of
the Guide to Graduate Studies in Aeronautics and Astronautics.]
All courses (excluding seminars) used to satisfy the requirements
for Basic Courses, Mathematics, and Technical Electives must
be taken for a letter grade.
For midyear degrees, the date of conferral is
early the quarter after degree completion. Students who
have no outstanding Stanford obligations (financial or academic)
may obtain an official "certificate of completion"
from the Graduate Degree Progress Office at any time after finishing.
Diplomas are printed only once a year, for distribution at Commencement
in June.
Once students have begun study for the Master's,
they have three years to complete the degree (five years for
Honors Cooperative students). This time is not extended by Leaves
of Absence.
STUDY AFTER THE MASTER'S DEGREE
Students wishing to continue at Stanford after
receiving the M.S. degree must be approved for further study
during their final Master's quarter. (This includes approval
for the Engineer's degree or Ph.D. in Aero-Astro, or for a degree
in another department.) In order to stay here, a Graduate Program
Authorization form should be fully approved and filed at the
Registrar's Office before the M.S. is conferred. Students
who leave Stanford for employment or for study at another institution,
and later wish to return for further degree work, must submit
a standard admission application for review by the department's
admissions committee. (Check with the Student Services office
to verify deadlines and which credentials will be required by
the committee.) International students will be subject to the
visa requirements in force at the time they are considered for
(re)-admission.
Students who are not citizens or permanent residents
of the U.S. will need to verify their funding for the new degree
and update their visa documentation as part of the Graduate
Program Authorization procedure. Appropriate forms are available
from the Bechtel International Center. Support from research
assistantships can be verified by the professor providing support,
and the Student Services office can verify course assistantships.
For personal funding or other support, inquire at the Bechtel
International Center about the proper source for verification.
