Date: July 9, 2025, 11:00 AM (UTC+8)
Speaker: Prof. Mike Gruntman
Title: Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering Program at University of Southern California
Biography
Dr. Mike Gruntman is Professor of Astronautics at the University of Southern California. He is a specialist in space science and space technology. Mike served as the founding chairman of the Department of Astronautical Engineering at USC from 2004-2007 and chaired it again from 2016-2019. He has been directing, without interruption, the Master’s program in astronautical engineering at USC since the mid-1990s. His research interests include astronautics, space physics, instrumentation and sensors, rocketry and propulsion, space mission and satellite design, space technologies and applications, orbital debris, space education, and the history of rocketry, spacecraft, and missile defense. Mike authored and co-authored more than 300 scholarly publications, including 6 books. Dr. Gruntman is a Member (Academician) of the International Academy of Astronautics and Associate Fellow of AIAA.
Abstract
The Department of Astronautical Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC) focuses on space engineering education. It is a unique space-engineering program in the United States where such studies usually constitute parts of aerospace departments. In addition to full-time on-campus students, its flagship Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering (MS ASTE) degree program reaches working professionals online through distance education. The talk describes the origin, rationale, focus, structure, coursework, and reach of USC’s MS ASTE degree program. It concludes with the lessons learned in program development, which contributed to its success.
