AFIT Hypersonics Education
AFIT is one of only a select few universities to offer a graduate certificate in hypersonic topics.
AFIT has a long history in hypersonic instruction going back over three decades. Starting with Introductory Hypersonics first offered in 1988. AFIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics now routinely offers five courses on hypersonic topics.
AFIT produces master's and doctoral graduates who are experts in hypersonic systems, components, and countermeasures. Our students develop technical knowledge and critical thinking skills during their coursework and research projects - and leverage their enhanced capabilities throughout the remainder of their careers.
Since 2002, AFIT faculty have advised 159 graduate thesis and dissertations with clear hypersonic weapon system applicability.
AFIT's Graduate Certificate in Hypersonic Flight is designed for students with traditional engineering backgrounds (primarily aerospace and mechanical engineers) and produces graduates who can understand, evaluate, and communicate the unique complexities of the hypersonic flight environment. This program consists of four courses - three core and one elective. The core courses cover the unique complexities of the hypersonic flight environment as well as hypersonic propulsion concepts. The elective course may be selected from the areas of computational simulation, reentry dynamics, non-equilibrium processes, or rocket propulsion.
AFIT's unique mix of military and civilian faculty provide both academic leadership and operational insights to guide student projects including the capability to conduct classified research.
Due to the high cost of flight and ground testing, simulations are a very cost-effective method of investigating hypersonic phenomena. The computational fluid dynamists at AFIT have access to state-of-the-art computer resources. Both government and industry flow-field and radiation solvers are available to characterize the complex hypersonic flows in the simulated environments.
AFIT partners with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics, the DoD High-Performance Computing Modernization Program, and others to execute hypersonic research projects addressing vehicle design, engine development, control approaches, and high temperature materials development.
AFIT faculty are active members of university led research teams working on projects for the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics. The 18 research teams garnered a combined total of $25.5 million in funding focusing on critical hypersonic technology.
