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Aerospace Engineering Paper

By Austin Latta

Pre-Engineering

4/26/14

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Austin Latta
Mr. Sieg
Pre-Engineering
26 April 2014
Aerospace Engineering
People all over the world witness extraordinary engineering feats and overlook them
without a second glance. Planes, space shuttles, and military ballistics systems are just a few
examples of truly amazing engineering. Aerospace engineers are responsible for the design of
all of those things. My passion for aerospace engineering stems from my amazement at space
and all of the different inventions that have come from NASA. I enjoy having to overcome
diversity and the self-gratification that you experience when you accomplish your goals and
design something great. A career in this field is going to require many rigorous college courses
and will present a challenge to even Americas brightest minds. Most people obtain a
traditional four year bachelors degree, but some can obtain two or four year engineering
degrees that are offered at some colleges. There are an extremely limited number of jobs for
this field so only the best and the brightest can succeed.
The bureau of labor statistics says aerospace engineers design aircraft, spacecraft,
satellites, and missiles. In addition, they test prototypes to make sure that they function
according to design. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) There are two types of aerospace
engineers, aeronautical and astronautical engineers. Aeronautical engineers work with
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aircraft. They are involved primarily in designing aircraft and propulsion systems and in
studying the aerodynamic performance of aircraft and construction materials. They
work with the theory, technology, and practice of flight within the earths atmosphere.
(Campus Explorer) Astronautical engineers, on the other hand, work with the science and
technology behind spacecraft and the behavior of them in and out of the effects of the earths
atmosphere. Although both types of engineers face different problems and worth with
different concepts, the two fields overlap and intertwine a great deal because of the extreme
focus on physics and the concepts of motion. Many aerospace engineers specialize in a
particular subject such as navigation and control, structural design, guidance, instrumentation
and communication, or production methods. The average annual pay for an aerospace engineer
is $71,859 per year. The top 10% received $149,120 and the bottom 10% made $65,450. (U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Due, in part, to the upcoming of a new technological age, aerospace engineers spend
more time in an office than they used to. The designs are mostly made using sophisticated
computer programs and software design tools, modeling, and simulations for tests, evaluation,
and training. In 2012, over 83,000 people were employed in an aerospace engineering field. The
job field is supposed to grow 7% from 2012 to 2022, which is slower than average. 83,000
people is still a fairly large number and, although not by much, the field is growing and
expanding. On average, an aerospace engineer has a 40 hour work week but overtime may be
required if a project deadline is approaching (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
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Your education is extremely important if you wish to get a chance as an aerospace
engineer. As I said before, many students earn a four year bachelors degree in engineering, but
some may choose a two or four year engineering technology degree that is offered at some
colleges. The technology degree provides students with a more hands-on engineering training
and doesnt really hammer home the theoretical and scientific principles involved in the field. If
you persevere and make it all of the way to a masters degree, that is when you will see the
management positions open up and a much wider range of jobs. All 50 states require aerospace
engineers to be licensed as a professional engineer (PE) and you need to partake in an ABET
certified engineering program while you are in school to achieve that. There are a variety of
great aerospace engineering schools where you are likely to get a job right out of college
because of the prestige that the school has. Here are some of the colleges that I looked at.


Massachusetts
Institute of
Technology
California
Institute of
Technology
Stanford
University
University of
Michigan - Ann
Arbor
Georgia Institute
of Technology
Credits
Required for
Major 197 135 142 134 136
Required
GPA
No requirement. 10%
acceptance rate. 3.8 3.6 3.7 3.8
Tuition Costs
for a Full Year $43,210.00 $41,790.00 $41,250.00 $38,928.00 $27,022.00
Cost Per
Credit $219.34 $309.56 $290.49 $290.51 $198.69
Average SAT
Scores 2150 2100 2050 2020 2005

This chart gives a breakdown of the credits required to major, the required GPA to get
into the school (if it has one), the tuition for a full year, cost per credit, and the average SAT
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scores of accepted students. All five of these schools are very prestigious and selective with
whom they accept. I am going to break down the engineering program at Stanford because I
want to go to a big school and graduating from there should make it relatively easy to land a
job.
Here are all of the required courses for a masters degree in aeronautics/astronautics
(Stanford University Aeronautics and Astronautics):
(I) Five courses in the basic areas of Aeronautics and Astronautics (one in each area):
1. Fluids: 200 (Applied Aerodynamics), 210A (Fundamentals of Compressible Flow)
2. Structures: 240A (Analysis of Structures)
3. Guidance and Control: ENGR 105 (Feedback Control Design), ENGR 205 (Introduction to
Control Design Techniques)
4. Propulsion: 283 (Propulsion)
5. Experimentation/Design Requirements: List of Courses
(II) Three courses, one each from three of the four areas below:
1. Fluids: 200 (Applied Aerodynamics), 210A (Fundamentals of Compressible Flow), or
244A (Introduction to Plasma Physics and Engineering)
2. Structures: 240B (Analysis of Structures), 256 (Mechanics of Composites), 280 (Smart
Structures), or 242B (Mechanical Vibrations)
3. Guidance, Navigation, Dynamics, and Control: 242A (Classical Dynamics), 271A
(Dynamics and Control of Spacecraft and Aircraft), 272 (Global Positioning Systems),
279A (Space Mechanics), 251 (Introduction to the Space Environment), or 242B
(Mechanical Vibrations)
4. One course selected from A/A courses numbered 200 and above, excluding seminars
and independent research.
Mathematics Courses:
AA214A - Introduction to Numerical Methods for Engineering
AA214B - Numerical Methods for Compressible Flows
AA214C - Numerical Computation of Viscous Flow
AA215A - Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics
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AA215B - Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics
AA218 - Introduction to Symmetry Analysis
AA222 - Introduction to Multidisciplinary Design Optimization

Overall aerospace engineering is one of the most fascinating occupations in the world.
You get to design spacecraft and aircraft, work with missile systems for the military, and send
design the satellites that we depend on daily. This career would provide me with much
financial security and it would combine my passions of physics and outer space into a career. It
will require much hard work and determination during schooling so that I can have a successful
career. But in the end, it will have been worth the time spent training.


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Works Cited
"Aerospace / Aeronautical / Astronautical Engineering." Best Aerospace Engineering Programs. U.S.
News & World Report, 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://grad-
schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-
schools/aerospace-rankings>.
"Aerospace Engineers." Career Information:. Campus Explorer, 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.campusexplorer.com/careers/530E85C7/aerospace-engineers/>.
"Graduation Information for Undergraduate Students." : MIT Office of the Registrar. MIT, n.d. Web.
25 Apr. 2014. <http://web.mit.edu/registrar/graduation/ugrad_requirements.html>.
Grove, Allen. "Use This Graph of GPA and Test Scores to Gauge Your Chances of Getting Into
MIT." About.com College Admissions. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
<http://collegeapps.about.com/od/GPA-SAT-ACT-Graphs/ss/mit-admission-gpa-sat-act.htm>.
"Master of Science in Aero/Astro." Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics -. Stanford University,
n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. <http://aa.stanford.edu/curriculum/msAero.php#courses>.
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 08 Jan. 2014. Web. 17
Mar. 2014. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineers.htm>.
"University of Michigan Ann Arbor." - Tuition, Cost, and Price to Attend. CollegeCalc, n.d. Web. 26
Apr. 2014. <http://www.collegecalc.org/colleges/michigan/university-of-michigan-ann-
arbor/#.U1xLl_ldXzk>.