Department of Aerospace Engineering

The Department of Aerospace Engineering at King Abdulaziz University was established in 1980 under the name of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, as the first of its kind in the Kingdom. Initially, it was part of the "Department of Mechanical Engineering" to meet the development needs in the fields of aviation and space technology. In 1982, the University Council restructured the Department of Mechanical Engineering into three separate departments: the Department of Production and Mechanical Systems Design Engineering, the Department of Thermal Engineering and Water Desalination Technology, and the Department of Aeronautical Engineering. In 2019, the department's name was changed to the Department of Aerospace Engineering to align with the Kingdom's strategic developments as outlined in Saudi Vision 2030, followed by the establishment of the Saudi Space Authority. This change reflects the regional and global shift towards empowering and developing the space sector, as well as the trend among many prestigious aerospace engineering departments at top universities worldwide to update their curricula to address this emerging need, which also led to changes in their academic titles. The department aims to prepare generations of aerospace engineers capable of assuming responsibilities in this vital field and providing qualified human resources to meet the nation’s needs and support Saudi Vision 2030.