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Aerospace engineering

Is the aerospace engineering industry declining/ is having a degree useless? Will it be hard to get a job?

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It's declining at the moment for obvious reasons but it's very likely to have recovered by the time that you've graduated. The UK aerospace industry is quite strong and the degree also allows for entry into other areas of engineering which the UK is pretty good at such as wind energy and automotive. The UK's investment in its own GPS system alongside other growth in the UK's space industry will also speed things up.

In general it's difficult to say whether getting a job will be hard in any industry because the climate is changing so rapidly. Something may be considered hard to get a job in now but in a few years it might be relatively easy to get a job, but the opposite can also be true. The only areas of engineering which are reasonably guaranteed to have good prospects over the next few years are renewables and civil engineering.
Thank you for taking the time to reply! I've been advised to take a BEng in Mechanical engineering and then an MEng in Aerospace engineering. Is this a better option?
Original post by withproblems
Is the aerospace engineering industry declining/ is having a degree useless? Will it be hard to get a job?


No it’s not useless. (And you can move into more than just commercial aerospace with an aero degree)

The aerospace industry will pivot, continued need for higher efficiency aircraft, increased part lifecycle, reduce manufacturing & servicing costs.

That said aero industry is clearly struggling atm and have gone through a headcount reduction this past year, it could take a few years to recover.
Original post by withproblems
Thank you for taking the time to reply! I've been advised to take a BEng in Mechanical engineering and then an MEng in Aerospace engineering. Is this a better option?


Probably a BEng in mechanical & an MSc in Aero (if you are on about a postgrad masters).

Yes this is another viable option OP.
Original post by mnot
Probably a BEng in mechanical & an MSc in Aero (if you are on about a postgrad masters).

Yes this is another viable option OP.

Also, if I choose this option should I base my personal statement around general engineering or aerospace?
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Sinnoh
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Original post by withproblems
Also, if I choose this option should I base my personal statement around general engineering or aerospace?

Best to be specific.
Original post by withproblems
Also, if I choose this option should I base my personal statement around general engineering or aerospace?


Well you can talk about the aero industry when applying for either the BEng mechanical as a mechanical undergrad is still relevant to the industry. But you might just think about the way you phrase things to keep it relevant to mechanical.

I wouldn’t talk about general engineering if you are applying for mechanical or aero.
Original post by Sinnoh
Best to be specific.


Even if the university has different courses for aerospace and mechanical.
Original post by mnot
Well you can talk about the aero industry when applying for either the BEng mechanical as a mechanical undergrad is still relevant to the industry. But you might just think about the way you phrase things to keep it relevant to mechanical.

I wouldn’t talk about general engineering if you are applying for mechanical or aero.

Thank you! What is the major difference between taking a BEng in Mechanical then MEng in aero compared to straight MEng in aero.
Original post by withproblems
Thank you! What is the major difference between taking a BEng in Mechanical then MEng in aero compared to straight MEng in aero.


First of all.
So a BEng in mechanical Vs a Beng in Aero.
Aero is more specific so for example you will study fluid mechanics in both but in mechanical you will learn it for a wide number of applications. In Aero you’ll learn aircraft aerodynamics, its the same physics just one is slightly more specific.

And again in materials in mechanical you’ll learn a wider spectrum whereas aero would focus on a more specific ones such as composites.

In mechanical you’ll learn instrumentation & control. In aerospace you’ll do aircraft avionics.

It’s basically a question of scope.

If you do a mechanical BEng you’ll do an MSc in aerospace engineering, an MSc offers slightly more specialisation then a straight MEng offers, and a larger research project at the end.
Original post by mnot
First of all.
So a BEng in mechanical Vs a Beng in Aero.
Aero is more specific so for example you will study fluid mechanics in both but in mechanical you will learn it for a wide number of applications. In Aero you’ll learn aircraft aerodynamics, its the same physics just one is slightly more specific.

And again in materials in mechanical you’ll learn a wider spectrum whereas aero would focus on a more specific ones such as composites.

In mechanical you’ll learn instrumentation & control. In aerospace you’ll do aircraft avionics.

It’s basically a question of scope.

If you do a mechanical BEng you’ll do an MSc in aerospace engineering, an MSc offers slightly more specialisation then a straight MEng offers, and a larger research project at the end.

Thank you, also when applying to universities, do you apply for BEng or do you apply for MEng and then drop out in your third year to do MEng at another uni. Also do all universities allow this (is it common?)
Original post by withproblems
Thank you, also when applying to universities, do you apply for BEng or do you apply for MEng and then drop out in your third year to do MEng at another uni. Also do all universities allow this (is it common?)


You apply for a BEng in mechanical then 3 years into the degree you apply for an MSc in Aero at whatever unis you want.

Also you seem to be confusing an MEng an undergrad qualification with an MSc a postgrad qualification.

Both are 4 years in total but the BEng+MSc is technically 2 qualifications whereas an MEng is one degree straight through.
Original post by mnot
You apply for a BEng in mechanical then 3 years into the degree you apply for an MSc in Aero at whatever unis you want.

Also you seem to be confusing an MEng an undergrad qualification with an MSc a postgrad qualification.

Both are 4 years in total but the BEng+MSc is technically 2 qualifications whereas an MEng is one degree straight through.

Thank you for the information.
Are there any disadvantages in doing BeEng+MSc instead of MEng? Also can you get a chartered status with either route?
Original post by withproblems
Are there any disadvantages in doing BeEng+MSc instead of MEng? Also can you get a chartered status with either route?


Well its slightly more admin to do an MSc as you re-apply etc.

Yes you can get chartered either route as long as you get an accredited BEng & MSc.

It’s really a question of preference.
Original post by mnot
Well its slightly more admin to do an MSc as you re-apply etc.

Yes you can get chartered either route as long as you get an accredited BEng & MSc.

It’s really a question of preference.

Thank you! I am applying for the top universities, is the BEng route considered less academic? Also someone told me you're allowed to switch between disciplines at uni, is this true?
Original post by withproblems
Are there any disadvantages in doing BeEng+MSc instead of MEng? Also can you get a chartered status with either route?


Funding is the other factor. An MEng is an undergraduate degree so student finance will cover the tuition fees for your master's year and you'll get a maintenence loan on top. With an MSc you only get the post graduate loan which has to cover tuition and living costs. The MSc is also longer than the final year of an MEng.

Advantages of the MSc is that you have more choice of what you study and it's worth more internationally.
Original post by withproblems
Thank you for taking the time to reply! I've been advised to take a BEng in Mechanical engineering and then an MEng in Aerospace engineering. Is this a better option?

Hey! I am planning to take the exact same route. I believe doing BEng Mechanical Engineering will help me create a base on which then my MEng Aerospace Engineering degree will stand atop. Mechanical Engineering covers a wide region of interest in the field of engineering and doing so will definitely help me become a more dynamic and proficient engineer.
Also doing so will allow me to be more flexible since after completion of my BEng, I have the option to switch to either aerospace, robotics or mechatronics, for my master's. I can decide then based on my interest and the demand in the job market, what I really want to specialize in!
These comments are making me cringe a bit due to the inaccuracies. I'll try to address them from the bigger matters down to the smaller ones.

Myth #1: Mechanical Engineering as a degree gives you a broader variety of options compared to Aerospace: No, and often it's the opposite. A good Aero degree will cover mechanical engineering sufficiently that it won't be an issue. The only things I missed out on compared to the mechanical engineering grads were FEA, railways, and tribology, the latter two were options for mechanical students, and I missed FEA because I specialised in control engineering instead of mechanical or materials. On the other hand, in an aero degree you can study a decent amount of Control and Electrical engineering which will give you options in those jobs. Aero also generally has a much bigger programming component so it's easier to get into those jobs which require programming skills.

Myth #2: BEng followed by MSc Aerospace Engineering is a drop in replacement for MEng Aerospace Engineering: No, you will miss out on the group project, industrial projects if they are offered by the university, the control/electrical/programming aspects, and if not these things then you will miss out somewhere else. You also don't usually get to do many 4th year MEng modules as they'll need to cover lots of 3rd year content or MSc specific modules which also cover earlier content. This often means you'll do e.g. Aero propulsion, but not advanced aero propulsion. Ironically the higher level modules are sometimes available in the Mech MEng.

A better option can be a more specialised MSc e.g. Aerodynamics. Accept that you'll lose out in some areas and instead specialise in one particular area to get on par or beyond what the aerospace MEng students studied.

Myth #3: BEng then MEng: Not unless you want to take 7 years to graduate. MEng is undergrad only, you want an MSc which is postgrad.

If you sign up for an MEng but want to do a BEng then you often have to let them know before the beginning of 3rd year as there can be some differences in the courses in 3rd year, though not always.
(edited 3 years ago)

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