What Can You Do With an Aerospace Engineering Degree?

Florida Tech July 7, 2014

What can you do with an aerospace engineering degree? Pete flies through the possible career opportunities for students majoring in aerospace engineering in today’s installment of, “What can I do with THAT degree?”

Are you absolutely in love with the field of aviation, but not so in love with the idea of actually flying a plane? Do you find yourself falling more on the engineering side of the career spectrum? If so, then a career in aerospace engineering sounds like it is definitely for you — which means you’re in the right place! You see, I know a thing or two about college degrees and the types of career opportunities that can come from them. So, let’s get to it: what can you do with an aerospace engineering degree?

Shall we start with the most obvious? You could be an aerospace engineer, of course! But do you know exactly what an aerospace engineer does? In a nutshell, these types of engineers develop new technologies to improve functions in areas such as aviation, defense systems and spacecraft. On a more specific level, aerospace engineers can specialize in a number of different sub-fields, including navigation, propulsion and combustion, aerodynamic fluid flow and even structural design. In fact, it is very common for aerospace engineers to have at least one specialty in addition to their expertise in aerospace engineering.

What many aerospace engineering degree seekers don’t realize is that their degree doesn’t just limit them to aerospace engineering. A career can also be had as an aeronautical engineer with an aerospace engineering degree. What’s the difference? Well, aeronautical engineers work specifically with and specialize in aircraft. From designing aircraft, to the propulsion systems that power them, to the material the aircraft is constructed of, an aeronautical engineer is the one responsible.

Aerospace engineering majors test a rocket on Florida Tech's campus — Aerospace engineering majors test out their rocket on Florida Tech’s campus

The final career I have for your viewing pleasure today takes things a little bit further than the previous two — actually, a lot further. That’s right, your aerospace engineering degree could take you out this world and into space as an astronautical engineer, or an engineer that specializes in the science and technology of spacecraft and how they perform inside and outside of the earth’s atmosphere.

As you can now see, there are many careers out there for an aerospace engineering degree-seeker other than just becoming an aerospace engineer — which isn’t a bad thing at all. So now that you have all this information, what will be your next move? Ask not, “What can you do with an aerospace engineering degree,” but, “Where will my aerospace engineering degree fly me to?”

Have a safe flight!