Aerospace Engineering

[zaichiki]

Anybody have a ds/dd who is studying for an undergrad degree in Aerospace Engineering?  What colleges did your child consider? Where did they end up? What do you think of their experience?

 

Ds is interested in Embry Riddle.  He has buddies looking at other Engineering  programs at RPI and WPI... I'd like him to broaden his search a bit, but he's convinced it's Aerospace all the way.

 

Staring down college apps and starting to get twitchy...  

[school17777]

One of ds's friends applied to Penn State for Aerospace Engineering. He didn't get accepted into Main for this, so he chose his second choice, University of South Florida. He loves it there and plans, at this point, to stay down there. U of SF is also a lot cheaper than PS.

[school17777]

Db

Edited August 6, 2016 by school17777

[PinkTulip]

My 15-yo son is interested in this and has his eye on Purdue.

[Miss Tick]

According to DH, the top undergraduate Aerospace Engineering programs are:

MIT

Purdue

Georgia Tech

Michigan

 

He teaches at one and studied at another.

 

Embry Riddle has recently started focusing more on research, but traditionally it has been a flight and aviation tech school. If your ds is interested in flight and av tech aspects primarily, you may want to change your search to look at "Aviation Schools" rather than Aerospace Engineering. There are a lot of strong schools besides Embry Riddle to consider.

 

If he is interested in engineering with a strong focus on aviation, having a wider choice of engineering majors at the school he attends can mean a greater variety of classes and teachers.

 

Many of the schools with strong Aerospace programs also have Aviation programs, which can add additional options.

[Guest]

Is he going ROTC? That may be a way to narrow down the starting list.

[StillStanding]

My best friend's son is starting this fall with a full ride to the University of Alabama at Huntsville.

http://www.uah.edu/eng

 

Double majoring in Mechanical & Aerospace (I think she said there is only three classes that are different between the two so he will just take those three classes).

http://www.uah.edu/eng/departments/mae

[FaithManor]

 I do not have one in college yet for this, but one that will be for 2018...my rising junior.

 

His short list:

 

Embry Riddle

Florida Tech

University of Alabama Huntsville

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota

Western Michigan University

 

Caltech was mentioned but it is not ABET certified in Aerospace so that can be a problem for entry into NASA if that is something the student might pursue. For the most part, NASA doesn't necessarily care what college the undergrad came from, but they care very, very much about that ABET certification.

[MomatHWTK]

I'd go with Huntsville or Purdue. Huntsville for the internship opportunities; Purdue because they build astronauts. 

[JanetC]

Witchita State is another aerospace engineering school.

 

@FaithManor - I'm pretty sure you're wrong about Caltech not being a good school for people who want to work for NASA. The internship companies list looks like a who's-who of NASA contractors and JPL. They may not be on the ABET list for aerospace because it is a minor there, not a major.

[zaichiki]

Wow... thanks everybody!  (I wasn't sure I'd get any responses... heh...)

 

So, no ROTC... Also, ds isn't prioritizing aviation, but he sure wouldn't turn it down as a bonus.  His main interest is probably aeronautical design (is this actually a term?)... I  don't think he's much into space/astronauts, but he's still mulling over all the details.  

 

His strengths, as far as aerospace are concerned, are probably his incredible visual memory/attention to visual details, his interest in aviation and military history, and his visual-spatial skills. Ds has got some wicked drawing skills that could certainly be useful in this field, I think, especially when combined with CAD... His academics at his STEM high school are definitely not shabby.

 

One of my grandfathers was a pilot who worked for an aircraft engineering corporation and had patents in his name related to that work... Wondering if ds may be interested in a similar journey...

 

Well, now he's got some more researching to do... Florida, Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, Indiana, Colorado...

[FaithManor]

Witchita State is another aerospace engineering school.

 

@FaithManor - I'm pretty sure you're wrong about Caltech not being a good school for people who want to work for NASA. The internship companies list looks like a who's-who of NASA contractors and JPL. They may not be on the ABET list for aerospace because it is a minor there, not a major.

I was just there for Student Launch Initiative training, in the Marshall Space Flight Center Payload Operations building and Redstone Arsenal touring with numerous engineers in charge of each department and when several mentors of these rocket teams asked, "Where should our team members go for Aerospace Engineering?" the response was that whatever college was chosen they must be ABET certified in their major. So yes, if one is going for chemical or mechanical engineering at Caltech then the major would be certified, but if the student wants to zoom in on aerospace as a major, it would not be a good choice. These engineers emphasized again and again that NASA is not hiring anyone whose undergrad engineering major was not ABET backed.

 

That said there are a lot of mechanical engineers there so I would imagine that CalTech mechanical engineering majors are doing just fine. But again, for a kid hoping to zoom in on aerospace, it would definitely not be my first choice. If you look at the class listings between the minor and the major, there is a lot the undergrad is missing out on.

 

However, that said, a lot of kids are going to absolutely thrive in mechanical engineering. Mine won't. He has two areas of focus - aerospace and robotics (and if you think aerospace has limited choices, robotics is even worse because as a general rule colleges offer just one or two classes in it as an extension of comp sci or mechanical but nothing in too much depth leaving us with again, U of Michigan which actually has a major in it, and horrifically expensive places like Lawrence Tech or others with terrible OOS and pathetic scholarships). He's been doing advanced rocketry for years and is now shooting for SLI and even hoping to compete with the university teams. (We are making him back down on that and enter the team in the middle/high school program because he has two 7th graders on the team, and we don't think they can handle being judged at the university level. I am more than happy to note thought that Cornell won last year's university competition and is not ABET for aerospace. U of Louisville came in third and is also not Aerospace ABET either. So the aerospace students need to up their game because the mechanical engineering students are definitely holding their own!!!

 

So it is going to depend on what exactly the focused major is going to be.

 

If you are in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas then it should be noted that Western Michigan University participates in the Midwest Tuition Exchange program which means that OOS students get a significant discount off the usual OOS price tag. They are ABET certified in aerospace engineering and also have aviation programs as well as mechanical engineering so this is something to consider. Their scholarships are not huge, ranging from $4000-$12,000 per year, but with that exchange program and the top scholarship it might be affordable.

[JanetC]

So yes, if one is going for chemical or mechanical engineering at Caltech then the major would be certified, but if the student wants to zoom in on aerospace as a major, it would not be a good choice. These engineers emphasized again and again that NASA is not hiring anyone whose undergrad engineering major was not ABET backed.

 

Again, for Caltech undergrads, aerospace is a minor added on to the mechE (or possibly other?) major. It is not a major by itself. The engineering majors are certified so the degree is fine, and the place is swarming with kids interested in space.

 

To OP: Aerospace added on as a minor to a mechanical engineering program happens at other schools, too. You may way to keep an eye out for that in your searches.

Edited August 7, 2016 by JanetC

[Riverland]

You can use the SuperMatch on College Confidential to help broaden his search. 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2016 by SummerDays

[G5052]

 

Double majoring in Mechanical & Aerospace (I think she said there is only three classes that are different between the two so he will just take those three classes).

http://www.uah.edu/eng/departments/mae

 

A college friend of mine was the chief orbital engineer on the space shuttle, and if he could do it again, he said he'd either do a double major or major in mechanical at a solid aero school with an aero minor.

 

He's had periods of unemployment with the ups-and-downs of the space program, including almost a year after the shuttle program folded. He feels like mechanical with a strong areo emphasis gives you more options.

[Mama Geek]

A college friend of mine was the chief orbital engineer on the space shuttle, and if he could do it again, he said he'd either do a double major or major in mechanical at a solid aero school with an aero minor.

 

He's had periods of unemployment with the ups-and-downs of the space program, including almost a year after the shuttle program folded. He feels like mechanical with a strong areo emphasis gives you more options.

I would very much agree with this.  Dh and I have both worked in cyclical industries and having a degree that is more flexible like mechanical would have huge advantages.  We saw lots of NASA engineers out of work after the shuttle program was cancelled.

[Frances]

I would very much agree with this. Dh and I have both worked in cyclical industries and having a degree that is more flexible like mechanical would have huge advantages. We saw lots of NASA engineers out of work after the shuttle program was cancelled.

Both adults I know with aerospace engineering degrees ultimately gave up on staying gainfully employed in the field. One went back to school for an MBA and works in mid-level management for a chip maker and the other picked up some additional programming skills and joined a software company.

[Matryoshka]

A college friend of mine was the chief orbital engineer on the space shuttle, and if he could do it again, he said he'd either do a double major or major in mechanical at a solid aero school with an aero minor.

 

He's had periods of unemployment with the ups-and-downs of the space program, including almost a year after the shuttle program folded. He feels like mechanical with a strong areo emphasis gives you more options.

My dad trained and started out as an aeronautical engineer; he used to design airplanes. But he didn't want to work for the defense industry, and he ended up working most of his career as a mechanical engineer in the tech industry.

[vonfirmath]

Both adults I know with aerospace engineering degrees ultimately gave up on staying gainfully employed in the field. One went back to school for an MBA and works in mid-level management for a chip maker and the other picked up some additional programming skills and joined a software company.

 

I had NO idea it was so hard to get a job with an aerospace engineering degree.  This explains a lot for the friend I knew working retail with an aerospace degree. He eventually went back and got a Business degree instead but I was always a bit baffled he had a aerospace engineering degree and was not using it.

[BlsdMama]

Anybody have a ds/dd who is studying for an undergrad degree in Aerospace Engineering?  What colleges did your child consider? Where did they end up? What do you think of their experience?

 

Ds is interested in Embry Riddle.  He has buddies looking at other Engineering  programs at RPI and WPI... I'd like him to broaden his search a bit, but he's convinced it's Aerospace all the way.

 

Staring down college apps and starting to get twitchy...  

 

DH's undergrad is industrial engineering but his Masters is in Aeronautical Science (not Engineering) from Embry Riddle.  Employment hasn't been an issue - - especially not with so many of these companies having government contracts.  Embry Riddle offers classes on bases to servicemen which is how DH ended up getting his degree there.  That said, I think his MBA is more useful than the MS.  However, I'm sure engineering is a different ball of wax.  

 

Look at head hunting companies and see if these businesses are seeking aeronautical engineers or mechanical - something to think on.  

Edited August 10, 2016 by BlsdMama

[zaichiki]

I asked ds to read this thread... this will give him lots of new ideas to consider.  He's looking for an internship at an aerospace company in our state... something he can do all year (his senior year of high school)... 

 

I suggested that he contact (via phone or e-mail) several companies and ask if he can set up a tour or a shadow day, first. At that point, I suggested, he should ask about internship possibilities. Anyone have experience with this?  Is this the right path?  Do you have other suggestions? (His guidance counselor, even at this STEM high school, is not helping... in fact, I have heard she has left the school over the summer and the school will now have only one GC for about 400 kids...)

 

Thanks again!

[*LC]

 

 

This has high school internships

ttps://intern.nasa.gov/ossi/mobile/results.cfm?search=

 

This has other opportunities http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/Discipline.aspx?sort=ENG-Aerospace_Aerospace%20Engineering

 

Sometimes REU programs are open for high school students.

 

http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.jsp

[tampamommy]

Another suggestion to check out USAFA and USNA. It is unbelievable what the cadets get to do in aerospace and astronautical engineering!

[GoodGrief]

Georgia Tech; however, they don't have much in the way of financial aid for most out of state applicants. That said, their highly competitive (only 40 awarded) Stamps scholarship is amazing; a true full ride, with all sorts of leadership development. My daughter was chosen (though she ultimately went elsewhere), so they are certainly open to homeschoolers. And of course, if money is not an issue for you, Georgia Tech is definitely worth considering.