The Schooling Required to Become an Aerospace Engineer

Aerospace engineers lead highly technical and specialized careers.

Aerospace engineers are highly trained creative professionals who are primarily responsible for developing spacecraft and aircraft, though they can also work in fields such as robotics, software and automobile design, and even ship design, according to Aerospace Web. Qualifications for such technologically advanced careers often include graduate degrees and specialized on-the-job training, but most aerospace engineers begin their schooling as undergraduates studying mechanical engineering, physics or mathematics.

Undergraduate Degrees

Aerospace engineers can begin work with a bachelor of science or bachelor of engineering degree, though most explore advanced training throughout their careers. Many schools around the world offer undergraduate programs in engineering; most engineers graduate with specialties in electrical or electronics engineering, mechanical engineering or civil engineering, according to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Engineers with these qualifications can also work in a related engineering discipline and have the opportunity to specialize in aerospace engineering.

Professional Degrees

Graduate training is essential for academic engineering positions, as well as for advanced job placement and responsibilities, but it is not necessary for entry-level jobs. Graduate degrees offer engineers the opportunity to earn credentials specific to aerospace engineering, with concentrations such as astronautics, engineering and the environment, and micro and nanoscale engineering, according to Cornell University. The retirement of engineers and the recent decline in engineers with graduate degrees has resulted in a 10 percent increase in the demand for aerospace engineers, according to BLS.

Further Advanced Training

Most aerospace engineers end their university education with a master of engineering or master of science degree. However, full-time and tenured faculty in academia should have doctor of philosophy (Ph. D.) degrees. Doctoral degrees emphasize cross-disciplinary research and prepare engineers for high-level academic, research and leadership positions, according to Cornell University. Aerospace engineers who decide not to pursue a doctoral degree can further their education with job-specific classes. Firms such as White Eagle Aerospace, for example, offer their engineers a catalog of courses from which to choose.

Non-Engineering Education and Training

Some engineers, after a career in design, pursue graduate degrees in business administration in order to broaden their career horizons. Business training prepares aerospace engineers to work as executives of engineering firms or other non-technical careers. Others, such as aerospace engineers who work for government agencies, or those who work for firms contracted to such agencies, may need to earn a security clearance for specific projects, according to BLS. Security clearance obliges an aerospace engineer to a certain code of conduct and confidentiality which will be unique to each project.

References

• Aerospace Web: What Does an Aerospace Engineer Do?
• BLS: Engineers
• Cornell University: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Cornell University: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• White Eagle Aerospace: Aerospace Engineering Professional Development