Admission Requirements
Applicants for the master’s or doctoral degrees must have a either a baccalaureate or master’s degree in engineering or science. Applicants who have completed a bachelor’s degree and wish to pursue a doctoral degree without completing a master’s degree may apply for admission in the B.S. to Ph.D. Track. The minimum admission requirements to this highly competitive track are the same as those for all doctoral applicants. Doctoral candidates shall also demonstrate through previous academic preparation the potential to carry out independent research in aerospace engineering. All applicants must meet the general requirements of the Graduate School as stated in the section of this catalog entitled "Admission Requirements and Procedures." Applicants not meeting all criteria may be admitted on a provisional or probationary basis. For applicants with no prior training in engineering or with insufficient undergraduate aerospace engineering coursework, the same minimum criteria will apply. Additionally, their records will be reviewed in relation to their mathematics, engineering, and science backgrounds, and probationary status may be a basis for acceptance of such applicants, with specific undergraduate remedial work required. The UT Arlington Aerospace Engineering Program uses the following guidelines in the admission review process:
Unconditional Admissions
Unconditional admission into the Aerospace Engineering Program requires the submission of items 1 through 5 below for each degree program. To be unconditionally admitted, an applicant must at least meet the first 4 conditions.
Master’s Program
Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate work in an appropriate engineering or science discipline. (For some international applicants where GPA calculations based on a 4.0 system is not performed, a minimum performance level of 65 percentile is expected. This minimum expectation may be higher for some countries, where less stringent grading criteria are used.) Performance in core aerospace engineering courses is of particular importance.
A GRE score of at least 400 (verbal) and 700 (quantitative). For those applicants whose GRE verbal score falls below 400, high TOEFL scores may be considered to offset the GRE verbal score.
Three favorable, veracious recommendations, via the university’s recommendation form or via recommendation letter.
A Statement of Purpose detailing the applicant’s background, education, professional goals, technical interests, and research interests.
An applicant whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL, TSE, or IELTS English proficiency test scores. Minimum performance levels expected for each test are: paper-based TOEFL score of 550 with a TWE of 3.5, computer-based TOEFL score of 223, TSE-A score of 45, IELTS score of 6.5, or TOEFL iBT total score of 84 with sectional scores that meet or exceed 22 for the writing section, 21 for the speaking section, 20 for the reading section, and 20 for the listening section.
Doctoral Program
Minimum GPA of 3.3 in the last 60 hours taken in the major field of study in an appropriate engineering or science discipline. (For some international applicants where GPA calculations based on a 4.0 system are not performed, a minimum performance level of 70 percentile is expected. This minimum expectation may be higher for some countries, where less stringent grading criteria are used.) Performance in core aerospace engineering courses is of particular importance.
A GRE score of at least 450 (verbal) and 750 (quantitative). For those applicants whose GRE verbal score falls below 450, high TOEFL scores may be considered to offset to the GRE verbal score.
Three favorable, veracious recommendations, via the university’s recommendation form or via recommendation letter.
A Statement of Purpose detailing the applicant’s background, education, professional goals, technical interests, and research interests.
An applicant whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL, TSE, or IELTS English proficiency test scores. Minimum performance levels expected for each test are: paper-based TOEFL score of 560 with a TWE of 3.5, computer-based TOEFL score of 230, TSE-A score of 45, IELTS score of 7.0, or TOEFL iBT total score of 89 with sectional scores that meet or exceed 23 for the writing section, 21 for the speaking section, 24 for the reading section, and 21 for the listening section.
Probationary Admission
Probationary admission into the Aerospace Engineering Program may be permitted under the following conditions for each degree program:
Master’s Program
If the applicant meets any three of the first four above for the master’s program.
An applicant whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL, TSE, or IELTS English proficiency test scores. Minimum performance levels expected for each test are: paper-based TOEFL score of 550 with a TWE of 3.5, computer-based TOEFL score of 223, TSE-A score of 45, IELTS score of 6.5, or TOEFL iBT total score of 84 with sectional scores that meet or exceed 22 for the writing section, 21 for the speaking section, 20 for the reading section, and 20 for the listening section.
Doctoral Program
If the applicant meets any three of the first four above for the Doctoral program.
An applicant whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL, TSE, or IELTS English proficiency test scores. Minimum performance levels expected for each test are: paper-based TOEFL score of 560 with a TWE of 3.5, computer-based TOEFL score of 230, TSE-A score of 45, IELTS score of 7.0, or TOEFL iBT total score of 89 with sectional scores that meet or exceed 23 for the writing section, 21 for the speaking section, 24 for the reading section, and 21 for the listening section.
Provisionary Admission
An applicant who is unable to supply all required documentation prior to the admission deadline, but who otherwise appears to meet admission requirements, may be granted provisional admission.
Deferred Admission
If an applicant does not present adequate evidence of meeting admission requirements, the admission decision may be deferred until admission records are complete or the requirements are met.
Denial of Admission
A candidate may be denied admission if he/she has less than satisfactory performance in two out of the first three admission criteria.
Waiver of the Graduate Record Examination
A waiver of the Graduate Record Examination may be considered for a UT Arlington graduate who has completed a BSAE degree within the past 3 years. The student’s GPA must equal or exceed 3.0 in each of two calculations: (a) in the last 60 hours of study and (b) in all undergraduate coursework completed at UT Arlington. The GRE waiver may be extended to include non-UT Arlington candidates that have undergraduate degrees in aerospace engineering (with GPA of 3.25 or above) from U.S. universities with an ABET accredited engineering program or other select U.S. universities subject to graduate advisor’s approval. The waiver of the GRE applies only to applicants for the master’s degree programs. Interested applicants should contact the Aerospace Engineering Graduate Advisor.
Criteria for Award of Fellowships and Assistantships
Applicants who demonstrate skills, experience or interests that meet the needs of the AE Graduate Program will be considered for fellowships or assistantships.
Fast Track Program for Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering
The Fast Track Program enables outstanding UT Arlington senior undergraduate students in Aerospace Engineering to satisfy degree requirements leading to a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering while completing their undergraduate studies. When senior-level students are within 15 hours of completing their undergraduate degree requirements, they may take up to 9 hours of graduate level coursework designated by the Aerospace Engineering Program to satisfy both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. In the limiting case, a student completing the maximum allowable hours (9) while in undergraduate status would have to take only 21 additional hours to meet minimum requirements for graduation in a 30 hour thesis master’s degree program (M.S.) or 27 additional hours for a non-thesis master’s degree program (M. Engr.) Interested UT Arlington undergraduate aerospace engineering students should apply to the Aerospace Engineering Program when they are within 30 hours of completing their bachelor’s degrees. They must have completed at least 30 hours at UT Arlington, achieving a GPA of at least 3.0 in those courses, and have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better in all college courses. Additionally, they must have completed at least 16 hours of specified undergraduate foundation courses with a minimum GPA of 3.3 in those courses. Program details are provided in the UT Arlington Undergraduate Catalog. Contact the Undergraduate Advisor or Graduate Advisor in Aerospace Engineering for more information about the program.
B.S. to Ph.D. Program
The B.S. to Ph.D. Program is an accelerated program in which the student bypasses the M.S. thesis and proceeds directly to the Ph.D. dissertation research. Requirements for unconditional admission the B.S. to Ph.D. Degree Program are identical to those for direct admission to the Ph.D. Degree Program.