Hi all. Sorry I just created this account to ask this question, because I need to decide really soon.
I currently hold an offer for MEng Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College London, but I don’t know if I should switch to MEng Mechanical Engineering because people say mechanical engineers would be able to find a job more easily. I checked ICL’s website, it says there their AE is accredited the Royal Aeronautical Society AND the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and ME is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers only. So I would like to know, does it mean by completing AE at ICL, I would have the qualification of a mechanical engineer? Will I be able to find a job for a mechanical engineer? I appreciate any help or advice you can give me, thanks!
Assuming MEng is a masters, what is your undergraduate degree in ?
An ME degree with lots of aerospace electives may be more versatile than an AE degree.
An AE degree may be of more interest to some AE employers … especially if you study say planes and want to work for an airplane manufacturer. And you may make more contacts in that department including some internships, etc.
Each university has different coursework leading up to these degrees, why don’t you look at a 4 or 5 year plan and see where the course work is similar and where the two majors diverge.
All that said, aerospace is not a healthy industry right now, at least in the US.
The aerospace industry is fine right now. Is it the best it’s ever been? Nope. It’s not down in the dumps, though, and it’s not likely to have the bottom fall out like petroleum did any time soon.
Whether or not you can find a job as a mechanical engineer with a degree in aerospace engineering will depend on the company doing the hiring. In general, though, if that’s of interest you are better off just studying mechanical engineering.
Now, at the graduate level your goal is to specialize, and getting a specific job will have less to do with the name of your major course of study on your degree and more to do with your specialized set of skills.
Thanks for the reply. That is actually a 4-year integrated masters, first 3 years are BEng, then the 4th is MEng. So it’s not graduate level yet. Right now, I’m more towards ME because I don’t have a specific career plan now, might even do something not related aerospace after graduation.
This seems like a pretty open and shut case, then. Do mechanical engineering.
Alright, I have decided to switch to ME and I have sent ICL my request for transfer. Thanks for the advice.