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AE Students Garner College, University Awards

Michael J. Duffy, a 2008 bachelor’s degree graduate of Aerospace Engineering, was recognized this spring as a Bronze Tablet member. The names of this select group of undergraduate students are inscribed on bronze tablets that are displayed on the first floor of the University of Illinois Main Library.

Bodony is 2008 AIAA Teacher of the Year; AE Faculty Listed Among Teachers Ranked as Excellent

Joining the AE faculty just one and a half years ago, Daniel J. Bodony already has been chosen as the 2008 Teacher of the Year for the local American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) student chapter.

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Events

August 01
Final Exams

August 25
First Day of Instruction

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Graduate Program

Doctor of Philosophy: The Ph.D. Degree Program

Graduate students admitted to the Ph.D. program with an M.S. from another institution, or to the Ph.D. Direct program, automatically have Ph.D. student status. 

Graduate students with a UIUC M.S. degree (thesis or non-thesis) must satisfy three requirements to be admitted to the Ph.D. program and enrolled as a Ph.D. student:

  1. a minimum graduate school GPA of 3.5,
  2. approval by their M.S. advisor (or the AE department head for a non-thesis degree),
  3. approval by their prospective Ph.D. advisor

 The formal requirements for the doctoral degree consist of a minimum of sixty-four hours beyond the master's degree.  The doctoral program, consisting primarily of research, generally includes three stages:

  •  the completion of the M.S. degree or its equivalent and successful passing of the Departmental Ph.D. Qualifying Examination (completion of these two requirements elevates a student’s status to that of a Ph. D. Candidate);
  •  the completion of a minimum of thirty-two additional hours of course work and any special course requirements and successful passing of the Departmental Preliminary Examination; and
  •  research with a minimum of thirty-two hours of thesis credit, preparation of a dissertation, and successful passing of the Final Examination.

 The three stages can be completed in a minimum of three years of full-time study.  The academic program for each doctoral candidate is planned on an individual basis.  All graduate students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 to continue in the AE Graduate Program.  The cumulative GPA is computed on all courses taken for credit except thesis and seminar courses in which Df, S, and U grades are recorded. 

All graduate students must register in the seminar course AE 590 and must attend at least six seminars each semester while they are on campus.  In addition, each Ph.D. student must serve as a departmental teaching assistant for one semester.  This requirement can be met at any time during the student’s graduate studies in the department.  International students for whom English is a second language must first pass a SPEAK test given by the Center for Teaching Excellence before serving as a departmental teaching assistant.

 Admission to Ph.D. Candidacy

 Graduate students who seek admission to Ph.D. Candidacy must take the Departmental Qualifying Examination by the second offering after their enrollment as a Ph.D. student, but students may also take the exam as an M.S. student.

 AE Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

  1. Qualifying Examination. The Qualifying Examination (QE) shall be a 3 hour written closed book examination given in January and May and limited to the student's primary discipline (PD). The PDs are 1) Aerodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Combustion and Propulsion (AFMCP); 2) Astrodynamics, Control and Dynamical Systems (ACDS); and 3) Structural Mechanics and Materials (SMM). Three months prior to the exam, the student candidate will select a PD, and present to the Head the name of the Ph.D. advisor(s) and a list of graduate courses taken.  The Head shall assign the student a Test Number, and forward the list of graduate courses to the chair of the PD Examination Committee.
  2. Primary Discipline Examination Committee.  The PD Examination Committees are appointed by the Head and shall include the AE tenured or tenure-track faculty in the PD.  Emeritus faculty, faculty affiliates and faculty from outside the department may serve; however the committee must have a majority of AE tenure or tenure-track faculty.  At least two months prior to the exam, the Committee will provide the student candidate with a list of core topics in the PD on which questions will be based.  Typical core topics are given in Section 3.2.  In addition, a file of previous QE questions is available for reading in the departmental office.  The PD Examination Committee shall conduct the QE and evaluate the student's performance and ability to complete the Ph.D. degree.  Students who fail the exam for the first time will be allowed a retest in the same PD at the next available opportunity.
  3. Evaluation. Scoring will be conducted "blind," referring to the Test Number.  After scoring the exam, and before recommending a result, the student's identity will be revealed to the Committee, and the student's Ph.D advisor(s) will be consulted. The committee will then evaluate the student's exam performance, summarized by a letter from the committee chair, written with the knowledge of the committee and signed by the chair and members, to the Head.  If the student is found deficient in an area, the committee has the flexibility to recommend corrective measures, e.g. taking the exam for a second time or the taking of another course, and will so state in the letter.  The Head will be responsible for the final results and for communicating these to the student, the advisor, and the Graduate College.  If the QE is not passed on the second try, the student will be dropped from the Ph.D. program.  If objections are raised to the results of a QE, the Head may call a special meeting of the faculty, or may ask the AE Graduate Policy Committee to make recommendations to the Head on issues relating to the QE.  If a member of the GPC has a conflict of interest the Head will appoint a suitable replacement.

 Core Topics

Core topics for each PD are given below.  These core topics can be adjusted for each candidate based on the courses submitted for the qualifying exam.

Aerodynamics and Propulsion

  1. Incompressible Flow:
    •  Governing equations
    • Potential flow
    • Airfoil Theory
    • Finite wings
    • Viscous flow
  2. COMPRESSIBLE FLOW:
    • Conservation of mass momentum and energy of a fluid
    • Isentropic flow
    • One-dimensional compressible flow
    • Oblique and normal shock waves
    • Prandtl-Meyer expansions
    • Shock-expansion method and method of weak waves
    • Quasi-one-dimensional flow
    • Unsteady waves
  3. Propulsion:
    • Conservation of mass, momentum and energy, thrust equations
    • Chemical rocket performance
    • Combustion chemistry and nozzle flow of a reacting gas
    • Ram-, turbo-, and fan-jets:  ideal cycles and efficiency
    • Subsonic and supersonic inlets
    • Component analysis of compressors, turbines, combustors, and nozzles
    • Off-design behavior
    • Throughflow theory -- the Euler turbine equation

Sample Texts:

  1.    Foundations of Aerodynamics, Bases of Aerodynamic Design, (4th edition, 1986) by A. M. Kuethe and C. Chow, John Wiley and Sons
  2.    Modern Compressible Flow:  With Historical Perspective, (2nd edition, 1990) by J. D. Anderson, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company
  3. Aerothermodynamics of Gas Turbine and Rocket Propulsion, (1988) by G. C. Oates, AIAA
 Dynamics and Control 
  1. DYNAMICS:
  • Particle kinematics and dynamics in translating and rotating coordinate frames
  • Newton’s second law:  translational and rotational applications, mechanical work, kinetic and potential energy
  • Lagrange’s equations for finite-degree-of-freedom mechanical systems
  • Multiple-degree-of-freedom vibration theory
  • Rigid body kinematics and dynamics

       2.   CONTROL:

  • Modeling of linear dynamic systems
  • Convolution and block diagram algebra
  • Laplace transform solution of differential equations
  • Linear systems stability:  Routh's criterion
  • Performance specification of controlled systems
  • Feedback control of linear systems:  design using different types of feedback
  • Root locus analysis and design
  • Frequency response analysis and design 

Sample Texts:

  1.   Principles of Dynamics, (2nd edition, 1988) by D. T. Greenwood, Prentice Hall
  2.   Feedback Control of Dynamic Systems, (4th edition, 1994) by G. F. Franklin, J. D. Powell, and A. Emami-Naeini, Addison-Wesley
Structures and Materials
  • Analysis of stress and strain
  • Constitution of isotropic and orthotropic materials
  • Properties of common aerospace materials
  • Euler-Bernoulli beams in extension and bending
  • Torsion of shafts
  • Analysis of open and closed section monocoque and semi-monocoque beams and shafts
  • Energy methods, including theorems of virtual work, minimum potential and complementary energy, and Castigliano's Theorem
  • Theory of elastic stability with application to beam-columns
  • Finite element methods applied to truss and frame type structures

Sample Texts:

  1.   Introduction to Linear Elasticity, (1994) by Phillip L. Gould, Springer Verlag
  2.   Analysis of Aircraft Structures, An Introduction, (1993) by Bruce K. Donaldson, McGraw-Hill

Course Requirements

Because of the wide range of interests in the field of Aerospace Engineering, there are no specific course requirements for the Ph.D., except a mathematics requirement described in the Recommended Courses List.  Each student plans a program in consultation with his or her thesis advisor.  Courses offered by departments other than the AE Department may be included in the area of study when these courses are of particular value to the research work that the student desires to emphasize.  A list of recommended courses is given in Appendix A for each area of specialization.  The minimum course requirement for the doctoral degree consists of thirty-two hours of credit beyond the master's degree.  At least twenty-four hours beyond the bachelor's degree must be at the 500-level, and sixteen of these twenty-four hours must be in Aerospace Engineering. Only eight of the thirty-two hours may be a special project class, defined as an individual or group project, in contrast to a lecture-discussion course with written homework and examinations.

  • Mathematics Requirements 
    Ph.D. candidates are expected to exhibit competence in applied mathematics.  They may meet this requirement by taking a minimum of four hours of mathematics courses (beyond the M.S.) from a list of approved Mathematics, Physics, and Theoretical and Applied Mechanics courses given in Appendix A.  At least four of the eight required mathematics hours taken for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees must be from a 500-level course.
  • Computational Science and Engineering Option
    To fulfill the requirements of the CSE option, Ph.D. students must satisfy the following additional course requirements: four hours of the coursework beyond the M.S. should be taken from the CSE core courses and eight hours of coursework beyond the M.S. should be taken in CSE specialization courses, of which four hours must be from the AE/CSE cross-listed courses. Some of these courses are listed in Appendix A.  For more information, please consult the CSE web page at http://www.cse.uiuc.edu 
  • Doctoral Committee
    During the final stages of the required course work, the candidate consults with the Ph.D. thesis advisor regarding the proposed membership of the candidate's doctoral committee. There must be at least four members on the doctoral committee and the membership must satisfy the following criteria:
    1. at least two members must be tenured faculty in the university;
    2. at least one member must have a primary appointment in a department other than AE;
    3. at least two members must be from the AE Department;
    4. the chair of the doctoral committee must have graduate standing and an appointment in the AE Department; and
    5. at least three of members on the committee must be members of the graduate faculty. 

Once an appropriate membership list has been prepared, the candidate requests each member to serve on the proposed doctoral committee.  This committee must be approved by the AE department head and the Graduate College.  The candidate in conjunction with the advisor makes arrangements for a suitable time and place for the Preliminary Examination.

Preliminary Examination

The Preliminary Examination for the Ph.D. degree is an oral examination administered by the candidate's doctoral committee. The first stage of the Ph.D. degree program must have been completed, which consists of completion of the M.S. degree and passing the Qualifying Examination, before the Preliminary Examination can be taken.  The Preliminary examination must be taken between nine months and five years before the Final exam.  Also, the examination may be taken no earlier than the semester in which the candidate completes the thirty-second hour of coursework required in the second stage of the Ph.D. program.  The candidate must submit the thesis proposal to the doctoral committee at least two weeks prior to the Preliminary Examination. The proposal must outline the problem to be studied for the Ph.D. degree, the procedures and methods to be used in attacking the problem, work already completed on the chosen problem, and the additional work proposed to be completed.  The proposal also must include a tentative title for the thesis.

The Preliminary Examination is intended to test the validity of the thesis proposal and the candidate's fitness to carry out the research work proposed.  Typically, it begins with a short presentation by the candidate, outlining the problem chosen, the procedures and methods to be used, the work already completed, and the additional work proposed to be completed for the Ph.D. degree.  The committee then questions the candidate regarding the problem, the preliminary results, and the proposed work.  The candidate may be asked to clarify matters in the thesis proposal and to defend various aspects of the work already completed or the work being proposed.  The committee may suggest alternative methods of attacking the problem or suggest different aspects of the problem as suitable areas for exploration.  The committee also may ask questions of a more general nature in order to test the adequacy of the candidate's preparation for the proposed research.

At the conclusion of the examination, the committee deliberates privately, and the chairperson of the committee informs the candidate of one of four possible decisions:

  1.   The candidate passed the Preliminary Examination and may proceed to independent study and research for the doctoral degree;
  2. The examination is temporarily adjourned, and the candidate must revise the thesis proposal and be examined again within six months;
  3. The candidate failed, but may submit a new thesis proposal and take another Preliminary Examination after completing additional coursework, independent study, or research;
  4. The candidate failed and will not be admitted to another examination. 

Progress of Research 

Successful completion of graduate coursework and passing the Preliminary Examination mark the beginning of the third stage of the Ph.D. program.  During this stage, the candidate carries out the research program proposed in the dissertation proposal and writes a doctoral dissertation requiring a minimum of thirty-two hours of credit in AE 599.

If the membership of the doctoral committee is modified for any reason, the modified committee membership must also satisfy the requirements stated above. It should be approved by the head of the department.

The doctoral committee (at least the AE members of the committee) shall meet at least once per year to monitor the progress of the student.  At this meeting the committee will review a written progress report (minimum two pages) submitted by the student.  Any suggestions or deficiencies noted will be communicated to the student through the advisor.

The Final Examination

During the final stages of the dissertation research when the dissertation is nearing completion, the candidate makes arrangements for a suitable time and place for the Final Examination which is also administered by the candidate's doctoral committee. The candidate must submit the proposed committee list and information about the time and place for the examination to the AE Department Office at least two weeks prior to the date chosen for the Final Examination.  At the same time, the candidate submits the dissertation to the members of the doctoral committee and deposits a copy in the department office for review by all faculty members.

The Final Examination for the Ph.D. degree is a public oral examination administered by the candidate's doctoral committee.  It must take place at least nine months (but no later than five years) after the Preliminary Examination.  The examination is composed of two distinct parts: in the first part, the Ph.D. candidate presents a formal one-hour departmental seminar (including some time for questions from the audience) during which the student summarizes the results of his or her research efforts.  Since the presentation is aimed at a fairly general audience, this first part of the defense should focus on the motivations, importance, methodology, and main results of the research work, leaving the more advanced concepts and technical details for the second part of the Final Examination.  The second part, which is also public, consists of a less formal session during which the candidate may be asked to clarify matters in the thesis and to defend various aspects of the work. Errors and ambiguities in the thesis may be brought to the candidate's attention by the members of the thesis committee.  If needed, the student may choose to give an additional presentation on topics not covered, or covered superficially, in the first part of the examination.  This second part of the Final Examination takes place immediately after the general seminar, or at a later date agreed upon by the doctoral committee.  At the conclusion of both parts of the Final Examination the committee deliberates privately, and the chairperson of the committee informs the candidate of one of five possible decisions:

  1. the candidate passed the Final Examination and the thesis is accepted as submitted; the thesis certificate of approval is signed by all the members of the committee; 
  2.   the candidate passed the Final Examination but the thesis will be accepted and signed by the committee after various specified corrections and revisions have been made; the candidate must make the necessary changes and submit the thesis to the committee members for their signatures;
  3. the examination is temporarily adjourned, and the candidate must revise the thesis and be examined again within the next six months;
  4.   the candidate failed, but may rewrite the thesis and take another Final Examination after completing additional independent study and research;
  5. the candidate failed and will not be admitted to another examination.

Time Limitations

The three stages of the Ph.D. program can be completed in a minimum of three years of full-time study.  A doctoral candidate must complete all requirements, including the M.S. degree, within seven years of first registering in the Graduate College.  A candidate for the doctoral degree who has received a master's degree elsewhere, however, must complete the requirements within six years of first registration in the doctoral degree program on this campus.  However, the department expects doctoral candidates to complete all the requirements within four years of first registration in the doctoral degree program on this campus.

If more than five years elapse between a student's preliminary and final examinations, the student will be required to demonstrate that his or her knowledge is current by passing a second preliminary examination, which is a prerequisite for admission to the final examination.  If more than one year elapses between the student's final examination, and the deposit of the dissertation in the Graduate College, the dissertation must be accompanied by a statement of explanation from the department head to the Dean of the Graduate College and must be submitted to the Graduate College.