Careers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010):
“Aerospace engineers design, test, and supervise the manufacture of aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles. Those who work with aircraft are called aeronautical engineers, and those working specifically with spacecraft are astronautical engineers. Aerospace engineers develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and space exploration, often specializing in areas such as structural design, guidance, navigation and control, instrumentation and communication, and production methods. They also may specialize in a particular type of aerospace product, such as commercial aircraft, military fighter jets, helicopters, spacecraft, or missiles and rockets, and may become experts in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanics, propulsion, acoustics, or guidance and control systems".
For the United States, “Aerospace engineers are expected to have 10 percent growth in employment over the projections decade, about as fast as the average for all occupations. New technologies and new designs for commercial and military aircraft and spacecraft produced during the next decade should spur demand for aerospace engineers. The employment outlook for aerospace engineers appears favorable. Although the number of degrees granted in aerospace engineering has begun to increase after many years of declines, new graduates continue to be needed to replace aerospace engineers who retire or leave the occupation for other reasons.”
The total number of U.S. aerospace engineers in 2008 was 71,600, which was 4.6% of the total engineering workforce.
In 2008 the median annual salary for aerospace engineers was $95,500. 75% made more than $72,400 and 25% made more than $114,500. In 2009, the average starting salary for aerospace engineers with a BS degree was $56,300.
Recent Embry-Riddle graduates have found careers at:
American Eagle Airlines, ASRC Aerospace, Barrios Technology, Belcan, Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Cirrus Design, Fuji Heavy Industries, GE Aviation, General Electric, Jamco America, Keystone Helicopter, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney UTC, The Boeing Company, United Space Alliance, US Air Force, US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy, V I Engineering, Delta Air Lines, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Washington Consulting Group, Clough Harbor & Associates, Colgan Air, Continental Airlines, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Jet Airways, NASA, Northwest Airlines, Philadelphia International Airport, Rockwell Collins, Insitu, and many other aerospace companies in the United States and around the world.
