Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, Ph.D.

The Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics offers a Doctor of Philosophy degree on campus and through alternative residency (distance learning) and OTIDE. A research-based degree, students are required to propose, complete, and defend an approved dissertation on a research topic that contributes to the field of aerospace engineering and/or engineering science and mechanics. Students have nine years to complete the program.

Official AEM PhD program requirements for the 2025-2026 academic year catalog are documented in the graduate catalog. The graduate catalog outlines many relevant items including admission, curricular requirements, transfer credit, plan of study, qualifying exam, and many more topics.

Students that enrolled prior to fall 2025 and have not switched to the 2025-2026 catalog can find archived catalogs here.

Useful links

• Academic Calendar: events, registration, final exams, …
• AEM graduate course rotation
• AEM graduate-level math electives
• Graduate school deadlines: thesis/dissertation, 599/699 enrollment, …
• Graduate student resources: graduate student portal, forms and docs, …
• PhD-AEM checklist
  • Fall 2025 or after
  • Fall 2024
  • Prior to fall 2024
• myBama: Blackboard, DegreeWorks, student services, …
• New students (getting started): GROW, registration, ACT Card, funding, …
• Qualifying exam information