Career in Aerospace Engineering

Engineering is one of the preferable degree courses after class 12th Science. Ranging from classic specializations to the latest ones, there is an array of tech programs one can sign up for. One such young yet prominent decision is Aerospace Engineering. Today, Aerospace Engineers use their logical and creative skills to design aircraft, missiles, spacecraft, and weapons systems. Do want to pursue a career in Aero Engineering? If yes, this blog will provide insights on what it as a career entails, the courses offered as well as major educational institutions you can choose from.

What Is Aerospace Engineering?

Leading the list of Best Engineering Courses in Future, Aerospace Engineering deals with the design, development, and maintenance of spacecraft, aircraft, missiles, and weapons systems. It consists largely of Mechanical Engineering subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Drafting, Computer Applications, Robotics, Aeronautics, Structures, Electricity, etc. Once the curriculum of the course is complete, it will take a student’s career to new heights. The program is usually offered by most of the leading universities across demographies with a duration ranging from 3 to 4 years at bachelor’s level and 1 to 2 years master’s level.

Also Read: Aerospace Medicine

Roles of Aerospace Engineer

An Aerospace Engineer is in charge of managing and organizing the design of aircraft and aerospace goods, as well as producing and testing them. He or she must also examine the suggestions to decide which are technically and financially realistic. Here are some of the responsibilities of Aerospace Engineers:

• Aerospace engineers ensure that the project they are working on will result in safe aircraft and parts.
• Engineers assess product designs to ensure that they adhere to technical principles, consumer requirements, and environmental concerns.
• They guarantee that the projects fulfil design method acceptance requirements and requisite quality standards.
• Aerospace engineers check malfunctioning or damaged products to identify the origins of faults and make recommendations for possible remedies.
• They create a novel technology for applications in aviation, military, and spaceflight. Aerospace Engineers specialize in structural design, guidance, navigation, aerodynamic fluid flow, robotics, propulsion, combustion, and other areas.
• Aerospace engineers are in charge of overseeing the construction of aircraft, as well as the installation of engines, instruments, and other equipment.
• They must engage in flight test programs to determine the rate of ascent, stall speeds, take-off lengths, and landing capacity.

Courses in Aerospace Engineering

Courses in this field are readily available in all the favoured study destinations of students. Given below is a list of some popular courses available in this specialized domain of study:

• BE/ BTech in Aerospace Engineering 
• BS/ BS(Hons) in Aerospace Engineering 
• MS in Aerospace Engineering
• ME/MTech in Aerospace Engineering 
• PhD in Aerospace Engineering

Also Read: Aerospace Engineering in Germany 

Aerospace Engineering: Subjects Covered

Below is a list of subjects covered under a BE/BTech or MTech in Aerospace Engineering programs:

• Aerodynamics
• Aircraft Design
• Aerospace Propulsion
• Flight Mechanics
• Aerospace Structural Mechanics
• Incompressible Fluid Mechanics
• Introduction to Aerospace Engineering
• Thermodynamics and Propulsion
• Spaceflight Mechanics
• Computer Concepts & C Programming
• Computer-Aided Engineering Drawing
• Airframe design
• Design optimization
• Flight dynamics and control 
• Flight testing and analysis
• Gas dynamics

Also Read: Aeronautical Engineering

Aerospace Engineering Eligibility Criteria

• Passing higher secondary or Class 12 with a minimum of 60% (55 per cent for SC/ST) in the Science stream is the basic requirement for pursuing Aerospace Engineering (Physics, Chemistry, and Math)
• The majority of degree programs in aerospace engineering are provided at the post-graduate level. The individual must have a Bachelor’s degree (BE/B Tech or equivalent) with a minimum of 60% (55 per cent for SC/ST).
• GATE scores are necessary for admission to postgraduate and doctoral programs as well as research.
• Aerospace Engineering is also open to candidates with a three-four year engineering degree, a technical certificate, a five-year architecture degree, or a postgraduate degree in mathematics/science/statistics/computer applications.
• If you want to work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States, you should know that NASA recommends a degree in Biomedical Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, Chemistry, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgy, Optical Engineering, and Oceanography. A PhD is strongly recommended for anyone interested in working with NASA.

Top Universities offering Aerospace Engineering

Various institutions offer multiple courses in this domain across the globe. Given below is the list of prominent Aerospace Universities for study abroad:

• Stanford University, United States
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States
• Imperial College of London, UK
• University College of London, UK
• University of Toronto, Canada
• The University of Melbourne, Australia
• The University of Queensland, Australia
• University of Kansas, United States
• University of Bristol, UK
• The University of Adelaide, Australia
• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
• KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
• RMIT University, Australia
• The University of Alabama, United States

List of Colleges For Aerospace Engineering in India

Most students opt to attain a degree in Aerospace Engineering from abroad but several colleges in India offer both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering. Here is a list of such colleges:

University/ College	Fees
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai	INR 9,08,400
Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal	INR 3,50,000
SRM Institute of Science and Technology,	INR 1,50,000
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Kerala	INR 2,72,000
RV College of Engineering, Karnataka	INR 2,35,224
Indian Institute of Technology Madras	INR 8,04,440
Lovely Professional University, Punjab	INR 8,04,000
Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology Shibpur, West Bengal	INR 5,44,000
BMS College of Engineering, Karnataka	INR 88,2,40
School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Uttarakhand	INR1,45,500
Chandigarh University, Punjab	INR 6,80,000
Punjab Engineering College, Punjab	INR 6,19,000
Amrita School of Engineering, Tamil Nadu	INR 1,20,000
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal	INR 8,47,500
Birla Institute of Technology, Jharkhand	INR 1,20,000
M.Tech Aerospace Engineering, Karnataka	INR 28,400
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur	INR 8,30,850
Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai	INR 1,20,000
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science	INR 14,39,500
Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology	INR 1,60,780
Amity School of Engineering,	INR 9,40,000
Dayananda Sagar University, Karnataka	INR 4,20,092
GIET University, Odisha	INR 1,20,000
BS Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu	INR 1,60,780
Malla Reddy College of Engineering Hyderabad	INR 1,14,000
Defense Institute of Advanced Technology, Pune	INR 74,400
Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Telangana	INR 1,40,000
MIT School of Engineering, Maharashtra	INR 8,18,000

Career Pathways

Graduates of Aerospace Engineering generally work in government agencies, manufacturing industries, International Space Station, or Airlines. Some graduates choose to take the academic route by going for a Master’s or PhD after BTech/B.Sc/BE, becoming researchers at universities or private organizations. Let’s look at some of the major career pathways in the same field:

Aerospace Engineer

The job responsibility of these individuals is to direct and coordinate the manufacturing, design, fabricating, modifying, and testing of aircraft and related products. These professionals have to describe a destructive and nondestructive testing framework for the strength, reliability, functionality, and durability of aircraft and its parts.

Aircraft or Spacecraft Designers

Also known as Astronautical engineers, Aircraft or Spacecraft Designers combine their creative and mechanical skills to produce and design varied types of spacecraft. Their job duties include constructing, designing, and testing missiles, aircraft, and spacecraft. 

Data Processing Manager

Data Processing Manager’s primary function is to plan, organize, and direct data processing activities. Monitoring a data processing department’s efficiency and producing cost estimates for software and hardware updates are other typical job duties of these managers. 

Also Read: Career in Engineering Physics

Others

Apart from the pathways mentioned above, options to make a career in aero engineering do not just end there. A few more have been stated below.

• Mechanical Engineer 
• Drafter
• Industrial Engineer
• Data Processing Manager
• Military
• Maintenance Engineer
• Materials Engineer
• Manufacturing System Engineer

Also Read: Career in Industrial Engineering

Top Recruiters

• NASA
• Airbus
• Boeing
• DRDO
• NAL
• HAL
• Civil Aviation Department
• ISRO

Scope & Opportunity

Although Aero Engineering is almost a century old, it still requires a great deal of creativity to build next-generation spacecraft, launch vehicles, and hypersonic aircraft. As a result, this specialist profession has evolved into a dynamic discipline with interesting job prospects and challenges. With the entry of multiple private businesses into the aerospace industry, career opportunities for recent graduates have greatly improved. The broadening scope of Aerospace Engineering can be understood below-

• Students of aero engineering receive a multi-faceted education that prepares them to manufacture and develop aeroplanes and missiles for the aviation and aerospace industries.
• Aerospace engineers also create, test, and contribute to the development of new and sophisticated defence and space science technology.
• In India, top institutions such as ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), National Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL), Defense Research and Development Laboratories (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and others employ aerospace engineers. There are also numerous work prospects in nations such as the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Indian Aerospace Engineers are also engaged by NASA.

This was all about Aerospace Engineering as a Career and the benefits of pursuing it. If you plan to make study this course from universities abroad, let Leverage Edu be your guiding angel. From helping you select a course that lines with your objectives to a country that fits your budget, we do it all for your future!