Aeronautical Science and Engineering is the branch of engineering that applies scientific knowledge to the design, manufacture and operation of aircraft. Our Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Science and Engineering provides a broad background and fundamental education in mathematics, the physical sciences, and the engineering sciences. These fundamentals, when complemented by the required technical courses, prepare you for employment in government or industry, while simulta-neously establishing an excellent foundation for graduate studies.

The fundamental disciplines of this branch of engineering apply to all bodies and vehicles whose applied loads are influenced by aerodynamic forces.

Courses in fundamental engineering principles are supplemented with courses in aircraft propulsion, aerodynamics, performance, stability and control, aircraft preliminary design, aeronautical structures, and aeroelasticity.

Aeronautical Science and Engineering Program

Lower Division Required Courses

Upper Division Requirements:

Aeronautical Science and Engineering 137, 139

Upper Division Required Courses

The Mechanical Engineering Major Programs

The mechanical engineer uses basic science in the design and manufacture of complex engineering systems, requiring the application of physical and mechanical prin-ciples to the development of machines, energy conversion systems, materials, and equipment for guidance and control.

Work in this broad field of engineering requires a thorough knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, mass trans-fer, electricity, manufacturing processes, and economics.

The Mechanical Engineering Program is designed to provide knowledge in mechanical engineering and associated applied sciences so that you may practice in a broad range of industries, pursue graduate studies, participate in research and development, and/or pursue entrepreneurial endeavors.

The Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science Program is a combined major that offers students a unique interdisciplinary experience requiring work with mechanical engineering and materials science students. In addition to performing work in mechanical engineering as described above, this program provides the background to understand the structure, properties, and behavior of materials and to pursue these fields in industry and/or graduate scholarship.

Mechanical Engineering Program

Mechanical Engineering Programs Lower Division Requirements:

Lower Division Required Courses

Mechanical Engineering Upper Division Requirements:

You spend your third year in further study of fundamental courses, and in the fourth year you may tailor your studies to your own interests by selecting courses in controls and systems analysis, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, mechanical design or thermodynamics. You can either prepare for graduate study in Mechanical Engineering or obtain a broad background for entering engineering practice at the bachelor’s level.

You are encouraged to select elective courses from among the areas of specialization listed below.

Areas of Specialization

Mechanical Design. The creation and improvement of products, processes, or systems that are mechanical in nature are the primary activities of a professional me-chanical engineer. The development of a product from concept generation to detailed design, manufacturing process selection and planning, quality control and assur-ance, and life cycle considerations are areas of study and specialization in the area of mechanical design.

Solutions to such major social problems as environmental pollution, the lack of mass transportation, the lack of raw materials, and energy shortages, will depend heavily on the engineer’s ability to create new types of machinery and mechanical systems.

The engineer-designer must have a solid and relatively broad background in the basic physical and engineering sciences and have the ability to synthesize the informa-tion from such a background in creative problem solving. In addition to having technical competence, the designer must be able to consider the socioeconomic conse-quences of a design and its possible impact on the environment. Product safety, reliability, and economics are other considerations.

Aeronautical Science and Engineering 130A, 130B, 133, 137, 139

Biological Systems Engineering 165

Applied Science Engineering 115

Engineering 111, 122, 160 (only one unit of credit towards Technical Electives requirement)

Materials Science and Engineering 180, 181, 182

Mechanical Engineering 134, 150B, 151, 152, 161, 162, 184A with 184B (both courses must be taken), 185A with 185B (both courses must be taken)

Aeronautical Science and Engineering 138

Engineering 160 (only one unit of credit towards technical requirements); Engineering 180

Chemical Engineering 161A, 161B

Civil and Environmental Engineering 144, 149

Mechanical Engineering 161, 162, 163

Mechanical Engineering 161, 163, 184A with 184B (both courses must be taken)

Civil and Environmental Engineering 149, 150

Aeronautical Science and Engineering 138

Engineering 111; Mechanical Engineering 161, 162, 163

Electrical and Computer Engineering 160

Materials Science and Engineering 180, 181

Mechanical Engineering 151, 154

Systems Dynamics and Control. Engineers are increasingly concerned with the performance of integrated dynamics systems in which it is not possible to optimize component parts without considering the overall system.

Systems Dynamics and Control specialists are concerned with the modeling, analysis, and simulation of all types of dynamic systems and with the use of automatic con-trol techniques to change the dynamic characteristics of systems in useful ways. The emphasis in this program is on the physical systems that are closely related to me-chanical engineering, but the techniques for studying these systems apply to social, economic, and other dynamic systems.

Ongoing research includes projects on continuously variable transmissions, active and semi-active suspension systems, modeling and control of vehicle dynamics, elec-tromechanical actuator design, electronically controlled steering, the analysis of fuel management systems, and the design of flight-control systems with humans in the loop.

An Automotive System Dynamics Laboratory is being used for testing components such as engines, transmissions, brakes, and steering systems as well as testing com-plete vehicles.

Aeronautical Science and Engineering 129, 139

Engineering 122

Mechanical Engineering 134, 152, 184A with 184B (both courses must be taken)

Ground Vehicle Systems. An important aspect of mechanical engineering is the design of more environmentally benign surface vehicles that provide efficient indi-vidual and public transportation. Innovations in the field require competence in vehicle dynamics, control of vehicle dynamics, power sources and power transmission, lightweight structures and systems, alternatively fueled power systems, including electrical drives and fuel cells, and mechanical systems.

Transportation Systems. As society recognizes the increasing importance of optimizing transportation systems to minimize environmental degradation and energy expenditure, engineers will need to consider major innovations in the way people and goods are moved. Such innovations will require competence in vehicle dynamics, propulsion and control, and an understanding of the problems caused by present-day modes of transportation. Vehicle control requires an understanding of sensors and actuators, and the integration of yet-to-be-proposed concepts into overall vehicular dynamics. Competence in these areas allows for the development of alternative pro-pulsion concepts, such as electric, hybrid, and fuel cell.

Aeronautical Science and Engineering 127, 129

Civil and Environmental Engineering 131, 149

Engineering 122, 160 (only one unit of credit towards Technical Electives requirement)

Mechanical Engineering 134, 150B, 161, 162, 163

Mechanical Engineering Upper Division Required Courses

Sixteen of the 24 units must be selected from upper division courses in engineering; of these units, one course must be chosen from the following: Engineering 122, Mechanical Engineering 150B, 154 (Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautical Science and Engineering double majors may petition to substitute Aeronautical Science and Engineering 137 or 139).

Two additional courses must be chosen from the following design courses: Aeronautical Science and Engineering 129, 130B, 130C, 137, 138, 139, Materials Science and Engineering 180, 182; Mechanical Engineering 134, 151, 152, 154, 161, 162, 163. You may also choose from Mechanical Engineering 150B, 184A with 184B (these courses must be taken in consecutive quarters). 185A with 185B (these courses must be taken in consecutive quarters, if these courses are not used in satisfaction of the core design requirement above.

A combined maximum of 4 units may be selected from project/independent study courses (184A, 184B, 185A, 185B, 192, 199) not used in satisfaction of core degree requirements.

The remaining units may be selected from the technical electives list.

Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science Upper Division Requirements:

Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science and Engineering Upper Division Required Courses

One course must be chosen from the following: Engineering 122, Mechanical Engineering 150B, 154. In order to satisfy design requirements, two courses must be chosen from Aeronautical Science and Engineering 129, 130B, 137, 138, 139, Materials Science and Engineering 147, 180, 181, 182; Mechanical Engineering 134, 151, 152, 154, 161, 162, 163. You may also choose from Mechanical Engineering 150B, 184A with 184B (these courses must be taken in consecutive quarters). 185A with 185B (these courses must be taken in consecutive quarters), if these courses are not used for a core design requirement above.

A maximum of 4 units of courses numbered 184A, 184B, 185A, 185B may be applied to the technical elective degree requirement.

The Graduate Program

The defining element of graduate study in the department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering is interdisciplinary design. Research within the department ad-vances design in diverse fields such as vehicles, biomechanics, aerostructures, sensors, combustion and energy systems. Graduate student researchers acquire skills to address both fundamental issues in these areas and to design complex, multi-component systems. The highly collaborative environment fosters multidisciplinary research while drawing on the study of mathematics, electrical engineering, materials science, biology and nanotechnology. Recruiters from industry are active here, knowing that, in addition to having hands-on design experience, our students are well-grounded in engineering fundamentals. They study with professors who “wrote the book” on their discipline, and work on design projects with researchers who are international authorities in their field. Our graduate students are able to work closely with faculty in a friendly but demanding environment where teamwork and faculty mentoring are important, as is the cross-disciplinary, collaborative culture that is unique to UC Davis.

Generous financial support is available in the form of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, fellowships and financial aid.

• Aeronautics and Aerostructures

• Space Systems

• Flight Dynamics and Control

• Computational Fluid Dynamics

• Dynamic Systems and Controls

• Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

• Automotive System Dynamics

• Biofluid Mechanics

• Biosensors/Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)

• Biosolid Mechanics

• Manufacturing and Mechanical Design

• Sports Biomechanics

• Energy Systems/Fuel Cell/ Hybrid Vehicle Technology

• Robotics

• Center for Computational Fluid Dynamics

• Institute of Transportation Studies

• Center for Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology

• GATE Center for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

• Aeronautical Wind Tunnel Facility