Auburn vs. Penn State: Which Has Better Undergraduate Aerospace Engineering Research Opportunities?

The main tradeoff is Penn State’s much broader research ecosystem and federal-lab connections versus Auburn’s smaller aerospace program, where it can be easier to build direct relationships with professors and join a lab early. For propulsion, aircraft design, and space-related systems, Penn State offers more distinct research groups and a larger volume of aerospace-adjacent work across engineering. Its aerospace department also benefits from connections to the Applied Research Laboratory and the Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence, creating unusual exposure to rotorcraft, autonomy, aerodynamics, controls, and defense-related engineering research.

Penn State is particularly strong for a student who wants multiple possible research directions before narrowing a focus. There are opportunities connected to propulsion and fluid mechanics, aircraft and rotorcraft design, structures, unmanned systems, and space-oriented engineering. One important practical detail is that some Applied Research Laboratory projects can have citizenship, export-control, or clearance restrictions, so not every project will be equally accessible to every undergraduate. Still, the overall number of faculty labs, research centers, and graduate-student-led projects gives undergraduates many entry points.

Auburn has credible undergraduate research options, especially for students who take initiative early. Its aerospace faculty conduct work in areas such as aerodynamics, propulsion, flight dynamics and controls, and aerospace structures, while Auburn’s National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence can be valuable for students interested in aircraft components, advanced materials, and manufacturing. Auburn’s design teams and hands-on engineering culture may also make it easier to connect classroom learning with project work.

For the specific interests you listed, Penn State has the stronger overall undergraduate research platform because of its greater breadth, specialized aerospace centers, and deeper research infrastructure. Auburn can still be an excellent choice if you prefer a more personal program and are prepared to contact professors early, but Penn State provides more ways to explore propulsion, aircraft design, and space systems before committing to one niche.