<p>i am interested in studying aerospace engineering, but i dont which college has good prog.
my goal is work in NASA, so i am tryin to find a college which has connection with NASA.</p>
<p>i would recommend MIT,Georgia Tech,Stanford,Purdue,Cornell,Florida Tech,also Embry Riddle aeronautical university</p>
<p>to start, here's the USNews rankings for you. Aero eng as an undergraduate is ranked in 2 groups. First group is colleges/uni's without a PhD program, 2nd group is colleges/uni's that have a PhD program.</p>
<p>W/out PhD
1. Embry Riddle Aeronautical U. (FL)<br>
2. United States Air Force Acad. (CO)<br>
3. Embry Riddle Aeronautical U.Prescott (AZ)<br>
United States Naval Academy (MD)<br>
5. St. Louis University </p>
<p>With PhD
1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology<br>
2. Georgia Institute of Technology <br>
3. University of MichiganAnn Arbor *<br>
4. California Institute of Technology<br>
Purdue Univ.West Lafayette (IN)<br>
6. Stanford University (CA)<br>
7. Princeton University (NJ)<br>
8. U. of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign *<br>
9. University of TexasAustin *<br>
10. Univ. of MarylandCollege Park *<br>
11. Texas A&M Univ.College Station *<br>
12. Pennsylvania State U.University Park *<br>
University of Washington *<br>
14. Cornell University (NY)<br>
15. Univ. of CaliforniaLos Angeles *<br>
16. Virginia Tech *<br>
17. University of CaliforniaBerkeley *<br>
University of ColoradoBoulder *<br>
19. University of Florida * </p>
<p>On connections with NASA, one investigation route would be to go to the aero faculty pages of any target school & see what the faculty's research interests and papers look like....a NASA funding source should be visible.</p>
<p>Also, there should be a public record of research funding by NASA. I'd bet a few phone calls could get you pretty close to having a list with professors & subjects, if that's not on the web already. If I find such a thing, I'll let you know....PC</p>
<p>a few NASA links for you to explore, no convenient lists of best-connected aero eng schools yet, but I bet you can get a glipse of some research providers from these sites.
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forresearchers/features/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forresearchers/features/index.html</a>
<a href="http://www.sti.nasa.gov/STI_Program_Plan_2005.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.sti.nasa.gov/STI_Program_Plan_2005.pdf</a>
<a href="http://www.sti.nasa.gov/Pubs/star/star0524.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.sti.nasa.gov/Pubs/star/star0524.pdf</a></p>
<p>Also, the NASA research labs, e.g., Ames & Langley, will have their prefferred researchers, probably some being relatively local (like Stanford for Ames)....suggest you study these labs, get to know which each does, and figure out which colleges support those that interest you.</p>
<p>If you want truly close affiliations with NASA, I think it's very hard to beat Caltech. After all, the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) is actually part of Caltech.</p>
<p>Incidentally, Rice, given its nearness to Johnson Space Center, feeds at least a couple of engineers from its mechanical/aero department to NASA every year. It's something to consider, at least. We don't have an aero department, per se, so we're not in the rankings there. Still, mech will get you where you want to go. There's a lot of research collaboration, too... My prof from structures was actually doing some research for NASA and the ISS.</p>
<p>Not a decisive high on the list, but it's at least a contender. Something to consider.</p>
<p>Another thing to look into is applying to NASA internship programs. NASA STSP, Robotics, Academy, SIP...etc. You get to work on actual projects on various centers, and as a result, when it comes time to apply for jobs, you have a work history AT NASA...and rec letters from their own people.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>nasa is history, private spaceflight is the way. nasa is static and bureaucratic, whereas private industry is dynamic and efficient. Look at SpaceShipOne... a complete launch system designed, built, tested, and flown for $20 million dollars. That's the cost of a paper study at nasa. Another way to look at it is that each shuttle launch costs $1 billion, which says nothing of the immense development costs.</p>
<p>I'd consider which schools have good networking/connections, that way you're connected in general to the real business world. In this aspect, MIT/Stanford/Princeton beat everyone else. georgia tech and michigan are also good at both aero and business, but less so... also they're teeming with people, but if that's your thing then hey.</p>
<p>The question boils down to whether or not you want to aerospace engineer as a career or as a means to gain influence in the business world. The industry is rapidly shaping up for the latter. If you arent interested in money, you might prefer to go to an either more "pure," theoretical, research-oriented program like Caltech, or a very career-oriented school like embry riddle.</p>
<p>Also, the schools that are ranked "without phD" are in general worse schools, with the exception of the military academies, but those are really a separate category of schools.</p>
<p>I'd tend to agree with MattBowes' comments on the future of spaceflight... NASA's not the brass ring of aero engineering that it once was.</p>
<p>Burt Rutan of SpaceShipOne fame went to Cal Poly, which is noted for aerospace engineering. Cal Poly has been ranked on the US News "non-doctoral universities" list in the past, although it apparently did not make the list this year. </p>
<p>Rutan's Senior Project at Cal Poly won the national student paper competition of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1965.</p>
<p>MIT, Stanford and Caltech are the top programs in Aerospace. Michigan is right up there too.</p>
<p>Just to clarify though, Stanford's aerospace undergrad is a concentration in their general engineering degree which prepares you for continuation onto a masters in aerospace. That doesn't make it any worse, but it's a distinction.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Purdue also has a program and you didn't really say what type of school so here it is: <a href="https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAE/%5B/url%5D">https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAE/</a></p>
<p>and where they got jobs:
<a href="https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAE/Students/Ugrad/AAE_Employers.htm%5B/url%5D">https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAE/Students/Ugrad/AAE_Employers.htm</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
Just to clarify though, Stanford's aerospace undergrad is a concentration in their general engineering degree which prepares you for continuation onto a masters in aerospace. That doesn't make it any worse, but it's a distinction.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Smilarly, Caltech's aero program is a concentration within their EAS (Engineering and Applied Sciences) major.</p>
<p>I go to Embry-Riddle, and rankings don't say everything. Our job placement stats are really high, and the academics are tough...many companies look for Riddle graduates first, or only hire from here.</p>
<p>If you go to GA Tech, you could get an internship with Lockheed (which in Northwest of the city in Marietta/Cobb County... about a 30-60 min drive). I know they build stuff for the Air Force (and, with a base right across the street, what a savings on shipping :-P I sound like a salesman now), and it looks pretty good on a resume.</p>
<p>again, the question boils down to whether you want to be an employee or an employer. its one thing to be in a good aerospace program, its another to be in a good aerospace program in the context of an entrepreneurial, connected school. there will be so many opportunities to start space companies in the next two decades... why ride the wave when you can make the wave (and also billions of dollars)?</p>
<p>If you are confident you ONLY want to work for NASA, here is a Q&A from a NASA Webpage:
"What types of people does NASA hire?"</p>
<p>It is important to understand that NASA usually only hires two different types of people: contractors who have worked in the aerospace and science fields, or NASA Coops. This is why you should look for a college with a superior cooperative education program with a good tie to NASA.</p>
<p>I would say that out of those top engineering schools the one with the closest ties to NASA is probably Purdue University. Their biggest strength is in dynamics and control systems (if that is your thing) and many of Dr. Longuski's and Dr. Howell's graduate students end up working for JPL. </p>
<p>Purdue also boasts the highest number of aerospace engineering graduates that later become astronauts. The school definitely has a stronger "astronautics" flavor than just about any other aerospace engineering program with several of their classes having a "space" emphasis. MIT and UIUC may have strong NASA Connections as well although I am not as familiar with them.</p>
<p>Georgia Tech, although it has the #2 aerospace program in the nation, is mostly on the aero side. Purdue and UIUC may be ranked lower overall, but they are stronger in astronautics.</p>
<p>Anyone know anything about the Aerospace degree in San Jose State U, CA ? What about Wichita State U</p>