AeroAstro

Aeronautics and Astronautics

Website Faculty

Course 16

At MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro/Course 16), we look ahead by looking up. At its core, aerospace empowers connection — interpersonal, international, interdisciplinary, and interplanetary.

Technical Skills

  • Aerodynamics
  • Propulsion
  • Space Systems

Common Careers

  • Aerospace engineer
  • Astronaut
  • Entrepreneur
A bald man in a light button-up shirt stands in dramatic blue lighting, touching a large wooden object shaped like an airplane wing, with a focused expression on his face.
A large blue metal vacuum chamber labeled ASTROVAC stands in a brightly lit laboratory, surrounded by equipment, computers, and cables. Sunlight streams in through windows above.
Four people work together in a lab with scientific instruments and equipment, examining and adjusting a vertical metal structure and various connected devices, with computers and cables visible in the background.
Students sit at desks in a classroom, focused on their work. A large image of an airplane landing is displayed on the wall behind them, creating a vibrant and engaging backdrop.
A person wearing gloves and safety gear works on a large yellow and blue industrial machine, reaching up to adjust a component inside a laboratory or workshop setting.

About

MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics seeks to foster an inclusive community that values technical excellence, and we research and engineer innovative aerospace systems and technologies that have a world-changing impact. We educate the next generation of leaders, creative engineers, and entrepreneurs who will push the boundaries of the possible to shape the future of aerospace.

Why Choose AeroAstro?

AeroAstro has been named the top program in aerospace engineering in the world for both graduate and undergraduate studies for over a decade. AeroAstro grads go on to become engineering leaders in the corporate world, in government service, and in education. Our alumni are entrepreneurs who start their own businesses; they are policy-makers shaping the direction of research and development for years to come; they are educators who bring their passion for learning to new generations; they are researchers doing transformative work at the intersection of engineering, technology, and science.

Whether you are interested in aviation and its impact on the environment, next-generation propulsion systems that will propel us to new heights and new worlds, or programming autonomous drones to execute search-and-rescue missions, when you are pushing boundaries to shape the future of aerospace, anything is possible

AeroAstro Stories

AeroAstro Degrees

Undergraduate
  • Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (Course 16), accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Aerospace Engineering
  • Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Course 16-ENG), accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria for Engineering.
Graduate
  • Master’s Degree (SM)
  • Doctoral Degree (PhD or ScD)
  • Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Statistics (PhD)
  • Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Air Transportation (PhD)
  • Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Bioastronautics (PhD)
  • Certificate in Aerospace Innovation
A group of six people wearing headphones stand outside near a wheeled cart with technical equipment, observing and taking notes. Yellow railings separate them from the equipment. Brick buildings are in the background.
Two young men work together on a robotics project in a lab, smiling and using tools. One wears a NASA hoodie, and electronic equipment and notes on a whiteboard are visible in the background.

Ask an AeroAstro Engineer

Labs and Spaces

Advanced Manufacturing for Aerospace Engineers

In the new Advanced Manufacturing for Aerospace Engineers course, students design, build, and test an electric rocket engine turbopump, preparing them for a career at the forefront of the aerospace industry. In just 13 weeks, students design, build, and test a laboratory-scale electric turbopump, the type of pump used in liquid rocket propulsion systems to deliver fuel and oxidizer to the combustion chamber under high pressure.

Class Highlights

  • 16.001-16.004 Unified Engineering
  • 16.811 Propulsion System Prototyping & Testing for Aerospace Engineers
  • 6.821 Flight Vehicle Development & 16.82 Flight Vehicle Engineering
  • 16.831 Space Systems Development
  • 16.85 Design & Testing of Autonomous Vehicles

Student Groups

Resources

Pushing the boundaries of the possible to shape the future of aerospace

  1. Welcome to Course 16
  2. AeroAstro Research
  3. AeroAstro News
A close-up view of a large wind tunnel fan with multiple blades, viewed from inside the tunnel. The fan is illuminated with bright light, casting blue and white reflections.