These Colleges Teach the AI Skills Future NASA Engineers Need

Future NASA engineers will need to know more than just how to build rockets and planes. They will also need to know how to work with artificial intelligence, or AI — the technology that helps computers think and make decisions. A small number of universities across the United States have built special programs that teach both aerospace engineering and AI together, giving students the skills they need for tomorrow's space missions.

For a long time, students who wanted to study both fields had to piece together courses from two separate departments on their own. That was hard and took extra time. But now, several schools have created programs that combine the two subjects in one place, making it much easier for students to get the training they need.

Arizona State University, or ASU, offers a master's degree in AI engineering that added an aerospace focus in January. Students take classes in topics like machine learning, computer vision, and robotics, along with aerospace electives. The program takes about 30 credits — roughly 10 classes — and most students finish in one to two years. To apply, students should already know programming languages like Python and MATLAB.

The University of Colorado Boulder has a graduate program in aerospace engineering that lets students focus on autonomous systems. Autonomous systems are machines — like robots or spacecraft — that can operate on their own without a person controlling every move. Students learn about robotics, artificial intelligence, and how to control uncrewed vehicles. The school is located near big aerospace companies like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, giving students great chances to find jobs after graduation. Fifteen of its graduates have become astronauts, including Jack Swigert, who piloted Apollo 13 and famously radioed Houston to report the crew 'had a problem.'

Georgia Tech takes a different approach by offering a Ph.D. program in machine learning that is shared across several colleges, including its aerospace engineering school. This means a student can earn a doctorate in machine learning while being guided by aerospace professors. About 25 to 30 students join this program each year. The Atlanta campus sits close to major airplane manufacturing sites, including a Lockheed Martin facility that employs 6,500 workers.

Purdue University offers its autonomy program fully online, making it the easiest option for people who already have jobs and want to keep working while they study. The 30-credit program pulls courses from several engineering departments, covering topics like deep learning, reinforcement learning, and multi-agent control. Students can complete the coursework on their own schedule. This flexibility makes Purdue's program stand out from the others on this list.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, offers one of the first degrees of its kind: a master's program in uncrewed and autonomous systems engineering. Students must already have an engineering background before they can apply. The 30-credit, in-person program is split evenly between required courses and electives, and it ends with a thesis or a major project. What makes this program special is that it teaches autonomous systems across many fields — including aircraft, ground vehicles, ships, and spacecraft.