Overview

INTRODUCTION

The Department of Aeronautical Engineering was established in 1980 as a division of the Mechanical Engineering Department to satisfy the needs of the development plans in the Kingdom in the field of Aeronautical Engineering. The University Council in 1982 reorganized the Department of Mechanical Engineering into three separate departments: Production Engineering & Mechanical Systems Design, Thermal Engineering & Desalination Technology, and Aeronautical Engineering. In 2019, the department name was changed to Aerospace Engineering. to satisfy the trends in the 20-30 vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as the international trends in enhancing investments in the space sector.

The BS Program in Mechanical Engineering (Aeronautical), abbreviated as AE hereafter, is the only undergraduate program offered by the Department of Aerospace Engineering at King Abdulaziz University (KAU). The program has started with the establishment of the department in 1980.

The AE program has been repeatedly revised to account for the dynamic growth in the local market as well as the advancements in aerospace sciences. In 2002, the program was evaluated for the first time by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) based on the Engineering Conventional Criteria and was recognized to be “Substantially Equivalent” to ABET accredited programs. In 2008, the program had an EAC of ABET general review visit that resulted in the accreditation of the program. In 2015, the program had the last EAC of ABET general review visit that resulted again in the accreditation of the program.

Undergraduate Program

The BS Program in Mechanical Engineering (Aeronautical) is the only undergraduate program offered by the Aerospace Engineering Department at King Abdulaziz University (KAU).

Graduate Study Programs        

The Department of Aerospace Engineering also offers three Graduate Programs leading to:

1.  MS Degree in Aeronautical Engineering (Thesis Option).

2.  MS Degree in Aeronautical Engineering(Non-Thesis Option).

3.  PhD Degree in Aerospace Engineering.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Aerospace Engineering Department are in high demand by leading firms in the Kingdom and the Gulf region, private, public, and military sectors. Analysis of re- cent graduates surveys indicate that the majority graduates from the Department find a suitable job within one semester after graduation. Graduates have career opportunities in the following organizations: