Technical Education in the European University System on Aerospace and Remote Sensing: A Year 2013 Review [Education]

This paper offers a synthesis of the results from an extensive search that has been made on graduate courses across Europe to understand patterns and similarities in graduate-level educational activities in the field of aerospace science and engineering. 50 universities were selected as a “significant sample”, from which 150 curricula were analyzed. It has been found that the vast majority of curricula fit nicely into one of three main classes, although national regulations and heritage do probably have a role in making each class interpreted in a country-specific way. Yet, common features outweigh differences. Not surprisingly, instead, post-MSc and PhD courses offer a more inhomogeneous picture, but this is obviously not related to national differences. All in all, the scenario that emerges is that of a continent-wide good coverage of all aerospace aspects, and a good homogeneity across European countries in aerospace-related education.