<p>FWIW, there is absolutely no need to double major or dual degree or whatever you want to call it in mechanical and aerospace engineering. With the right electives, the two are practically interchangeable.</p>
<p>boneh3ad, actually there is.<br>
the job market for aerospace engineers isn’t very high; thus, people interested in aerospace engineering will double major in mech & aero to give them leverage when they look for job/internships. since both are very similar, it doesn’t hurt to double major.</p>
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<p>Actually, there isn’t. Good try though. You fail to address the fact that for most positions in an aerospace company, a ME is just as qualified as an AE. I say this as a guy who majored in ME as an undergrad, worked internships and such as an ME doing AE jobs, then went to grad school to get a PhD in Aero.</p>
<p>As long as you tailor your electives to more closely match an aero curriculum (for example, I took viscous flow and high speed aerodynamics as an undergrad ME), you can compete for most if not all of the same jobs.</p>
<p>okay bonehead, thanks again. </p>
<p>i was referring to UF in particular since that is where the OP is attending. my bad for not explicitly stating that. but anyway, at UF most aerospace eng major double major with mechanical eng since it’s not too far of a stretch. </p>
<p>UFbound2014, try taking intro to engineering. i think its course EGN1002. you’ll be able to meet an advisor from the aerospace eng dept and ask him/her any questions, as well as other engineering dept advisors.</p>
<p>What about combined aero/mech programs? Also, I am really interested more in the propulsion part of aerospace does a normal bs in aero suffice or do I need a mechanical degree or both?</p>
<p>First, don’t make the same post in two different threads. That isn’t good form.</p>
<p>Second, thank you for actually searching the forum for related posts before actually posting. That is actually a breath of fresh air.</p>
<p>Third, to answer your question, you can get into aerospace propulsion from both degrees. I know aerospace engineers who do propulsion, and I know mechanical engineers who do propulsion. Honestly, you can do either degree and you will likely be fine. I would just suggest that even if you do mechanical engineering, make sure you try to do it at a school that also offers aerospace engineering so that you can take classes in both departments if need be.</p>
<p>You definitely don’t need a combined degree or a dual degree or a double major.</p>
<p>But doesn’t an aerospace engineer focus more on the gas flow and much less the mechanical works of how everything fits together? I looked at courses taken by aero engineers and it barely goes into depth about structures and mechanical design which I am highly interested in, and aren’t mechanical engineers more concerned with conceptual and detailed design where as aerospace engineers act more as assistants, focusing on mainly the gas flow. Don’t get me wrong, I love and enjoy fluid mechanics but I am also highly interested in mechanics of solids and structures.</p>
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<p>Aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering share the same three major areas: thermal fluid sciences, mechanics of materials, and dynamics and controls. The difference between mechanical and aerospace is that in aerospace, the thermal fluid sciences are limited mainly to the subfield of aerodynamics, and in the other two areas, they courses are tailored to aerospace applications. That is wonderful if you are sure you want to work in aerospace. If you want a little bit more versatility in your degree, a greater range of jobs you are qualified for, or just don’t know for sure what you want to do, then you should do mechanical.</p>
<p>Mechanical engineers do have a greater emphasis on materials and mechanical design than aerospace engineers (and in turn have less work in the areas of aerodynamics), but they still are very similar majors. If you are interested in the mechanical design of gas turbine engines, for example, then mechanical engineering seems like it would be better suited to your goals (though aerospace engineering would still work). If you are more interested in the gas path, then aerospace would probably be better (though mechanical engineering would still work).</p>
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<p>That isn’t true. Mechanical engineers and aerospace engineers function as equals out in industry. Many mechanical engineers venture into the gas dynamics area of aerospace and many aerospace engineers venture into the mechanics of materials and mechanical design area of aerospace. Like I said, the two degrees are very similar, and with the right electives, can become nearly interchangeable.</p>
<p>Aerospace engineers do definitely have an edge when it comes to doing aerodynamics just as mechanical engineers have an edge doing mechanical design, but with the right electives, people in each major can tailor their studies to more closely match the other program. Being a mechanical engineering undergraduate didn’t prevent me from going to graduate school to get a PhD in the aerodynamics area. I know people doing materials research in our aerospace department as well, and I know people doing gas turbine research in the mechanical department here. The two majors are very intertwined.</p>
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<p>Actually that statement needs to be in the FAQ’s of the Engineering area of this site. Choice of electives is why Math major compete for the same jobs as CS majors as well as ME and Aero, Physics & EE, Accounting & Finance, EE & CompE and so on…</p>
<p>I am just trying to reduce the number of EE vs. ME vs. BioMedE vs. ChemE vs. Mining E vs. PetroleumE threads.</p>