I am trying to internally transfer from Aerospace to Mechanical at TAMU. However, I’m interested in many aspects of Mechanical Engineering (heat transfer, materials, fluids, biomechanics, energy conversion) that it’s difficult to narrow my area of interest. This is making answering question like, “why do you want to transfer into ME?” “what’s your particular interest in the field?” etc, very difficult to answer.
I would like to know the differences and similarities between both degrees and why Mechanical would be more beneficial to me than Aerospace (aside from the obvious job opportunities).
Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
ME is more broad, and Aero can actually be looked at as a subspecialty within ME. I’m sure your Aero program will require you to take courses in thermo, statics, dynamics, fluids, controls, etc., and the ME program will have you take courses in those areas as well. Aero just focuses on applying these areas to aircraft and spacecraft in particular.
If you do ME, you will very likely be allowed to apply for an Aero job.
Well, why do you want to transfer from aerospace engineering into mechanical engineering? That’s probably the best place to start this discussion. There really is no way for any of us to tell you why mechanical engineering would be more beneficial to you, because there is no guarantee that it would be. We know nothing about you, your goals, or your circumstances.
Regarding the similarities and differences, the two cover very nearly the same material (i.e. they are both based on the science of mechanics). Aerospace engineering just uses a different, more specific set of examples than what you will see in mechanical engineering, and tailors the curriculum more specifically toward the problems inherent to the aerospace industry. Mechanical engineering covers largely the same topics with a broader set of examples.