ABET
Self-Study Report
for the
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering
Program
at
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0150
July 1, 2008
CONFIDENTIAL
The information supplied in this Self-Study Report is for the confidential use of ABET and its authorized agents, and will not be disclosed without authorization of the institution concerned, except for summary data not identifiable to a specific institution.
Table of Contents
BACKGROUND INFORMATION 3
CRITERION 1. STUDENTS 9
CRITERION 2. PROGRAM EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES 16
CRITERION 3. PROGRAM OUTCOMES 22
CRITERION 4. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 32
CRITERION 5. CURRICULUM 35
CRITERION 6. FACULTY 42
CRITERION 7. FACILITIES 47
CRITERION 8. SUPPORT 51
CRITERION 9. PROGRAM CRITERIA 53
APPENDIX A – COURSE SYLLABI 56
APPENDIX B – FACULTY RESUMES 56
APPENDIX C – LABORATORY EQUIPMENT 56
APPENDIX D – INSTITUTIONAL SUMMARY 56
Self-Study Report
Aerospace Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (BSAE)
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (Cooperative Plan)
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (International Plan)
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (Research Option)
Georgia Institute of Technology
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Contact information
Robert G. Loewy
William R.T. Oakes Professor & Chair
School of Aerospace Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0150
Office: (404) 894-3002
Office Fax: (404) 894-2760
Lakshmi N. Sankar
Regents Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies
School of Aerospace Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0150
Office: (404) 894-3014
Office Fax: (404) 894-2760
Program History
The School of Aerospace Engineering is one of the oldest programs in the country. It was originally established as "The Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics" on March 3, 1930 when the Georgia School of Technology (now, Georgia Institute of Technology) received a $300,000 grant from The Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, Inc. The other six recipients of a similar grant were California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, New York University, Leland Stanford Junior University (now simply, Stanford University), and University of Washington.
The Guggenheim Building was dedicated on June 8, 1931. The first classes were begun in September 1931 with eighteen students, two faculty members, and a budget of $10,000. To better reflect the School's growing and expanding interests and responsibilities beyond the field of aeronautics, its name was officially changed to the School of Aerospace Engineering effective July 1, 1962.
The first Bachelor's degree was awarded in 1932 to thirteen graduates. In 1967, there were 64 Bachelor's degrees awarded, and by 1986 a peak of 106 Bachelor's degrees were awarded. The Master's degree was first awarded in 1934 to two candidates. The Ph.D. program was begun in 1961 with one student, with two Ph.D. degrees awarded in 1966.
Major Changes since the Last Visit:
The following major changes have been made to the program since 2002. Two new degree options - BSAE (International Plan) and BSAE (Research Option) - have been added, in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Undergraduate research courses (AE 2699, 4699), research fellowship courses (AE 2698, AE 4698), and Design Competition courses (AE 2355, 4355) were created to recognize and document the students’ research accomplishments on their transcripts. We have already implemented an honors program, and offer a minor in AE.
BSAE (International Plan): The evolution of technology (e.g. high-speed aircraft) is bringing the world to our footsteps. Tomorrow’s aerospace endeavors will require collaboration among nations, and international business partners. US citizens should be trained to meet the changing global environment. They should be aware of international trade/business practices, corporate laws and regulations, and environmental issues. Fluency in a foreign language is becoming a business requirement, not a luxury. In recognition of these factors, the School of Aerospace Engineering (along with several other programs at Georgia Tech) began in fall 2005 to offer International Plan as a special degree option.
The BSAE (International Plan) option has the following requirements, which may be completed over the same total number of credit hours, as the BSAE program.
· Students are required to complete two years (e.g. Spanish/French/German 1001, 1002, 2001, and 2002) of foreign language studies in a language of their choice.
· Students are required to take one course focused on international relations, one course that provides a historical and theoretical understanding of the global economy, and one course that provides familiarity with an area of the world or a country that allows them to make systematic comparisons with their own society and culture. These three courses (9 credit hours) may be applied towards the social science requirements of the program. A list of courses approved in these three areas is available on the website of the Registrar's Office.
· Students must complete 26 weeks (just over 6 months) of active engagement abroad. The terms may include any approved combination of study, work or research conducted abroad. Although they need not be consecutive, the immersion experience(s) should demonstrate cultural, linguistic and/or intellectual coherence and must be completed within no more than two terms.
At this writing (January 2008) there are 27 students pursuing this option.
BSAE (Research Option)
Research Option may be completed over the same number of credit hours (132) as the other options in the program. This option offers students the opportunity for a substantial, in-depth research experience. It offers students a taste for what long-term research can be like and provides extensive experience not found within a typical course setting. One-on-one student and faculty mentoring is also a highlight of the experience. Students are strongly encouraged at the end of their experience to work with their faculty mentor to develop a journal publication or conference presentation on the research in addition to the actual thesis.
The research option requires that the students
1. Complete at least 9 units of undergraduate research. These courses should span at least two, preferably three terms. Research may be for either pay (audit) or credit. At least 6 of the 9 required hours should be on the same topic.
2. Complete a research proposal outlining their research topic and project for the thesis
3. Write an undergraduate thesis/report of research on their findings
4. Take the class LCC 4700 “Writing an Undergraduate Thesis” (taken during the thesis-writing semester).
Completion of Research Option is noted on the student’s transcript.
This program just began in spring 2007. Three students have already graduated under this option.
AE Honors Program:
Students are admitted to the AE honors program during their sophomore year, provided they have an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher on classes taken at Georgia Tech. They are required to maintain a GPA above 3.5 during the subsequent semesters. Students in the honors program also conduct undergraduate research (for a minimum of three semesters) either for credit (AE 2699 and AE 4699 courses) or for pay (AE 2698 and AE 4698). Finally, honors students are required to present their research in AIAA student conferences, brown bag seminars, or other symposia on campus. Students graduating under the honors program are eligible to enroll in our graduate program with minimal paper work, and may apply up to 6 hours of advanced electives (at the 4000 or 6000 level) earned at the BSAE level towards their graduate program. At this writing, over 70 AE students are enrolled in the honors program.
The web site http://www.ae.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/semester/honors/index.html gives additional information on our honors program.
AE Minor Program:
The School of Aerospace Engineering offers a minor in AE as a service to the rest of the campus. Students must complete 18 hours of course work from one of the following tracks: aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, avionics, aeroelasticity, and flight dynamics. Additional information may be found at the web site http://www.ae.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/forms/AE_Minor3.pdf . At this writing, there are approximately 20 students pursuing this option.
Organizational Structure
The School is chaired by Professor Robert G. Loewy. He is assisted by Associate Chairs, Professors Jechiel Jagoda and Lakshmi Sankar, in the areas of graduate and undergraduate studies, respectively. There are 37 faculty members with expertise in aerodynamics, structures and materials, structural dynamics and aeroelasticity, propulsion and combustion, flight mechanics and control, avionics, software engineering, cognitive engineering, and aerospace system design. Discipline committees are responsible for curricular and research activities in each of these fields. Because of the diversity and interdisciplinary expertise of our faculty members, it is quite common for a faculty member to serve on two discipline committees. Operational committees are responsible for overseeing activities such as facilities development, faculty/student honors and awards, reappointment, promotion and tenure, etc.
The School Chair reports to the Dean of the College of Engineering. The School Chair and the faculty members also work closely with the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. The School is well represented in Institute bodies such as undergraduate and graduate committees, study abroad, and international plan administration committees.
The Chart below shows the discipline committees within the School.
The chart below shows the operating committees within the School.
Program Delivery Modes
The program is delivered on the Georgia Tech campus during the day, between 8 AM and 6 PM for most classes, except for lab classes and recitation sessions.
Deficiencies, Weaknesses or Concerns Documented in the Final Report from the Previous Evaluation(s) and the Actions taken to Address them
There were no deficiencies, weaknesses, or concerns documented in the final report from the visit during 2002.
CRITERION 1. STUDENTS
Student Admissions
Undergraduate admissions are centrally handled by the Institute (see www.admission.gatech.edu). Individual units (e.g. the School of Aerospace Engineering) do not directly receive or process applications for admission. The application forms are typically available on-line by the month of August (when students have entered their senior year in high school) for the following year. The application deadline is January 15 of the calendar year when the student will enter Georgia Tech. Scholarship programs (e.g. President’s Scholarship) have an earlier deadline (Oct 31).
The Office of Admissions uses the following criteria in the admission decisions – academic record/GPA, SAT/ACT scores, leadership activities, and the application essay. In all instances, students choosing AE as their primary major and met these criteria are granted admission into our program by the Office of Admissions.
The web site http://www.admission.gatech.edu/jump/faqq.asp contains detailed responses to a number of frequently asked questions that applicants may have.
Evaluating Student Performance
The School of Aerospace Engineering uses the following complementary procedures for monitoring the progress of students.
1. We use a faculty-led academic advising process. Please see the next section for additional details.
2. Students enrolled in 1000 and 2000 level courses receive a mid-term evaluation of their progress (“S”: Satisfactory or “U”: Unsatisfactory) by the instructors. This evaluation is not recorded in the transcript and does not enter into the grade point average calculations. This evaluation serves as an early indicator to the student of his/her performance in that course. If a student has two or more “U” grades, the student is required to meet with his/her academic advisor to discuss their grades and develop strategies for improving their performance. AE places an academic hold on the student’s records until the student and the advisor have had an opportunity to have this meeting.
3. The data from the students’ academic records are processed at the end of each term to monitor their term grade point average and the overall GPA. Their academic status (Faculty Honors, Dean’s List, Good, Warning, Probation, Drop) are also monitored. The entire faculty receives this list by e-mail from the AE School Academic Office, so that they may monitor their advisee’s progress. A paper copy of the current transcript is kept in the permanent records and used to by the advisors to monitor the progress.
4. The students and the faculty have access to an on-line auditing tool developed by the Institute (http://www.registrar.gatech.edu/students/cappinstructions.php) This system allows the student to monitor his/her progress in various categories (humanities, social sciences, mathematics/Physics/Chemistry, engineering sciences, AE courses, free electives etc), and plan their future studies. Students may also use this tool to examine “What-If” scenarios (e.g. addition of a dual major, minor, or certificates) and to identify the impact of enrolling in the Co-Op, International Plan, or Research Option on their course load during the upcoming semesters.
5. The progress of students in special categories (research option, honors program, thesis option, international Plan) are monitored by the Academic Office, in coordination with the Institute (Office of International Education, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program), and the students are periodically notified.
6. Students who have been dropped from class roll due to poor academic performance are required, as part of the readmission process, to prepare and sign a three-term academic contract spelling out their course work and required term the GPA. These students are advised and monitored by the School Associate Chair, and the academic advisor. The registrar’s office also monitors the student’s transcript at the end of each term (until the student’s overall GPA rises to 2.0 or above) to ensure that these students are making satisfactory progress towards “good” standing.
7. Transfer students are strongly encouraged to meet their academic advisors at least once every term and develop a 2 or 3 year study plan. This is done to ensure that they will complete the program in time.
8. The School of Aerospace Engineering strongly encourages all the students to develop a portfolio of accomplishments that complements their studies. For this reason, we also monitor (in addition to the transcripts) the student portfolios of accomplishments and offer enriching opportunities- study abroad experiences, International Plan, Co-Op, undergraduate research, honors program, thesis option.
Advising Students
The School of Aerospace Engineering has a faculty based academic advising system in place. All the students are assigned an Academic Advisor, who also serves as their mentor and career advisor during the entire time the student is in our program.
Until December 2007, mandatory academic advisement was required of all students, and a hold was placed on all students to ensure that the students consult their academic advisors before registering for classes. An Institute-wide survey indicated that the students were unhappy with this system and preferred a voluntary system. The Aerospace Engineering School Student Advisory Council (http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gtg357x/AESAC/aesac.htm) examined this matter from the students’ perspective and cited a number of reasons. The busy teaching and research on the part of our faculty, and the class schedules of the students both often kept the students from meeting their advisors in a timely fashion. This caused some of the students to register late, by which time many of the classes were full. The system (outside of AE) also has various restrictions that kept the students from following the schedule that was developed during the academic advising session. These include level restrictions that keep a senior from taking a required freshman or sophomore level class and vice versa, major restrictions placed by other units that give priority to their own students, and limits on class size to ensure a quality instruction. Our external advisory board also examined the difficulties and frustrations that the students faced (in spite of the number of hours our faculty and students spent meeting) and recommended that the academic advisement process be improved.