Civil engineers move mountains; cosmic engineers move galaxies (sometimes with a bit of help from their friends the mechanical engineers, who invented the Infinite Improbability Drive). Whether constructing a hyperspace bypass, spinning up a new planet from interstellar dust, or designing the next generation of space exploration vehicles to take galactic adventurers to infinity and beyond, cosmic engineers have the Right Stuff for the challenges ahead.

At UC Berkeley, cosmic engineering is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary specialty, a nebula that combines all the engineering disciplines with astronomy, cosmology, physics, planetary science and more. Our faculty are light years ahead of their peers, while our students are sought after by cutting-edge firms and bureaucracies throughout the galaxy, from SpaceX and NASA to the United Federation of Planets and the Vogon Planning Council.

Programs

Rocket science

Design, build and launch multi-stage rockets for scientific and industrial use.

And once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That’s not my department…

Director: Professor Wehrner von Braun

Planetary construction

Intermediate course in the theory and practice of building new planets, be they gas giants or dwarf rocks. Students will get plenty of practice for engineering the cosmos in our network of planetary labs.

Director: Professor Geoff Marcy