<p>Okay, so my friend is very interested in Aerospace engineering (astronautical to be more precise) but our state flagship u doesn't offer an aerospace program. He wants to get a BS in MechE and he aspires to work at NASA later. Is MechE a viable BS degree to do Aerospace/Astronautical graduate study (in the form of a masters or PhD)?</p>
<p>yes. that is absolutely fine and what a LOT of people do.</p>
<p>no one else even needs to comment. this question has been answered 100000000s of times.</p>
<p>thank you and i apologize for reposting this question</p>
<p>Well it's viable to do MechE in undergrad, but would it be BETTER if you studied Aerospace in undergrad?</p>
<p>Not necessarily. Employers see the degree paths as more or less the same, so they don't care. Whatever you don't know already, they'll teach you in industry. So on the path to becoming an aerospace engineer, it's not spectacularly advantageous to have an aerospace degree.</p>
<p>Couple that with the fact that a mechanical engineering degree gives you more job options in other fields, and a MechE degree starts sounding like a much better option.</p>
<p>Which is what's been said in pretty much every other nearly-identical thread that this has been discussed in.</p>
<p>Well going on to grad school is obviously better, so would the job opportunities be about the same if I studied MechE first, then Aerospace in grad or vice versa?</p>
<p>Typical academic progression is from more general to more specific for a reason. Probably best to do MechE first then Aero in grad.</p>
<p>Why is this thread continuing? this is very cut and dry.</p>
<p>there are pros and cons to either as an undergrad, but if you go to grad school it doesnt matter which you had chosen.</p>
<p>airbarr: i disagree. there are more opportunities with a MechE degree, but AeroE is just as good, if not better, than that if you know you want to go into aero. but this is inconsequential if you get a MS in Aero.</p>
<p>^i agree. ME would be fine but AeroE would be better. My AeroE friends were designing planes/ plane engines as undergrads. MEs don't do that.</p>