Taking Up Career as an Aerospace Engineer

If you are interested in learning about missiles, satellites and aircrafts, then Aerospace engineering is exactly what you are looking for!! Despite being one the most challenging areas of engineering, it is also one of the most demanding and interesting career options.

Aerospace engineering involves development of new technology and design to manufacture flight vehicles such as aircrafts, missiles, space shuttles etc.

Aerospace engineering is further divided into two branches:

• Aeronautical Engineering
• Astronautical Engineering

These branches are different due to the different fields they specialise in:

Aeronautical Engineering specializes in aircrafts , missiles and helicopters . On the contrary, Astronautical Engineering includes space shuttles, rockets and space stations.

Apart from aviation and flying vehicles, you can use your knowledge in Aersospace engineering for other vehicles such as submarines, trucks, advanced robotics, computational simulations etc.

Also Read: Top Astrophysics Colleges in India

What does an Aerospace Engineer do?

From the basic level starting with designing, technology development, testing to construction and maintenance of commercial and military aircrafts and spacecrafts, everything is done by an Aerospace engineer.

Educational Qualification required to become an Aerospace engineer:

In order to become an Aerospace Engineer, you need to fulfill the falling eligibility criteria:

• A graduation degree in B.E/B.Tech or a diploma in Aeronautics.
• If you are in school now, then to be eligible for BE / B.Tech, you need to pass your 10+2 in with subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

Apart from these classes, knowledge of a student is tested in introductory labs to judge his/her grasp of the basic engineering principles used in flight and propulsion.

Further a student learns in depth about the aerodynamics of airplane bodies,electrical component and systems of the vehicle, fundamentals of flight and stability control and about wing structure and flaps.

Duration of the programme:

• In case you are pursuing a degree course, it will take four years for its completion.
• A diploma course is usually for a shorter span of time and will take a duration of 2-3 years for completion.

Skills Required to become an Aerospace engineer:

Some of the basic skills than an Aerospace engineer should have are as follows:

• Problem-solving skills
• Good analytical skills
• Good mathematical skills
• Design skills
• Computer skills
• Foresightedness
• Ability to work under pressure

Some other key points to keep in mind:

• Must be physically fit
• Have a great speed
• A regular colour vision

Popular colleges offering courses in Aerospace Engineering:

• Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
• Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
• Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
• Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
• IIST , Thiruvananthapuram
• Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai
• Hindustan Inst of Engineering Technology, Chennai
• Nehru College of Aeronautical and Applied Sciences, Coimbatore
• School of Aviation Science and Technology, Delhi
• Indian Institute of Aeronautics, Patna

Job Prospects:

Some of the job positions for Aerospace Engineers are:

• Consultants
• Thermal Design Engineers
• Mechanical Design Engineers
• Aerospace Technologist
• Aircraft Production Manager
• Assistant Technical Officers
• Aerospace Design Checker
• Graduate Engineer Trainees

Here is a list of some of the top recruiters of Aerospace engineers:

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
• Defense Research and Development Laboratories (DRDO)
• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
• Civil Aviation Department
• Air India
• India Space Research Organization (ISRO)

Salary earned by an Aerospace engineer:

Salary usually depends on your own skills and knowledge. Also, institute from where you have graduated plays a big role in deciding your salary.

The following data is according to stats collected by naukrihub, one of India’s leading survey conducting website,

Average salary - INR 35, 000 to INR 40,000 per month

Maximum salary can go upto INR 15 lakhs per annum

All the best!!