<p>I am starting school at UMD this fall. I applied AE but I really do not know what I want to do. I THINK AE interests me more, but I don't know that I really understand what a ME does. I mostly think of engines and the like, which doesn't sound too thrilling. So I guess I need a clearer picture of exactly what AE and ME entail.</p>
<p>Asides from that, I've heard getting a job is easier for ME's since it's a broader field. This would obviously be a good thing. Also, I really really want to live out west. Somewhere in the MST area (but not southern). Colorado is the only place I know that has jobs in AE in this area, but there's certainly more? And what about ME jobs?</p>
<p>Thirdly, how much does the schools ranking in the major matter? I believe UMD is ranked 7th for AE but somewhere in the twenties for ME.</p>
<p>Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the mountain west/rockies referred to by their time zone. You are correct though, Colorado is one of the few states in the rockies with AE jobs. However if you venture further west into California, there are TONS of opportunities as an AE.</p>
<p>AEs also work on engines (mostly jet and rocket engines), however just as MEs, that is not ALL they do. And you are mistaken, engines, atleast within the AE realm, are highly fascinating.</p>
<p>To me, it sounds like you are unsure because you haven’t done your research about either major. AEs and MEs are very similar, and there have been MANY threads here about this topic. Try searching these forums and elsewhere a little bit more. Why do you think AE interests you more than ME? Ultimately, if you end up going to grad school, the question of which major you choose isn’t that important.</p>
<p>Well, what is it about Aero that specifically interests you? MEs (and EEs and many other types of engineers/scientists/mathematicians) are also capable of working in air and space flight; AEs differ in that they have a more thorough understanding of aerodynamics and at least a fundamental understanding of all the subsystems going into a particular project, meaning some AEs may work as system integrators, bringing the different components designed by different engineers together. </p>
<p>Of course, other AEs choose a particular subsystem they’re interested in and go with that. Propulsion in aerospace is, like gstein said, really exciting and something MEs are also often qualified to work in. Other AEs go into avionics and software engineering (work that crosses over into EEs, programmers, etc. fields as well), while others go into structures and aerodynamics. </p>
<p>Honestly though, there isn’t much of a difference at the BS level between an ME and an AE. At most schools, you don’t even get into Aerospace courses until your fifth semester. As far as job prospects go, MEs do have more opportunities because they’re work crosses over into many different areas. But you have to consider whether you think you really do want a career in, say, designing car engines, or if you think you only want to work in the aerospace field. </p>
<p>But I’m still only a student, so you should take what I say for what it’s worth and look this up yourself.</p>