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Accreditation

The Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering provides a strong and broad technical foundation, professional engineering skills, leadership ability, and a well-rounded undergraduate experience.

Program educational objectives

The educational objective of our undergraduate AE & OE programs are to produce aerospace and ocean engineering graduates who, within five years of completing the BS degree, will be successful in a variety of professional careers, including those outside of traditional aerospace and ocean engineering fields, as evidenced by one or more of the following achievements:

  1. Engineering Excellence: Become sought-after professionals who create value through the analysis, design, and development of vehicles and systems for atmospheric, space, or ocean environments, contributing to research breakthroughs through interdisciplinary collaborations, scholarly publications, or intellectual property development that strengthens the reputation of aerospace and ocean engineering.
  2. Leadership & Professional Advancement: Advance in positions of increasing responsibility by effectively communicating to a wide range of audiences, collaborating productively in multidisciplinary teams with varied technical backgrounds and perspectives, or demonstrating project leadership skills necessary for career growth in global engineering contexts.
  3. Innovation & Adaptability: Expand expertise through graduate studies, professional development, or self-directed learning that embraces critical thinking, digital engineering, computational and experimental methods, artificial intelligence, or other industry-prioritized technologies, adapting quickly to evolving industry needs.
  4. Societal Impact & Ethical Practice: Exemplify Virginia Tech's motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) by engaging with professional networks, mentoring future engineers, supporting environmental resiliency, and improving quality of life through ethical engineering practice and civic engagement that addresses complex societal challenges.

Student outcomes for undergraduates

As a result of their completion of the program curriculum, students will attain the following outcomes:

  1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
ABET

The B.S. program in Aerospace Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET,  https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Aerospace and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

The B.S. program in Ocean Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET,  https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Ocean Engineering and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.