What can you do with a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering?

Graduate School
1

<p>I will be entering my sophomore year of high school in the fall. I know that this sounds way too early to even be thinking about life after high school, but I recently began taking glider pilot lessons, and ever since I began, I have been fascinated by flight and want to understand the technology enabling air and space flight. Possibly next summer, I will earn my Private Pilot Certificate and begin taking powered flight airplane lessons. My current goal is to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, major in Aerospace Engineering, and serve as a Naval Aviator. After my service obligation is complete, I would want to go to graduate school (not sure where I would want to go) and get a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. With that said, what careers would be possible for someone with a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering?</p>

2

<p>Hmm, well if everything pans out according to your plan, you might want to think about getting an MS in aerospace engineering rather than a Ph.D. May I suggest, if you are truly fascinated by aviation to try for the Air Force Academy, it’s more prestigious in my opinion than the Naval Academy, but also harder to get into. Then you can get your masters in aerospace engineering from the AFIT, or a top technical school like Stanford or MIT, which you should have no trouble getting into if you do well in the AFA. After that you are likely going to be looking at a career at NASA or one of the big contractors such as United Space Alliance, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin or Boeing.</p>

3

<p>I thought Navy has better pilots than Air Force because they have to land on moving ships rocking up and down in the ocean.</p>

4

<p>

Naval and USMC aviators generally achieve a higher baseline counterpart than USAF pilots, but the USAF provides more opportunities for excellence. As such, the average Naval aviator is better than the average USAF pilot, but most of the best pilots are Air Force.</p>

<p>

A PhD generally prepares you for two routes - academia and corporate research - but having a PhD also can set you up as a consultant, either offering advice to corporations or serving as an expert resource for political and trade groups.</p>

5

<p>You’ll find that in this field a PhD is going to open way more opportunities than without one. The tougher the job market the better it is to have advanced degrees.</p>