Aerospace Engineering

By: Matthew Greb

Abstract
This project was meant to teach students about the salaries they can expect based on
criteria such as education level, location, and experience. It was also meant to show the
future demand of the profession, the day-to-day aspects of the job, and the classes
necessary to get a degree in the field. In terms of salary, research was done on the
subject and condensed into a single chart, though it should be cross-checked for
accuracy. It also showed that future demand in the profession should be favorable to
other fields of engineering, though not other careers. Then three schools were
compared based on the classes needed to get a degree in the field. Finally, the average
working conditions were researched and recorded for aerospace engineers.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Background
Classes to Graduate and Get This Job
Job Description
Demand
Salary vs. Experience
Salary by Location
Results
Conclusion
Appendix
Citations

Introduction
In this project, I will be learning about what Aerospace Engineers need to do in order to
be successful in the job market. This includes things such as what education is best for
getting a job, and where I should live in order to make the highest salary. I will also be
looking at the conditions that the average Aerospace Engineer will go through, such as
the job market, how my salary will change over time, and the conditions that I can
expect within the job. In order to find these things out, I will be doing research on each
specific subject, and document my findings. I am doing this so that I know what to
experience in the field once I go to college, and afterwards, when I endeavor to find a
job within my selected field.

Background
Classes to Graduate and Get This Job
The profession of Aerospace engineering typically only requires a Bachelors degree to
get into, although one would likely need more than that in order to move up to a project
manager, or any other higher positions than an average engineer. A Bachelors in
Aerospace Engineering will typically take approximately 125 college credits, which
would cost roughly $105,000 at the University of Texas for someone in state,
approximately $43,000 for someone in state at Texas A&M (and $112,000 for someone
out of state), and approximately $100,000 for someone in state at Missouri (as well as
$156,000 for someone out of state). There will be at least 3 Calculus classes required to
obtain this degree, and possibly a 4th depending on the University. There will also likely
be at least one, if not more, additional Math classes that one would be required to take
to get this degree. It is likely that one would need to take a Writing class to obtain the
degree, which would be taken in ones Freshman or Sophomore year. One or two
Chemistry classes is not uncommon, in addition to at least two Physics classes. In
terms of classes required for this particular major, rather than just any Bachelors
degree, all three of the colleges that were researched required a drafting class, a CAD
class, a class on materials, a class on electrical engineering, and a class on
thermodynamics. Some of the universities also required a statics class, an engineering
ethics class, and/or a graphics class.
www.ae.utexas.edu
engineering.tamu.edu
engineering.missouri.edu
bealonghorn.utexas.edu
www.utexas.edu
sbs.tamu.edu
admissions.missouri.edu

Job Description
Aerospace engineers are usually designing and testing parts involved in the
manufacturing and maintenance of flying objects. They often are involved in the overall
design of the plane, calculate the requirements necessary to make the plane asked for,
and on occasion make advances in the design of parts, in order to help the plane run
better, and more efficiently. Some higher level engineers may have to travel in order to
meet with contractors,etc., but it is unlikely for travel to be common for engineers just
starting out. Some places that have more aerospace engineering jobs than average are

Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Houston, but jobs within the profession can be
found within almost any metropolitan area. The most plentiful jobs are working for the
government, or for a company that is contracted with the government. Aerospace
engineers usually receive good benefits, including health care, and dental care, with
their job. As is the case within the majority of the field of engineering, although not
necessarily within the majority of professions, collaboration skills are an absolute must,
as without them, one wouldnt really be able to get all that much done. The occupation
necessitates a wide range of skills in order to be successful in building and designing
parts for planes, and the planes themselves. However, the job has few specialized jobs
within its jurisdiction, making me consider it a specialized profession.
www.bls.gov
www.careercornerstone.org

Demand
The projected change in employment for Aerospace Engineers over the next 10 years is
a 7% increase in the number of jobs available. This is below the average throughout the
country of an 11% increase (this average is for all jobs available within the United
States). Within the sector of engineering, a 9% increase in jobs is expected, making
aerospace engineers in only slightly less demand than others jobs within the same
sector. The number of 9% is distorted, however, by a couple of sects of engineering
(namely petroleum and biomedical) that are far above the average of 9%, with both
hovering around the 25% mark. In comparison to the aerospace engineering demand,
there is the demand for Electrical engineers, where the field is expected to grow by 5%
in the next 10 years, slightly below the mark of Aerospace engineers. Then there are
Computer Hardware engineers, whose field is expected to grow by 7%, the exact same
percentage as Aerospace Engineers. Finally, there is Biomedical engineers, whose
expected growth of 27% over the next 10 years place them both as being far more in
demand than the other professions, and as a major outlier when comparing them.
Interestingly enough, all 4 aforementioned sects of engineering are projected to have
about the same amount of new jobs created, as some of the sects are far more
populous than others at the current time.
www.bls.gov

Salary with Education vs. Experience

average $69,258 (assuming the same experience), and someone with a PhD will
average $70,065. Compare that to years of experience, where going from no
experience to 3 or 4 years of experience will improve ones average salary from
$68,175 to $93,327.That massive difference is not the same going up each individual
level of experience, but the rate of salary increase is still much higher when experience
is gained than when one goes up a level in education. This massive difference in
potential salaries makes it logical to try to get a job right out of college in the field. The
potential salaries are usually both far higher than the salaries of those who stayed in
college at the same age, which, in addition to the extra money accumulated by those
who got jobs earlier, makes staying in college after getting a Bachelors degree for
Aerospace engineering a bad financial decision.
www1.salary.com

Salary by Location
Salaries for Aerospace engineering vary wildly. For example, the salaries of entry-level
engineers in Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh PA have Pittsburgh engineers getting a
13% lower salary than those in Washington D.C. This difference actually grows in total
amount (albeit, not in the percentage of the total salaries) as experience levels go up.
These totals, however, do not account for the differences between the cities in the cost
of living. The differences vary by what need is being discussed, with transportation costs
being the exact same in the 2 areas, and housing costs being the amount in
Pittsburgh that they are in D.C. The overall cost of living in Pittsburgh is approximately
of the cost of living in Washington D.C. This additional viewpoint allows one to see
that the salary for engineers compared to the cost of necessities is actually higher in
Pittsburgh than in D.C. Thus, assuming similar working conditions, it is actually more
cost-effective to work in Pittsburgh, even though D.C. has higher salaries available for
engineers.
www1.salary.com
http://money.cnn.com/

Results
I was able to learn a decent amount about both what qualifications are needed to be
successful within the career field, and about what kind of conditions I can expect when I
start to look for jobs within the field of Aerospace Engineering. It was rather difficult for
me to find the salaries being offered on job applications, and to find accurate data about

a persons average salary in the job. This project could be more in depth later on, and
could be used in the future as an introduction to the field for potential engineers,
showing them what to expect when they look for jobs. I was able to get a small amount
of data on the classes to take in college, though it may not be accurate for all
universities. I was able to get slightly more data on where I should live to get the best
salary, and how my salary would change as I gained more experience, though as most
of the information was from one source, it would probably be more accurate if it was
cross-checked a few times.

Conclusion
During the project, I learned about what I should expect when I get to college, in terms
of the cost and the classes that I will need to take. I also learned about the environment
that I can expect when I get a job in the field, as well as the demand that will be present
for aerospace engineers, and how my salary will differ based on things like location and
job experience.This project was designed to teach students about what to expect when
they get a job in the field. It is also designed to help students know what classes they
should be taking to major in the field, as well as comparing schools in terms of how they
will prepare students for their careers. The more information a student has on what to
expect for their future, the more they will know if the field is right for them, and how they
can be successful if it is for them.

Appendix

Citations
http://www.ae.utexas.edu/undergraduate/degree-info
http://engineering.tamu.edu/aerospace/academics/degrees/undergraduate/bs
http://engineering.missouri.edu/mae/degree-programs/bs-me/degree-plan/
http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/whyut/basics/finances
http://www.utexas.edu/tuition/costs.html
http://sbs.tamu.edu/accounts-billing/tuition-fees/cost-attendance/
http://sbs.tamu.edu/accounts-billing/tuition-fees/estimator/
http://admissions.missouri.edu/costs-and-aid/costs/index.php
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineers.htm
http://www.careercornerstone.org/aerospace/aerospace.htm
http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineers.htm#tab-4
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineers.htm#tab-3
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineers.htm#tab-2
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/computer-hardware-engineers.htm#tab-6
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineers.htm#tab-6
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/electrical-and-electronicsengineers.htm#tab-6
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/biomedical-engineers.htm#tab-6
http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/
http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-III-Salary-Details-Pittsburgh-PA.aspx
http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-II-Salary-Details-Pittsburgh-PA.aspx
http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-I-Salary-Details-Pittsburgh-PA.aspx
http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details-Pittsburgh-PA.aspx
http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details-Washington-DC.aspx
http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-III-Salary-Details-Washington-DC.aspx
http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-II-Salary-Details-Washington-DC.aspx
http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-I-Salary-Details-Washington-DC.aspx