The Role of Design in Aerospace Engineering Education

There is a crisis in undergraduate aerospace design education. Industry perceives it as lack of integrative design experience in the curriculum. Faculty members are concerned with the academic disincentives that apply to teachers of engineering design. This paper discusses the role of design in aerospace education and the qualifications for design instructors. It also proposes a means for addressing the design crisis in a way that is consistent with the current academic hiring and reward system.