Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace engineering is the closest that someone can come to flying without donning a wingsuit or becoming a pilot. Aerospace engineers are the masterminds behind the machinery that enable humans to take flight, whether it is in a commercial aircraft or in a space shuttle. Those who major in aerospace engineering will learn the basics of sustained flight, ways to make aircrafts safer and more efficient, and how different components of a machine work to facilitate flight. Engineers take plenty of mathematics classes like physics and algebra as well as science classes in order to build up their basic knowledge of things like aerodynamics. Major-specific courses include materials science and engineering, mechanics of materials, fluid mechanics, structural analysis of aerospace vehicles, circuits and electronic components, propulsion, and aerospace system design.

Those who choose to join this exciting field can work with private companies to improve existing aerospace vehicle designs or develop entirely new ones, test the safety and efficiency of aircrafts, or work with programs like NASA on space and shuttle technology. Those who are fascinated with flight and want to experience firsthand how flying machines work would fit in the aerospace engineering field. In addition, most aerospace engineers also have a healthy curiosity about mechanics and physics as well as the imagination necessary to develop solutions to flight problems.