Aerospace Engineering

1. Aerospace Engineering Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

2. Aerospace Engineering Overview: Aerospace engineers create machines, from airplanes that weigh over a half a million pounds to spacecraft that travel over 17,000 miles an hour. They design, develop, and test aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles and supervise the manufacture of these products. Aerospace engineers develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and space exploration, often specializing in areas such as structural design, guidance, navigation and control, instrumentation and communication, or production methods. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

3. Aerospace Engineering Overview (continued): Aerospace engineers may specialize in a particular type of aerospace product, such as commercial transports, military fighter jets, helicopters, spacecraft, or missiles and rockets. Aerospace engineers typically are employed in the aerospace product and parts industry, although their skills are becoming increasingly valuable in other fields. For example, in the motor vehicles manufacturing industry, they design vehicles that have lower air resistance and, thus, increased fuel efficiency. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

4. Aerospace Engineering Preparation: A bachelor's degree in engineering is required for almost all entry-level engineering jobs. Most engineering programs involve a concentration of study in an engineering specialty, along with courses in both mathematics and science. Most programs include a design course, sometimes accompanied by a computer or laboratory class or both. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

5. Aerospace Engineering Preparation (continued): A degree in Aerospace Engineering might include courses in fluid mechanics, heat transfer, applied aerodynamics, analytical mechanics, flight vehicle design, trajectory dynamics, and aerospace propulsion systems. Admissions requirements for engineering schools include a background in mathematics (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus) and science (biology, chemistry, physics), and courses in English, social studies, humanities, and computer and information technology. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

6. Aerospace Engineering Preparation (continued): Those interested in a career in Aerospace Engineering should consider reviewing engineering programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. Accreditation is based on an evaluation of an engineering program's student achievement, program improvement, faculty, curricular content, facilities, and institutional commitment. A list of universities offering accredited degrees in Aerospace Engineering is available at the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life– Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

7. Aerospace Engineering Day in the Life: Beginning engineering graduates usually work under the supervision of experienced engineers. As new engineers gain knowledge and experience, they are assigned more difficult projects with greater independence to develop designs, solve problems, and make decisions. Engineers may advance to become technical specialists or to supervise a staff or team of engineers and technicians. Some may eventually become engineering managers or enter other managerial or sales jobs. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

8. Aerospace Engineering Day in the Life (continued): Teams and Coworkers Almost all jobs in engineering require some sort of interaction with coworkers. Whether they are working in a team situation, or just asking for advice, most engineers have to have the ability to communicate and work with other people. Engineers should be creative, inquisitive, analytical, and detail-oriented. They should be able to work as part of a team and to communicate well, both orally and in writing. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment –Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

9. Aerospace Engineering Day in the Life (continued): Tasks Aerospace engineers often use computer-aided design (CAD) software, robotics, and lasers and advanced electronic optics. They may be experts in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanics, propulsion, acoustics, or guidance and control systems. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

10. Aerospace Engineering Day in the Life (continued): The Workplace Aerospace Engineers work in a variety of settings, and will normally work in an office environment, although time may be spent on site at research facilities, launch sites, and laboratories. They work in many industries, but primarily in the aerospace product and parts industry. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

11. Aerospace Engineering Earnings: According the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income for aerospace engineers is $92,520. The lowest 10% earned $58,130. The highest 10% earned $134,570. According to a July 2009 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average starting salary for aerospace engineers who have earned a Bachelor's degree is $56,311. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment –Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

12. Aerospace Engineering Employment: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, aerospace engineers hold about 71,600 jobs in the United States. Most aerospace engineers worked in the aerospace product and parts manufacturing industries. Federal Government agencies, primarily the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, provided 10 percent of jobs. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

13. Aerospace Engineering Employment (continued): Architectural, engineering and related services, scientific research and development services, and navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing industry firms accounted for most of the remaining jobs. A sample list of employers of Aerospace Engineers is available at the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment–Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

14. Aerospace Engineering Career Path Forecast: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, aerospace engineers are expected to have 10 percent growth in employment over the projections decade of 2008-2018, about as fast as the average for all occupations. New technologies and new designs for commercial and military aircraft and spacecraft produced during the next decade should spur demand for aerospace engineers. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment –Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

15. Aerospace Engineering Career Path Forecast (continued): The employment outlook for aerospace engineers appears favorable. Although the number of degrees granted in aerospace engineering has begun to increase after many years of declines, new graduates continue to be needed to replace aerospace engineers who retire or leave the occupation for other reasons. Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment –Career Path Forecast–Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

16. Aerospace Engineering Resources: More information about Aerospace Engineering is available at the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, including employer lists, accredited aerospace engineering programs, suggestions for precollege students, a free monthly careers newsletter, and a PDF that summarizes the field. Associations: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aerospace and Electronics Systems Society of the IEEE Aerospace Industries Association American Astronautical Society Society of Flight Test Engineers Overview –Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.