FAMU moves to add new graduate degrees in aerospace engineering beginning fall 2025

Florida A&M University is taking steps to add new graduate degrees in aerospace engineering, which are expected to be offered in fall 2025.

FAMU trustees met during a virtual Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting Monday and approved both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. program in aerospace engineering through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

The joint college between Florida State University and FAMU, located in Innovation Park, is the only shared school of engineering in the nation.

Currently, the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering has an Aerodynamics Certificate offering for students through its online graduate certificate program that consists of four courses.

But the future graduate degree programs are expected to leverage the joint engineering school’s existing faculty and resources while also supporting the Florida Board of Governors' goal of increasing degree offerings in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), according to the university.

“With these particular master’s and Ph.D. programs, students are able to get their degree while being more qualified to get jobs in the aerospace engineering sector versus having a degree in mechanical engineering and only having done some aerospace work,” FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Dean Suvranu De said during the meeting.

“That is the intent of this whole initiative — to recognize students who are already working in aerospace engineering with our faculty and Innovation Park.”

Plans to add the new degree programs through the FSU-FAMU College of Engineering come after the universities recently requested a $13 million operating budget increase during the 2024 legislative session for the goal of becoming one of the top 50 engineering colleges in the nation within the next five years — an achievement that would also make it the first HBCU engineering college to achieve the distinction.

Although the operating budget increase request was rejected, the 2024 legislative budget included $21.2 million for the engineering school.

The curricula for the future aerospace engineering programs will include topics such as fluid dynamics, gas dynamics, fluid-structure interactions and flow control.

While the master's program will focus on experiential learning and industry collaboration, the doctoral program will foster research excellence within the aerospace engineering discipline and industry, according to a FAMU report.

In addition, the master's program will have a 30-credit requirement and the doctoral degree will require 48 credits for those with a master's degree but 60 credits for those entering with a bachelor's degree. The tuition rate will be about $405 per credit hour for Florida resident students and $1,022 per credit hour for nonresident students.

Last year, a Ph.D. in material sciences and engineering started being offered through the joint school, preparing graduates for occupations such as materials engineers or scientists, architectural managers, engineering managers and postsecondary faculty.

More: FSU, FAMU to add doctoral degrees in 'hot,' in-demand fields beginning fall 2023

With the aerospace engineering programs, students will be prepared for careers in areas such as aerospace and defense, space missions, manufacturing, spacecraft operations and architectural designers.

The university’s projected enrollment goal is to have 25 students in both programs combined during its first year of being implemented before growing to an expected 75 students in the programs by year five.

FAMU's Board of Trustees Chair Kristin Harper and trustee Nicole Washington — who also serves as chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee — both agreed that the aerospace engineering programs will help FAMU in its push for Carnegie R1 classification (Very High Research Activity) by 2030 as the university is currently ranked Carnegie R2 (High Research Activity).

The new degree additions await approval from the full board, with a vote set to take place during a May 29 meeting that will be held via Zoom while the trustees attend a retreat in Tampa.

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU to add graduate degrees in aerospace engineering in fall 2025