This program combines studies in mechanical engineering with additional specialist study and project work in the aerospace and aviation industry. Aerospace engineering is concerned with the design, manufacture and operation of aircraft, launch vehicles, satellites, spacecraft and ground support facilities. It is a particularly challenging discipline because of the need for light-weight but highly reliable aircraft and spacecraft. Cutting-edge technology and design are key in this field. Aerospace engineering projects tend to be multidisciplinary in nature because of the scientific content of many of the payloads and the complex thermo-physical aspects of hypervelocity atmospheric flight. All workers in this field must be adept at incorporating technology from outside their immediate specialty.

The Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering specialisation includes the same compulsory courses as the Mechanical Engineering specialisation. All students study aerospace propulsion, design and manufacturing and then specialise in either the aeronautical or space engineering stream to obtain the dual major. You can study topics such as flight mechanics, aerospace materials, space physics and astrophysics, hypersonic aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics. In fourth-year, a thesis or a major design project can be chosen from a range of aerospace topics. For those interested in higher degree study in the space field, the program provides core material on which to build.

Because the degree program is based on the Mechanical Engineering program you will be fully qualified as a mechanical engineer and will have the same employment opportunities as mechanical engineers. UQ Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering graduates not only have generic skills that give them an advantage in traditional mechanical engineering roles, as the discipline increasingly relies on high technology, but also have the specialised training that enables them to apply engineering and scientific techniques to aerospace-based situations.