Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Unmanned Vehicle Systems (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
About This Program
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS) offered through the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department will educate graduate students and train practicing engineers in selected areas required for the design, development and operation of UVS including Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Unmanned Ground Systems (UGS) and Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS). The certificate program will emphasize the common aspects of UVS including sensors, actuators, communications and more importantly decision-making capabilities (autonomy), while also covering development of domain-specific mobile platforms such as airplane, rotorcraft, Ackerman steering car and boat. A student after completing this program will be familiar with the UVS-related concepts, theories and enabling technologies, and their interrelations while at the same time gaining a focused experience in specific areas of the student's choice. This program will also give students the opportunity to gain practical experience contributing to a larger system by working in a multidisciplinary environment. This program aims at the dual goal of providing the UVS industry with a knowledgeable, locally available workforce and developing career opportunities for its participants.
Competencies
- Upon completion, the students will be able to apply "systems thinking" to design an autonomous vehicle to satisfy specific mission requirements.
- Upon completion, the students will be able to integrate sensors, actuators, and software on a mobility platform.
- Upon completion, the students will be able to select appropriate sensing, and control algorithms and deploy them on a mobility platform.
Admissions Criteria
- A Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline with a minimum GPA of 3.0 or a current enrollment in an engineering graduate program at UTA with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
- An essay detailing the applicant's background and skills as pertaining to UVS, interest in a specific domain and expected benefit from completing this program.
- Two recommendation letters explaining how the applicant will contribute to the certificate program and how the applicant will benefit by completing the program.
Those who desire to complete the certificate program without enrolling in graduate degree program must be admitted to UTA as a non-degree seeking student.
Curriculum
| Foundations | ||
| AE 5378 | INTRODUCTION TO UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEMS | 3 |
| or ME 5378 | INTRODUCTION TO UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEMS | |
| AE 5379 | UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| or ME 5379 | UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 9 hours from the following with at least 6 hours from AE and ME and up to 3 hours from the additional areas: | 9 | |
| Aerospace Engineering (AE) | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN AEROSPACE ENGINEERING (with prior approval of advisor when topic is relevant) | ||
| ADVANCED FLIGHT MECHANICS | ||
| CLASSICAL METHODS OF CONTROL SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS | ||
| OPTIMAL ESTIMATION OF DYNAMIC SYSTEMS | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS | ||
| CONTROL SYSTEM COMPONENTS | ||
| GUIDANCE, NAVIGATION, AND CONTROL OF AEROSPACE VEHICLES | ||
| FLIGHT VEHICLE SYNTHESIS AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING | ||
| NONLINEAR SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND CONTROLS | ||
| DESIGN OF DIGITAL CONTROL SYSTEMS | ||
| Mechanical Engineering (ME) | ||
| CLASSICAL METHODS OF CONTROL SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS | ||
| DYNAMIC SYSTEMS MODELING | ||
| OPTIMAL CONTROL OF DYNAMIC SYSTEMS | ||
| OPTIMAL ESTIMATION OF DYNAMIC SYSTEMS | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS | ||
| CONTROL SYSTEM COMPONENTS | ||
| NONLINEAR SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND CONTROLS | ||
| DESIGN OF DIGITAL CONTROL SYSTEMS | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (with prior approval of advisor when topic is relevant) | ||
| Electrical Engineering (EE) | ||
| INTELLIGENT CONTROL SYSTEMS | ||
| MICROPROCESSOR SYSTEMS | ||
| EMBEDDED MICROCONTROLLER SYSTEMS | ||
| Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) | ||
| REAL-TIME SOFTWARE DESIGN | ||
| ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE I | ||
| ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE II | ||
| ROBOTICS | ||
| Industrial Engineering (IE) | ||
| AUTOMATION AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING | ||
| PRODUCT DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCIBILITY, AND RELIABILITY DESIGN | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO SYSTEMS ENGINEERING | ||
| Engineering (ENGR) | ||
| ENGINEERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Suggested Course Sequence
The recommended progression in the program is (1) start with AE 5378 or ME 5378, which will raise awareness with UVS-related subjects in the following coursework, (2) take 9 credit hours of coursework and any prerequisite if applicable for the elective course selected, and (3) complete the certificate program with AE 5379 or ME 5379. Prerequisites to the elective courses will not be counted towards the 15 hour requirement.
Program Completion
Students must complete coursework with a 3.0 grade point average or better. A grade of C or better is required in all courses counted towards the completion of the certificate.
Advising Resources
Advising can be conducted in person or remotely via Teams. Please email your advisor to schedule an appointment. The advising form can be downloaded from the MAE Grad Advising Canvas page. First consult with your advisor if you are planning a Leave of Absence, Grade Forgiveness, or Change of Program.
Location:
306 Woolf Hall
Email:
MAEGradAdvising@uta.edu
Phone:
817-272-2500