Engineering is one of the most sought after degrees because of its job prospects. Engineers have the advantage of branching out into any work field that they want to, in case they do not enjoy it later on. Most aspirants of engineering want to pursue aerospace engineering. This field of engineering deals with aeroplanes, spacecraft and other avionic and marine vehicles. The work is quite exciting and the pay offered is much better than most other fields. Due to the increase in the number of airline companies, the demand for aerospace engineers has increased manifold over the years.
Below presented are some facts about the job and its requirements. It would be much helpful for students interested to pursue the subject.
Aerospace engineering deals with the making and maintenance of aircrafts and space vehicles. Engineers have to closely work with commercial aeroplane manufacturing companies, manufacturers of military aircrafts, National Security and Defence councils etc.
Aerospace engineers have to design aircrafts using computer aided design (CAD), test newly made parts and analyse the test results, develop superior technology, produce avionic communication instruments and much more.
Thirty eight percent of aerospace engineers are involved in the manufacture of parts and products of aerospace whereas sixteen percent are involved with research in this field. Twelve percent work with the federal government and architecture and engineering related services and only six percent are involved in control instruments and electromedical engineering manufacturing.
The annual average pay of an aerospace engineer is above $100,000. The hourly wage rate is roughly $50. The work of an aerospace engineer is full time and project managers may have to stay back for longer hours to supervise the projects.
As of 2012, there are 83,000 aerospace engineers in United States. The growth of jobs in this field is roughly 7%, which is lower than the national average. By the year 2022, there will be 6,100 jobs for graduates of aerospace engineering.
To become an aerospace engineer, a bachelor’s degree in the subject is required. High school students need to have calculus and trigonometry, chemistry, physics and mathematics in their curriculum. The scope of the course in aerospace engineering includes avionics, aerodynamics, propulsion and control and stability and other general engineering courses.
Some of the courses offered by universities include a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Usually, these courses last for 5 years. Once graduated, students can take the Fundamentals of Engineering or FE examination. After clearing it, engineering trainees or interns can work to gather experience. Once the period of work is over, they can take the Principles and Practices of Engineering examination (PE) for proper licensing.
The courses conducted in aerospace engineering are accredited to the ABET. The license that aerospace engineers obtain is valid in all states of USA, unless some state has a specific rule where an individual would have to retake the licensing examination from that state. A license is required particularly to work in tandem with governmental organizations.
In the UK, companies that hire aerospace engineers also look to hire graduates in maths, applied physics, mechanical engineering and electronic engineering for working in the same field.
The licensing in UK for aerospace engineers are done by the Civil Aviation Authority on behalf of the European Aviation Safety Agency. As an engineer in a company, an individual would have to work towards the Part 66 license.
Aerospace engineering has always been a sought after stream and only the best students manage to complete the course.
