I am an international applicant for the fall of 2015. I am planning to apply to Purdue and am confused between aerospace and industrial engineering. Although I want to do aerospace engineering more, my freinds have told me that it is very difficult for an international aeroaerospace engineer to find a job. Is this true ? Should I pursue aerospace only or should I apply for industrial ?
Depends on whether you can find work as an aerospace engineer in your home country. Aerospace and industrial engineering are totally different fields. Aerospace involves very technically detailed work, while industrial is very process oriented.
The problem with international students doing aerospace engineering is that a large portion of the aerospace industry is related to defense and national security. Those sectors of the industry are therefore limited to US citizens and sometimes permanent residents. There is more leeway when it comes to commercial aviation, but it means there is a diminished pool of jobs to choose from for international students in the US compared to those available to US citizens.
One alternative to those options you have proposed is mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering are very similar fields of study and have quite a bit of overlap. Mechanical engineering can definitely get you into the aerospace industry but generally has a broader appeal to other industries should your citizenship status hold you up there. In that case, you could go into a related field still in the US long enough to gain citizenship and then try again to get back into aerospace. That route is just slightly easier if you have a “more versatile” degree like mechanical engineering.
Also, the situation here and how you deal with it is likely to be quite a bit different depending on what sort of international student you are. It would be a lot easier for someone from the UK or Australia or France or a place like that to get the kind of clearance required to work in the defense sector than it would be for someone from Russia or Iran or China, for example.
Thanks a lot for your answers.
And I am from India BTW, so will it be difficult for me ?
Not as difficult but it will be a challenge. As an International student, you can stay for Optional Practical Training for up to 2.5 years after your degree but by then you need to find an employer who will support you for a Permanent Resident visa or an H1-B visa. This is not something that all employers will do.
Remember also that with a Mechanical Engineering degree, you have access to more employers, including the Aerospace industry, than with an Aerospace Engineering degree.