The Influence of Curriculum on Aerospace Design Decisions

Structural design decisions, materials selections, and the choice of analysis methods used in practice are derived from the engineer's education and experience. Details of two new aerospace structural technical elective courses; Composite Materials, and Crashworthiness, are presented to illustrate how new ideas may be introduced into the crowded aero engineering curriculum. Details of some courses in aero structures and materials are presented in the appendix. Close coordination between engineering educators and engineers in practice will result in improved course content, and better design decisions in the future.