The degree requires fifty semester hours of coursework beyond the bachelor's degree; however, the main emphasis is on the research leading to a PhD dissertation. The candidate must pass a qualifying examination and present a thesis proposal and a thesis defense. A GPA of 3.25 is required to graduate with a PhD degree. All coursework, including Special Problems, must be taken on a letter-grade basis. The programs of study for both the master's and doctoral degrees are very flexible and can be tailored, in agreement with the student's advisor, to meet the candidate's professional goals.

Graduate students may specialize in the following areas: aerodynamics and fluid mechanics, aero elasticity and structural dynamics, flight mechanics and control, propulsion and combustion, structural mechanics and materials behavior, and system design and optimization.

Students pursuing a doctoral degree from the School of Aerospace Engineering must complete 42 credit-hours of graduate-level coursework:

• Complete one (1) semester of the AE Graduate Seminar course (AE8801) during the first year in residence in the AE graduate program;
• No fewer than 36 credit-hours of coursework must be at the 6000-level or above;
• Up to six (6) credit-hours of graduate coursework may be taken at the 4000-level;
• Any 4000-level courses taken as a required course in the undergraduate AE major cannot count toward the fulfillment of the doctoral degree;
• Up to 30 credit-hours of coursework may come from the fulfillment of a masters degree, earned at Georgia Tech or at any accredited institution in the world.