Aerospace
Why Study Aerospace?
Caltech's aerospace minor program is designed to enhance your undergraduate major with specialized knowledge in the fundamental principles governing flight, propulsion, and space systems. You'll prepare to address complex challenges in designing advanced aircraft, spacecraft, and autonomous systems.
This interdisciplinary minor complements many scientific and engineering majors by providing a crucial lens on how air and space technologies operate. Ultimately, it prepares you for advanced study or careers contributing to the future of air and space travel, exploration, and technology. Imagine contributing to the next generation of space probes, developing novel propulsion methods, or designing cutting-edge autonomous aerial vehicles.
Why Aerospace at Caltech?
Studying aerospace engineering in proximity to the distinguished GALCIT (Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology) means engaging with an unparalleled legacy in the field. Your education will be deeply rooted in the history of rocket technology, where pioneering research led to the formal establishment of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA's primary center for robotic space exploration.
Caltech's foundational contributions to aerodynamics, fluid mechanics, and high-speed flight are integral to the program, including pioneering work on boundary layer theory and turbulence research. Here, participate in active research across disciplines under faculty experts who directly impact real-world advancements, from helping develop the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, lightweight space structures, and advanced propulsion systems, to creating new fabrics with properties to withstand extreme conditions.
What You'll Learn
The aerospace engineering minor provides a foundational understanding of aerospace principles and specialized engineering analysis in a three-term sequence covering space mission design, astrodynamics, spacecraft systems, and rocket mechanics. Additional courses from various advanced options will further sharpen your ability to apply theoretical and technical concepts to aerospace challenges.
Through this coursework, you will learn to apply fluid dynamics to analyze the microscopic and macroscopic properties of gases and liquids, exploring phenomena from shock waves to acoustics. You'll gain proficiency in structural mechanics, performing stress analysis and understanding the behavior of materials, including composites. You can also develop practical skills in experimental design and data acquisition, employ computational methods to solve complex mechanics problems, design optimal control systems for aerospace applications, or explore modern spacecraft navigation and orbit determination techniques.
View the Caltech catalog for degree requirements and curriculum information.
Who You'll Learn From
Learn from renowned experts in GALCIT's wide range of fields. These leading researchers are pushing scientific boundaries, including the physics of fluids and solids, measurement and diagnostics, computational and theoretical mechanics, autonomous systems, and structural mechanics. You'll gain from faculty who often work across traditional engineering and scientific disciplines, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of modern aerospace. This setting gives you the opportunity to participate directly in research that has a real impact on humanity's spaceflight innovations.
Most of our faculty are doing very active research, and that is something that we really like getting our undergraduates to be involved in, not only just during summer projects, but students continue to work in my group during the academic year as well. That persistence, patience ultimately pay off for them in terms of getting them in-depth research that they would otherwise not be able to achieve if they're just spending a couple of months in the lab.
Career Possibilities
This minor is structured to prepare you effectively for advanced graduate studies or a professional aerospace engineering career. You could contribute to designing advanced materials and next-generation aircraft and spacecraft, innovate critical infrastructure in global space policy initiatives, and more. Graduates are experienced in faculty-led labs, positioning them for graduate study and roles in industry settings such as:
- Aerospace companies
- Defense contractors
- Space engineers
- Related technology sectors
Curriculum Components and Prerequisites
The aerospace minor is designed to complement one of Caltech's Bachelor of Science programs and builds upon the foundational core STEM curriculum. The skills acquired through this minor come from coursework that imparts rigorous analytical thinking, complex system design, and a deep understanding of physical principles under extreme conditions. Key components of this minor, which will be added to your transcript, include:
- Core sequence of aerospace courses
- Additional advanced elective courses, selected with help from an academic advisor
Pursue a Minor in Aerospace at Caltech
Enhance your interdisciplinary scientific training at Caltech with the aerospace minor's specialized expertise. Supported by historical and ongoing contributions to flight and space exploration, acquire the experience necessary to lead future advancements in air and space, from breakthroughs in the theoretical physics of orbits to practical aerospace flight technologies, allowing us to explore space further with reduced energy and environmental costs.