Jun 07, 2026  
Working Undergraduate Catalog 2026-2027 
    
Working Undergraduate Catalog 2026-2027

Aerospace Studies Minor


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A minor in Aerospace Studies (AES) is a minor in leadership.  It can be paired with any accredited undergraduate degree, and it is designed to recruit, educate and develop different, daring and diverse future leaders and give them the fundamental knowledge and skills required to lead small and large teams and organizations.  Early courses cover the culture and history of the Air and Space Forces before moving into team building, followership, and leadership fundamentals; later courses focus on full-spectrum leadership, ethics, large-organization management, Constitutional authority, elements of power, National Security and the National Defense Strategy.  This minor is primarily geared towards Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) cadets seeking a commission as officers in the United States Air Force (USAF) or United States Space Force (USSF) (see Air Force ROTC for more information); however, students not selected for, or not seeking a commission in the USAF or USSF may still earn an AES minor, and the knowledge, skills, and experience gained will help prepare them for future government and industry leadership and management roles. 

Please see the UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering webpage for information about the minor, faculty and facilities. Degree worksheets and 4/5 year plans for the minor are available on the UNLV Degrees Directory.

Admission Policies

Students must meet with an AES advisor before being admitted to the minor.  Cadets must meet USAF and USSF academic and physical requirements to compete for commissioning.

Academic Policies

A minimum CGPA of 2.0 must be maintained in order to continue in the AES minor.  Grades lower than a C- in AES courses will not count toward the minor.

Advising


Please see advising information at the UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering Student Advising Center.

Accreditation


For information regarding accreditation at UNLV, please head over to Academic Program Accreditations.

University Graduation Requirements


To obtain this minor, you must be a degree seeking undergraduate student pursuing an approved UNLV bachelor’s degree. Please see Graduation Policies  for complete information.

Aerospace Studies Minor - Total Credits: 28 Credits


Elective Courses - Credits: 12


Students must complete at least 12 credits in any of the following electives, or in Department Chair-approved courses.  Only cadets actively pursuing a USAF or USSF commission may take AES Leadership Laboratory (LLAB), and all LLABs are required for commissioning.  The Department Chair may waive AES 111 and 121 for qualified students.

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