Aeronautical Engineering

Types of Degrees Aeronautical Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many aerospace and aeronautical engineering graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	5,581
Master’s Degree	1,880
Doctor’s Degree	361
Graduate Certificate	134
Associate Degree	27
Basic Certificate	18

What Aeronautical Engineering Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to aerospace engineering were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Aerospace Engineering Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in aerospace engineering should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Aerospace Engineering Majors

aerospace engineering majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Aerospace Engineering Majors

As you progress with your aerospace engineering degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Aeronautical Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with aerospace engineering:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Aerospace Engineers	6.0%	$115,220
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 5,581 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace and aeronautical engineering in 2021, making it rank #76 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 85% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of aerospace engineering majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	569
Black or African American	140
Hispanic or Latino	683
White	3,433
International Students	370
Other Races/Ethnicities	386

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Aerospace Engineering. About 6.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• India
• China
• South Korea
• Malaysia
• France

How Much Do Aeronautical Engineering Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering have a median salary of $65,118 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $62,681 (25th percentile) and $67,119 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to aerospace engineering so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Aerospace Engineering majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $113,680 to $148,970 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Aeronautical Engineering

Some degrees associated with aerospace engineering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to aerospace engineering have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	46.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	4.9%
Master’s Degree	27.1%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	3.4%
Doctoral Degree	11.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.4%

Online Aeronautical Engineering Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 91 schools offered some type of aerospace and aeronautical engineering program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	1
Bachelor’s Degree	5	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	67	12
Post-Master’s	6	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	51	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Is a Degree in Aeronautical Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a aerospace engineering grad is $117,100 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 193% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,544,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Aeronautical Engineering

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to aerospace engineering.

Major	Number of Grads
Mechanical Engineering	46,178
Electrical Engineering	28,844
Civil Engineering	21,388
Computer Engineering	17,987
Chemical Engineering	12,917
Biomedical Engineering	12,811
General Engineering	11,796
Industrial Engineering	9,072
Systems Engineering	3,904
Materials Engineering	3,415
Other Engineering	2,760
Environmental Engineering	2,759
Operations Research	1,698
Agricultural Engineering	1,472
Engineering Science	1,454
Electrical and Computer Engineering.	1,378
Petroleum Engineering	1,256
Robotics Engineering	1,243
Architectural Engineering	1,012
Engineering Physics	994
Manufacturing Engineering	947
Construction Engineering	878
Nuclear Engineering	864
Marine Engineering	445
Biological Engineering	410
Polymer & Plastics Engineering	360
Geoscience Engineering	325
Mining Engineering	314
Textile Engineering	310
Ocean Engineering	285
Engineering Mechanics	272
Metallurgical Engineering	179
Energy Systems Engineering	138
Biochemical Engineering	109
Ceramic Engineering	94
Surveying Engineering	73
Electromechanical Engineering	45
Forest Engineering	41
Paper Science & Engineering	27
Engineering Chemistry	13

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Ian3055 under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.