Taking Flight

MAE Adds Graduate-Level Track in Guidance Control and Dynamics

Students who enroll in the mechanical engineering or aerospace engineering master’s degrees at UCF now have not one, not two, but three tracks to choose from. The department has introduced a guidance control and dynamics track this fall to fulfill the industry’s need for engineers with these skills.

The program was developed in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and is specifically designed for industry employees who want to learn a new set of skills or update their knowledge of systems design. The track will prepare students to design effective and efficient control systems for autonomous vehicles such as drones, spacecraft and selfdriving cars. As the manufacturing of autonomous vehicles steadily increases, so does the need for engineers skilled in systems design.

“The applications for guidance, control and dynamics are ubiquitous in the aerospace and defense industry,” said Assistant Professor Tarek Elgohary, who developed the track. “As UCF leads the supply of talent to such industries, having a dedicated track addressing those areas for our graduate and professional students is only natural. Our industry partners and collaborators expressed high interest in the new program as it will provide their existing and future engineers the necessary conditions to succeed and excel in their assignments.”

Students can enroll in the guidance control and dynamics track through either the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering or the Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering. They’ll be required to take courses such as Digital Control Systems, System Control and Intermediate Dynamics. Classes will be taught both in-person and online.

To learn more about the guidance control and dynamics track, visit catalog.ucf.edu.