Aerospace Grad Studies

[Deleted]

What do you all think about a Masters in AeroE? I've been debating for about a year on whether or not it is worth the extra time and money.

[Wirespeed]

Here's some of the stuff I've gathered about grad school in Aero.

If you can get in good with a prof and do research for him/her and stick around, then you'll probably get an easy advisor out of it and an easy ticket into a grad program. In that case, it might be worth it if you can keep your grades up and all.

Also, Aero is one of those majors where if you can manage to graduate (easier said than done, of course), you're going to be able to get a job in the industry if you look around enough. It may not be a great job, but you'll likely get one.

In other words, my opinion is that unless you can manage to make some sort of arrangement with a prof while you're in undergrad, then you're probably better off jumping into industry and, if you need to, coming back and getting a graduate degree later.

As a bit of an aside, if you go beyond a masters into a doctorate, I've always heard that becomes MUCH harder to get a job in industry with a doctorate - you're overqualified. After you become a doctor, you're more or less going to be either going into academia or working at a lab.

[Deleted]

May 7, 2013 1:43:29 GMT -5 Wirespeed said:

Here's some of the stuff I've gathered about grad school in Aero.

If you can get in good with a prof and do research for him/her and stick around, then you'll probably get an easy advisor out of it and an easy ticket into a grad program. In that case, it might be worth it if you can keep your grades up and all.

Also, Aero is one of those majors where if you can manage to graduate (easier said than done, of course), you're going to be able to get a job in the industry if you look around enough. It may not be a great job, but you'll likely get one.

In other words, my opinion is that unless you can manage to make some sort of arrangement with a prof while you're in undergrad, then you're probably better off jumping into industry and, if you need to, coming back and getting a graduate degree later.

As a bit of an aside, if you go beyond a masters into a doctorate, I've always heard that becomes MUCH harder to get a job in industry with a doctorate - you're overqualified. After you become a doctor, you're more or less going to be either going into academia or working at a lab.

I actually tried to user tag you in this, but it wouldn't let me. I'm glad you found it and replied.

I've read a little about advanced degrees in Aerospace and one of the forums I read specifically mentioned a doctorate in Aerospace being a bad idea unless you want to research or teach. Masters in Engineering is probably as far as I'm willing to go at this point. I may end up changing my mind on the Masters after my third Aerospace year in the Fall. haha