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Aerospace Engineer

Aerospace engineers design and test vehicles that fly — planes, satellites, rockets. A specialized, prestigious engineering field with strong pay.

Median salary

$130,000

Typical range

$85k – $175k

Job outlook

+6% (faster than average)

AI exposure

Plan a path to Aerospace Engineer

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

Typical progression

  1. Aerospace Engineer Intern

    Internship

    $42,500

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Aerospace Engineer

    Entry / Junior

    $85,000

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Aerospace Engineer

    Established

    $130,000

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Aerospace Engineer

    Senior

    $152,500

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

AerodynamicsCADSystems thinkingMath

A typical day

  • Design aerospace systems
  • Run simulations and tests
  • Analyze flight data

Fields of study

Aerospace Engineering · Mechanical Engineering

Top colleges for Engineering

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.

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