Airline travel is a convenient way for people to get around the country and around the world, allowing for fast travel time between 
destinations. While you know the crew that are on the plane – the pilots and flight attendants – what you may not know about are the people who are working behind the scenes. Aerospace engineers are the people who help develop the planes themselves and make flight travel safe and efficient for the many people who are using them. If you are a problem-solver who is curious about enhancing the field of aircraft, spacecraft and missiles, you might want to consider declaring a major in aerospace engineering.
Education
According to the College Board, this major can be earned at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Typical college courses that students in this major take include aerodynamics, Flight controls, space-mission design, robotics lab, aerospace propulsion and vehicle design. Once students get into the upper levels of this major, team-based projects will become more frequent and students will be often take part in a “capstone” project as well as be given an assignment to test out a proposed spacecraft or aircraft using computer software.
What to know before you apply
Students should be aware of the program of the schools that they are looking into and found out whether the focus is on aircraft or spacecraft, depending on what their intended field of study is. In addition, students should also know if their prototypes will be tested out mostly through a physical, interactive model or through computer developing. Experience is also key in this major so students should look into schools that offer internships with NASA, Boeing or another related aerospace company.
Salary
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average yearly salary for aerospace engineers was $97,480.
