Aeronautical Engineering vs Aerospace Engineering – Find out the Better Option

Aeronautical Engineering vs Aerospace Engineering - Do you aspire to work in organizations like NASA and ISRO? Then it is important to understand the branches of engineering that you can opt for graduation in order to work with the top space organizations in the world. Aeronautical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering are the two programmes that can lead you closer to your goals.

Both aeronautical engineering and aerospace engg are emerging fields of engineering education in India. However, one can pursue aeronautical engineering and pursue higher education in the same field from universities overseas. Aeronautical engineers are in demand in some of the most reputed space centers in the world such as NASA.

Aerospace Engineering also offers bright career opportunities. Similar to aspiring aeronautical engineers, students looking for aerospace engg courses can look for colleges in India as well as overseas. Find out the difference between the two branches below.

Aeronautical Engineering VS Aerospace Engineering

Candidates can check the difference between Aerospace Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering from the table below. 

Features	Aerospace Engineering	Aeronautical Engineering
About the Course	In this branch of engineering, students learn about the professional design, building, testing, and maintenance of civil aircraft, missiles, space shuttles, rockets, space stations, and other such units. Aerospace is a broad field and also comprises subjects that are taught in the aeronautical engineering course.	Aeronautical engineering is a field of Aerospace Engineering. It can also be understood as a specialization in the field of aerospace. This field of engineering comprises the study of designing and building aircraft such as airplanes and helicopters.
Duration	4 year	4 year
Popular Subjects	Spacecraft Design Introduction to Astronautics Fundamentals of Jet Propulsion Spacecraft Dynamics Orbital Mechanics	Thermodynamics Heat Transfer Aircraft Structures Flight Mechanics Aircraft Stability and Control
Fees	Aerospace Engineering Fees will vary from INR 5,00,000 to INR 12,00,000.	Aeronautical Engineering Fees will vary from INR 6,00,000 to INR 12,00,000 depending on the type of institute offering the course.
Scope in India	Aerospace Engineers have the option of working in government as well as private organizations. Some of the departments where aerospace engineers can work are Air Force, Corporate Research Companies, Airlines, Helicopter Companies, Aviation Companies, Defence Ministry, Aircraft manufacturing, government-owned air services, etc.	Although there are a lot of opportunities for Aeronautical Engineering graduates, the opportunities in the core profile are better outside India. Since there are better space centers outside India, the scope of this field is much better once you have pursued Master from university abroad. However, there are a few government organizations that offer high-paying Aeronautical Engineering Jobs in this field.
Popular Companies	Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Defense Research and Development Laboratories (DRDO) Civil Aviation Department India Space Research Organization (ISRO) Air India Pawan Hans Helicopters Tata Advanced Systems Taneja Aerospace Mahindra Aerospace Larsen & Toubro	Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) India Space Research Organization (ISRO) Civil Aviation Department India Space Research Samtel Avionics
Job and Salary	Salary packages depend on the colleges that a student has graduated from. However, candidates can expect a starting package of up to INR 5,00,000. Students graduating from IITs can also get a package of up to INR 11,00,000.	Aeronautical Engineering Salary may range between INR 6,00,000 to INR 11,00,000 depending on the college of graduation. An aeronautical earns up to $ 107,700 per year in US.

Also Read: Top 20 Architecture Colleges in India: Fees, Entrance Exam and Number of Seats

Aeronautical Engineering Eligibility Criteria

Aeronautical Engineering aspiring candidates should correspond to the eligibility criteria to opt for this 4 years course. Check out the Aeronautical Engineering Eligibility Criteria here in detail-

1. Candidates should have 70-75% marks in aggregate in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics in Class 10+2
2. Some of the entrance exams that have to be cleared such as JEE Main and JEE Advanced. 
3. Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Diploma Holders are also eligible for pursuing Aeronautical Engineering Course
4. For post-graduation or diploma courses, candidates should have completed their BTech in Aeronautical Engineering Course.
5. For getting a post-graduation degree from some institutes like IITs, IISc, and Science research institutions, a candidate should pass the GATE exam.

Also Read: How Good is an Aeronautical Engineering Career?

Aerospace Engineering Eligibility Criteria

Aerospace Engineering course durations for 4 years and candidates willing to pursue the course should be able to crack the eligibility criteria. Candidates need to fit the Aerospace Engineering criteria to opt for the course:

1. For Aerospace Engineering courses, candidates should have a minimum of 60% marks (55% marks for SC/ST) in the Science stream (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics).
2. For admission to Aerospace engineering postgraduation courses, candidates should complete his/her bachelor’s degree (BE/B.Tech or equivalent) with at least 60% marks (55% marks for SC/ST).
3. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the US suggests a degree in a variety of disciplines, including Industrial Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Metallurgy, Chemistry, Ceramic Engineering, Oceanography, Optical Engineering, and Materials Engineering. Ph.D. is favorably suggested for entering NASA.

Quick Link: Taking up a career as an aerospace engineer

Aeronautical Engineering Colleges & Fees

The aeronautical engineering colleges in India along with their fees have been listed in the table below.

College Name	Total Aeronautical Engineering Fees (Approx)
Indian Institute Technology (IIT), Madras	INR 8,00,000
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay	INR 10,39,000
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur	INR 8,00,000
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur	INR 3,50,000
Punjab Engineering College (Deemed To Be University), Chandigarh	INR 7, 50,000
Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai	INR 65,000
Amity University, Gautam Budh Nagar	INR 10,00,000
Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University, Hyderabad	INR 3,60,000
Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka	INR 16,16,000
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology	INR 9,61,000

Also Read: Top Aeronautical Engineering Colleges in Uttar Pradesh

Aerospace Engineering Colleges & Fees

Some of the top Aerospace Engineering colleges along with their fees have been listed in the table below.

Aerospace Engineering Government Colleges	Aerospace Engineering Course Fee
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay	INR 10,00,000
Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology	INR 10,00,000
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras	INR 9,00,000
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur	INR 12,00,000
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur	INR 8,00,000
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad	INR 8,00,000
Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) Shibpur	INR 5,00,000
SRM Institute of Science and Technology	14,00,000
Amrita School of Engineering	14,00,000
Chandigarh University (CU)	12,00,000
Amity University, Noida	10,00,000
Lovely Professional University (LPU)	10,00,000
SASTRA (Deemed to be University)	7,00,000
KIIT School of Engineering, Bhubaneshwar	14,00,000
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra	10,00,000

Quick Link: 

1. MTech Aerospace Engineering Colleges in India
2. B.Tech aerospace engineering colleges in India
3. PhD in aerospace engineering colleges in India

Which Branch is Better?

Both Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering are good branches. You should choose the branch depending on the career path you foresee for yourself. If you want to work in the aircraft building industry then aerospace engineering is the right course for you. However, if you look forward to working in the space industry, then aeronautical engineering is the right branch for you.

You can also choose an aeronautical specialization after pursuing B.Tech in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering. Make sure that you take admission to good colleges while choosing these streams of engineering in order to ensure jobs.

Also Read: Coaching vs Self Study – Choose the Right Option to Crack an Entrance Exam!

You can also check colleges offering Aerospace Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering colleges at collegedekho.com.