Aerospace
The sky is no limit when you create the aircraft, drones, and rockets of the future.
What is Aerospace?
Aerospace is the field of study encompassing everything to do with flight. Combining Thermofluids concepts like heat transfer, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and combustion with more application-specific areas like materials, vibration, propulsion and aircraft design and structures, this option is designed to prepare you for mechanical engineering within the high-tech world of aircraft and spaceflight.
Why Choose the Aerospace Option in Mechanical Engineering?
Aerospace is a highly in-demand field that mechanical engineers are uniquely qualified to work in. From safe and sustainable passenger transportation to the rockets that fly satellites into space and further our digital world, aerospace engineers open our skies to the future. The Aerospace Option in Mechanical Engineering allows students interested in aircraft, spacecraft, and related systems to concentrate in these areas in their course and project work.
What are some unique opportunities students at UBC have?
Upon completion of Mech 2, students accepted into the Aerospace Option will begin taking a modified curriculum of mechanical engineering courses that focus on fluid dynamics and aircraft design. The modified curriculum is designed to not only help develop the student’s specialization in Aerospace, but also develop fundamental design and analytical skills required by any mechanical engineer.
We have robust faculty research in combustion, fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, fluid-structure interactions, sensors and controls – all areas central to aerospace design. Our facilities include two wind tunnels, and a machine shop open to all of our students.
Outside of the curriculum, our students participate in Design teams which compete in aircraft competitions and foster a community of undergraduates interested in aerospace, including UBC Uncrewed Aircraft Systems and UBC AeroDesign.
Where can I work?
As a major international transportation hub in proximity to the vibrant aerospace industry in Seattle, Vancouver is well positioned for employment in the aerospace industry. Some local and and international companies that hire mechanical engineers with aerospace skills are:
| AirBus SAS | Canadian Space Agency | MTU Maintenance Canada |
| ASCO Aerospace | Cascade Aerospace | NASA |
| Avcorp | Coulson | Sekisui Aerospace |
| Boeing | KF Aerospace | Vashon Aircraft |
| Bombardier | MDA | Viking Air |
Graduate Programs
After graduation, aerospace students are well positioned to pursue a MASc (research-focused) or MEng (industry-focused) program in aerospace or related disciplines. An undergraduate degree from UBC opens the door to graduate studies across Canada and around the world.
Research Programs
The Department of Mechanical Engineering at UBC offers MASc, and PhD research-based graduate programs, and possible research areas related to aerospace include (but are not limited to):
- Applied Solid Mechanics
- Computational Engineering
- Fluid Mechanics
- Energy & Environment
For more information on our graduate programs, visit mech.ubc.ca/graduate.
Professional Programs
Master of Engineering (MEng) studies at UBC Mechanical Engineering include topics that are compatible with the Aerospace Option, such as Computational Modeling and Simulation, Design and Product Development, and Energy and Environment.
Program Coordinator
Dr. W. Kendal Bushe
Coordinator, Aerospace Option
wkb@mech.ubc.ca
(604) 822-3398