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General Aeronautical Engineering

Types of Degrees General Aeronautical Engineering Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Aeronautical Engineering can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	48
Bachelor’s Degree	6,384
Master’s Degree	2,650
Doctor’s Degree	457

What General Aeronautical Engineering Majors Need to Know

Studies in General Aeronautical Engineering build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Aeronautical Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Aeronautical Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a General Aeronautical Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Aeronautical Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Aeronautical Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.5 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Aeronautical Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
PTC Creo Parametric	Computer aided design CAD software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Aeronautical Engineering graduates include:

• Radio Engineering Teacher
• Automotive Engineering Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Motion and Time Study Teacher
• Refrigeration Engineering Teacher
• Design Teacher
• Environmental Engineering Professor
• Mechanical Drawing Teacher
• Machine Design Teacher
• Electrical Engineering Lecturer
• Lecturer
• Professor
• Mining Teacher
• Marine Engineering Professor
• Sanitary Engineering Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Aeronautical Engineering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	38.1%
Bachelor’s degree	19.6%
Master’s degree	13.6%
Post-master’s certificate	12.3%
Post-doctoral training	11.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.8%
First professional degree	1.1%
Postsecondary certificate	0.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Aeronautical Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 81.3% of General Aeronautical Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,780	18.7%
Men	7,759	81.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Aeronautical Engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5,422	56.8%
Asian	1,190	12.5%
Hispanic or Latino	1,139	11.9%
Black or African American	230	2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	17	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.0%
Two or More Races	408	4.3%
Race Unknown	203	2.1%
International Students	926	9.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Aeronautical Engineering Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Aeronautical Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$77,688
4 years	$89,440
5 years	$101,440

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $101,440 — roughly 31% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Aeronautical Engineering Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for General Aeronautical Engineering. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	3
Master’s	14	11

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Aeronautical Engineering Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Aeronautical Engineering graduates earn a median of $89,440 four years after completion — roughly 135% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering	14.02
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Other	14.0299
Astronautical Engineering	14.0202
Electrical and Electronics Engineering	14.1001
Mechanical Engineering	14.1901
Agricultural Engineering	14.0301
Architectural Engineering	14.0401
Biochemical Engineering	14.4301
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering	14.0501
Biological/Biosystems Engineering	14.4501
Ceramic Sciences and Engineering	14.0601
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering	14.0702

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.