<p>I have a genuine interest for aerospace engineering but for safety reasons I am planning to major in ME. I am excited about MechE as well. I think I will be attending gatech and I want to take advantage of georgia tech's highly ranked AE program and the option of including AE as a minor is also available. </p>
<p>Can you guys help me evaluate the pros and cons and the advantages of this combo. I would like to know the pros and cons in terms of the time needed (Can I graduate in less than 4 years?) job opportunities, salaries and work load??</p>
<p>Is it true that AE jobs are highly-paid?? I've heard that it is because an AE job requires one to keep the firms secrets?? Or is this bizarre?</p>
<p>As for comparing ME to AE, it really depends on the field in the major. There is a big difference between someone working with aerodynamics, structures, etc. For some reason, AE usually down get paid a little more than ME. You can look up the specifics online, but it also does vary on the area of the country.</p>
<p>I accepted a position doing ME sort of work, but I have an AE degree. I believe I took a pay "cut" of sorts by at least a couple grand a year, but the work seems more up my alley.</p>
<p>Yes, many jobs in the aerospace industry require security clearances. They are a pain with tons of paperwork from what I've heard. This also depends if you are working for the government vs. working in the private industry with a government contract vs. just working in the private industry.</p>
<p>For your degree planning, talk to someone knowledgeable with the GaTech curriculum to see the feasibility of finishing in four years, and what people with the ME major and AE minor end up doing. Someone in admissions should either know about the four year plan, or could put you in touch with someone higher up in the Engineering department. The career center at the school should have an idea of what graduates find work in after their schooling.</p>
<p>Usually, an engineering minor wouldn't be enough background to do much with it, but since you're already thinking about getting an engineering degree with that minor, there might be enough background there to be employable with AE. You do need to look at the overlap of courses to make sure it is feasible. There could either be too many classes to take for the minor, leaving you stuck there longer, or the possibility that you'd already taken most of the courses required for the minor as part of your major, and you'd have to take additional and more difficult courses.</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply kwtortoise. I'll check up with gatech for the details you mentioned. Just a clarification though. Would you get more highly paid from a private industry or from the government. It's always been a dream to go to NASA (government contract). Compared to private industries, will NASA not pay you as highly?
And other thing...if I am going to do MBA, does it matter if you are an aerospace engineer + MBA because an AE usually goes into research right...I mean MechE seems a better fit in the work field..</p>
<p>For pay, it's really going to depend job to job. I couldn't make a generalization on that. Also AE does NOT always go into research. There are so many branches--design, analysis, experimentation, research, academics, to name a few. ME is a broader degree, and AE kinda branches off from it. I'm not the person to ask about MBAs, but I know a lot of larger companies will pay for additional schooling if you work for them. If you go to grad school right after undergrad, make sure you don't pay for it as there are free ways (scholarships, teaching, employer paying).</p>