Aerospace Engineering
What you'll do in college
You'll take the fundamentals of engineering and push them to the extreme. Specialized courses include aerodynamics, jet and rocket propulsion, orbital mechanics, and flight dynamics. Instead of just machine shops, expect to run wind-tunnel experiments, test lightweight composite materials, and use flight simulators. Senior design projects usually involve building a small satellite (CubeSat), a high-altitude rocket, or a heavy-lift drone. The math is highly intense, especially regarding fluid dynamics and control systems.
What you'll do after college
Grads work at aerospace giants (Boeing, Lockheed, SpaceX, Blue Origin), defense agencies, and NASA. Career paths usually split between aeronautics (commercial planes, stealth jets, drones) and astronautics (satellites, Mars rovers, deep-space probes). A typical day revolves around high-stakes simulations (like computational fluid dynamics), stress-testing structures, and optimizing guidance systems. The work is demanding because failure isn't an option, but you get to build things that explore the sky and beyond.
Pay is solid, and many grads pursue master's degrees to specialize in propulsion or astrodynamics.
Famous graduates
- Neil Armstrong — First person to walk on the moon; B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University
- Kalpana Chawla — First woman of Indian origin in space; M.S. and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering
- Kelly Johnson — Legendary aeronautical engineer and first team leader of the Lockheed Skunk Works
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings vs. selectivity rank
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering | 74 | 6,754 | 80% / 20% | 6% | $95,868 | 95% |
| Aerospace Engineering | 65 | 5,957 | 80% / 20% | 5% | $95,190 | 95% |
| Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering | 1 | 427 | 83% / 17% | 10% | $99,749 | 95% |
| Aeronautics and Astronautics | 2 | 98 | 82% / 18% | 4% | $111,314 | 94% |
| Aeronautical Engineering | 1 | 93 | 81% / 19% | 4% | $95,059 | 93% |
| Aerospace Science and Engineering | 1 | 73 | 78% / 22% | 4% | $89,641 | 88% |
| Aeronautics and Astronautics (Course 16) | 1 | 45 | 53% / 47% | 2% | $130,795 | 94% |
| Engineering Physics (Aerospace) | 2 | 24 | 71% / 29% | 4% | $88,455 | 100% |
| Aerospace Systems Engineering | 1 | 17 | 82% / 18% | 0% | $97,045 | |
| Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering | 1 | 15 | 80% / 20% | 0% | $98,034 | |
| Systems Engineering (Aerospace) | 1 | 5 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $85,980 |