<p>To what extent is getting a Masters in Aerospace Engineering practical (worth it) versus having just a B.S.?</p>
<p>Well what kind of job do you want? If you look at it, most of the more senior engineers (project managers, chief engineers, etc.) in industry have an M.S., though many had it paid for by the company and did it while they worked. If you want to get into an R&D area, it may be a good idea to get a thesis-based M.S. so you have some research experience. Otherwise it just depends on your own situation.</p>
<p>What’s R&D?</p>
<p>What I want: better job stability, better pay, better advancement. Otherwise I don’t want to spend two more years studying when I could be actually doing the thing I want to do. I don’t know what type of Aerospace Engineering yet, but currently I’m interested in defense systems and structural design.</p>
<p>R&D is research and development.</p>
<p>^^^Got it.</p>
<p>Bump. I know saying “better job stability, better pay, better advancement” doesn’t sound passionate, but don’t deny that we all do want those things in any career.</p>
<p>Aerospace Engineering is actually a rather broad field. You have aerodynamics, structures, heat transfer, combustion, and many more subfields to deal with. A masters degree will typically require you to concentrate on a subset of the available fields. </p>
<p>IMHO it is better to get some work experience first and see where it leads you. You can then get you MS in your field of endevour and probably have the company pay for it. </p>
<p>I would definitely get an MS at some point as most of your peers will especially if you want to advance to the higher levels in engineering (and maybe a PhD some day also).</p>