Virginia Tech · Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering (Virtual campus / online version)

Awarded degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

PhDFunding not verified

Overview

A 90-credit PhD in Aerospace Engineering that the catalog lists on the Blacksburg and Virtual campuses. The catalog residency rule requires two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment in residence at Blacksburg or, with prior approval, at a designated off-campus graduate center; virtual students replace the AOE seminar with a waiver form, and exams can be held on Zoom with committee chair approval.

Official program name: Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering (Virtual campus / online version)
Awarded degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: PhD — doctor of philosophy (phd)
Engineering major: Aerospace Engineering
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Program type: Dedicated degree
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School: Virginia Tech — Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Source: aoe.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Blacksburg, VAWhere the school is located. This is not a residency requirement and does not decide whether you may enroll from your state.
Thesis / non-thesis: Dissertation
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Required credits: Minimum 90 credit hours (30 graded graduate coursework, 30 research and dissertation, 30 additional coursework and/or research)
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duration: Not verified
Start terms: Fall, Spring
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this program is listed

The graduate catalog states that in-person and online versions of the Aerospace Engineering PhD are offered (campuses: Blacksburg, Virtual), but the same catalog page prints a residency requirement of two consecutive full-time semesters at the Blacksburg campus (or an approved off-campus graduate center) without stating an exception for online students. Included by the editor (12 Oct 2026): the catalog states an online version of the PhD is offered; the two-semester Blacksburg residency rule is published as the program's physical attendance requirement, so the program is listed as online with residency required and never as fully online.

Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We list bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees in 22 engineering majors that the school offers online, and — separately labelled — Engineering Technology and hybrid programs. Campus-only degrees, certificates, generic computer science and engineering management are excluded. Eligibility rules

Format and physical attendance

How coursework is delivered, how much of the degree the online pathway covers, and what you must attend in person. “Fully online” appears only when the school states that no physical attendance is required.

Coursework delivery: Online courseworkCoursework is delivered online. Physical attendance requirements (labs, visits, exams, research) are listed separately.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Online scope: Part of the degree requires on-campus study
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Physical attendance: Residency requiredRequired in person: residency
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Class schedule: Not verified
Study intensity: Not published

In-person requirements as published

Residency Required
Catalog residency requirement: two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment in residence, with at least 12 credit hours of coursework earned while in residence. The page does not state an exception for the online version.
two consecutive full-time semesters · Blacksburg campus, or with prior approval a designated off-campus graduate center
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Residency Required
At least 12 credit hours of coursework must be earned while in residence.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Other in-person requirement Not required
Virtual students do not take the AOE 5944 seminar; they submit an AOE Seminar - Ethics & Integrity Waiver form instead (Blacksburg PhD students take four semesters).
Source: aoe.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Qualifying exam Not verified
Preliminary Examination no later than the third semester; any exam can be held on Zoom if the committee chair approves the student's request, otherwise a room is reserved on campus.
Source: aoe.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Dissertation defense Not verified
Pre-Defense and Defense (Final Examination); Zoom is possible with committee chair approval under the same department procedure. Default location not stated for virtual students.
Source: aoe.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Research, labs and practical requirements

Laboratory arrangements, capstones, internships and research requirements, as the school publishes them.

Advisor: PhD students join the program with a research supervisor already secured; the faculty advisor (chair) must be an AOE or AOE-affiliate faculty member employed by Virginia Tech.
Source: aoe.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Advisor: For distance learning/virtual students, an external committee member may serve as co-advisor (co-chair) if the student receives regular advice from that member.
Source: aoe.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Residency: Two consecutive full-time semesters in residence at Blacksburg (or approved off-campus graduate center); at least 12 credit hours earned in residence.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Qualifying exam: Preliminary Examination no later than the third semester of the PhD; it cannot be waived.
Source: aoe.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Dissertation: Minimum 30 credit hours of Research and Dissertation (AOE 7994).
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Research location: No page found states where a virtual student's dissertation research must take place.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Online engineering PhD attendance requirements

Curriculum

At least six AOE graduate-level courses, including one course in three of four breadth areas and one mathematics/statistics/numerical-methods course; up to 15 transfer credits with committee approval.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other

Catalog lists the program on the Blacksburg and Virtual campuses.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 3 — Minimum GPA 3.0
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation; they can be uploaded during the review process.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Other requirement: RequiredA research supervisor (AOE faculty advisor) must be secured before joining the PhD program.
Source: aoe.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Optional
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
IELTS Academic: Required — minimum 6.5Listed as TOEFL alternative for applicants who must show English proficiency.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
Dec 30 · for Fall
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
Sep 1 · for Spring
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
Resident (in-state) — Graduate Extended or Virtual Campus, Tuition - Virginia ResidentFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$1,027	per credit · 2026-2027Estimated tuition$92,430 = 90 credits × $1,027 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required in-person sessions, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: bursar.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Nonresident (out-of-state) — Graduate Extended or Virtual Campus, Tuition - Non-Virginia ResidentFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$1,996.75	per credit · 2026-2027Estimated tuition$179,707.50 = 90 credits × $1,996.75 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required in-person sessions, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: bursar.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Estimated total tuition: $179,707.50 (90 credits × $1,996.75 per credit)

Comparison basis: Nonresident (out-of-state) — Graduate Extended or Virtual Campus, Tuition - Non-Virginia Resident, 2026-2027. Excludes mandatory fees, books, living costs and any rate changes during the program. How we calculate

Other published fees

Engineering Supplemental Fee, graduate part-time (1-6 credit hours): $500 per semesterMandatory
Source: bursar.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Engineering Supplemental Fee, graduate full-time (7 or more credit hours): $1,000 per semesterMandatory
Source: bursar.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Funding

Funding policy and awards exactly as the school publishes them. Competitive scholarships and assistantships are not guaranteed funding; loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Campus assistantships are not assumed to be open to distance students. Online engineering tuition and scholarships

Funding classification: Funding not verified

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable.

Distance students: The catalog describes the online version as intended for students who are already employed.
Source: catalog.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Employment conditions: Department manual: students receiving a GRA or GTA stipend must arrive at the VT campus by the contract start date; working virtually outside Virginia is not permitted. No funding statement for virtual PhD students was found.
Source: aoe.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Scholarships, fellowships or assistantships for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation and enrollment restrictions

Institutional accreditation covers the whole school; ABET accreditation covers only the program, degree and campuses or delivery its record lists. Enrollment restrictions for online students are a separate question.

Institutional accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

No current ABET accreditation is matched to this program in ABET's database. ABET rarely accredits graduate programs; this is normal and not a mark against the program. Institutional accreditation does not imply program accreditation, and another program at the same school being accredited does not cover this one.

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

Virginia Tech is an institutional participant in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) arrangement. Official pageSource: vtonline.vt.edu · verified October 12, 2026

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

Licensure and professional disclosures

What the school publishes about professional licensure or certification. Meeting a state's educational requirements is only one part of licensure: examinations, post-degree supervised experience, background checks and a board application follow. This directory does not decide whether you qualify.

A professional licensure disclosure for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Professional Engineer licensure is decided by the board of the state where you apply — not by the school's state — and usually involves education, the FE exam, experience and the PE exam. A degree listed here is not a licensure guarantee. Engineering licensure and online degrees · Engineering vs engineering technology

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 12, 2026.

catalog.vt.edu/graduate/degree-programs/aerospace-engineering/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
catalog.vt.edu/graduate/degree-programs/aerospace-engineering/aerospace-engineering-phd/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
vtonline.vt.edu/State-Authorizations-SARA.html — Official disclosure page, verified October 12, 2026
aoe.vt.edu/content/dam/aoe_vt_edu/programs/graduate/forms/AOE_Graduate_P-P.pdf — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
aoe.vt.edu/content/dam/aoe_vt_edu/programs/graduate/forms/Plan-of-Study_PHD_2026.pdf — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
aoe.vt.edu/graduate/degrees-and-certificates/phd-aerospace.html — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
bursar.vt.edu/content/dam/bursar_vt_edu/tuition/ay-2627/2026-2027%20Tuition%20%20Fee%20Rates%20with% — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026

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Key facts

Degree
PhD · PhD
Major
Aerospace Engineering
ABET
Not matched for this program
Delivery
Online coursework
Physical attendance
Online coursework; required in person: residency
Online scope
Partly on campus
Study intensity
Study intensity not published
Length
Minimum 90 credit hours (30 graded graduate coursework, 30 research and dissertation, 30 additional coursework and/or research)
Tuition
$1,027 per creditResident (in-state) — Graduate Extended or Virtual Campus, Tuition - Virginia Resident, 2026-2027
Next deadline
No upcoming verified date
Location
Blacksburg, VA

The school publishes enrollment restrictions for online students. Check your state before applying. Details

Official program page How to apply

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