Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering Major

Im currently a HS Junior, in a duel enrollment program, full time, and I am really interested in doing Aerospace Engineering, but it seems jobs are scarce and not the easiest thing come by, and there a -2 percent employment outlook, so I was kind of worried about that. So I thought of the idea to just get my BS in ME, and do a graduate program for AE. Can I do this? Will I have enough skill from mechanical engineering to go into graduate school for aerospace engineering??

And also what do you think about petroleum engineering??? An advisor recommended it to me as well. But I’m not sure exactly what it is, and the career outlook for it.

Thanks.

Yes, it’s very common to earn your BS in ME and then enter an AE grad program. You can also do it in reverse, earn your BS in AE and your MS in ME. Both curriculums share a lot of classes.

When you’re looking at schools, pay attention to the entry requirements to each major, and how easy it is to switch between programs. For example, at Georgia Tech, it’s fairly easy to switch out of AE into ME (as a junior), which makes it less of a risk to start in AE and take some classes, talk with recruiters, maybe even work an internship, etc., before making a finale decision.

Petroleum Engineering is also in a volatile industry, maybe more so than Aerospace. It’s high award/high risk, as compared to ME or EE. The only advise I can give, is to only pursue the major if its’ something you love, not for the income (as compared to other engineers).

You may find these links of use. The first shows how many degrees were awarded in each engineering field. The second has more detailed information on each school’s engineering program.

https://www.asee.org/papers-and-publications/publications/college-profiles/15EngineeringbytheNumbersPart1.pdf

http://profiles.asee.org/

Also note that depending on what you want to do most aerospace companies hire as many MEs and EEs as AEs. I’m an EE and have been at NASA for over 30 years. MEs or EEs will give you options if the industry has a downturn or you just decide you like something else better. I started in the oil & gas business (not my thing). My husband was a ChemE that did his masters in petroleum engineering. It had its definite ups and downs but he ended up in law school and does oil and gas law. There are a lot of options and all can be good.

I work in a department that is a combined aerospace/mechanical department. That ought to give you some idea of the degree of similarity (and often interchangeability) of the two.

Doing a ME major, while taking a few AE electives will be an excellent choice. There is a lot of overlap between the two, but AE is just more specific.

It hasn’t been mentioned yet, but don’t assume you’ll go to graduate school. Circumstances change. You may get burned out or get a great job offer. Pick the major that you’ll bee happy with as a stand alone.