Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Aerospace Engineer

Find Schools Near

What You Need to Know About Aerospace Engineer

Occupation Description Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques.

Life As an Aerospace Engineer: What Do They Do?

  • Plan or coordinate activities concerned with investigating and resolving customers' reports of technical problems with aircraft or aerospace vehicles.
  • Evaluate and approve selection of vendors by studying past performance or new advertisements.
  • Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.
  • Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.
  • Develop design criteria for aeronautical or aerospace products or systems, including testing methods, production costs, quality standards, environmental standards, or completion dates.
  • Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations.

What an Aerospace Engineer Should Know

Aerospace Engineers state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Science: Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.

  • Helicopter Engineer
  • Aircraft Instrument Engineer
  • Automation Engineer
  • Aerospace Engineer
  • Aeronautical Engineer

Aerospace Engineer Job Outlook

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 69,600 jobs in the United States for Aerospace Engineer. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 4,200 new jobs for Aerospace Engineer by 2026. There will be an estimated 4,600 positions for Aerospace Engineer per year.

undefined

The states with the most job growth for Aerospace Engineer are Wisconsin, Utah, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Washington, West Virginia, or Kansas. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Aerospace Engineer Average Salary

The salary for Aerospace Engineers ranges between about $71,640 and $164,210 a year.

undefined

Aerospace Engineers who work in District of Columbia, Hawaii, or Virginia, make the highest salaries.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Aerospace Engineers in different U.S. states.

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $115,820
Alaska $112,890
Arizona $107,230
California $125,540
Colorado $124,070
Connecticut $106,790
District of Columbia $138,480
Florida $105,460
Georgia $114,160
Hawaii $121,100
Illinois $108,520
Indiana $95,390
Iowa $110,770
Kansas $105,540
Kentucky $98,650
Louisiana $117,170
Maryland $127,330
Massachusetts $119,700
Minnesota $113,350
Mississippi $110,760
Missouri $114,570
Montana $91,940
Nebraska $115,120
Nevada $91,850
New Jersey $115,850
New Mexico $114,340
New York $115,420
North Carolina $100,080
Ohio $112,480
Oklahoma $92,460
Oregon $109,250
Pennsylvania $108,300
Tennessee $88,180
Texas $122,570
Utah $105,320
Virginia $127,390
West Virginia $90,710
Wisconsin $85,880

What Tools & Technology do Aerospace Engineers Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Aerospace Engineers may use on a daily basis:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Python
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Microsoft Project
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Microsoft Visio
  • The MathWorks MATLAB
  • Linux
  • Microsoft Visual Basic
  • Extensible markup language XML
  • UNIX
  • National Instruments LabVIEW
  • C
  • Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • Practical extraction and reporting language Perl

How do I Become an Aerospace Engineer?

Are there Aerospace Engineers education requirements?

undefined

How Long Does it Take to Become an Aerospace Engineer?

undefined

Who Employs Aerospace Engineers?

undefined

Below are examples of industries where Aerospace Engineers work:

undefined

Those interested in being an Aerospace Engineer may also be interested in:

References:

Image Credit: Michel Villeneuve via Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.