Interested in furthering your career in aeronautics? Enrolling in a master's in aeronautics and aviation can lead students on a path to a challenging, exciting career that gives them wings — literally. A degree like this will focus on science and mathematics courses, and as part of earning a master's degree in this industry, you'll learn how to repair and maintain aerospace crafts, as well as how to control the plane from the cockpit.
Excitement isn't the only perk this field offers, either. A career in the aeronautics and aviation field can also lead to above-average salaries and a fast trajectory for growth in the field. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a 3% job growth rate is expected to occur in this field through 2029, which is on par with the national average for other careers. While salaries in this field will vary, if you work as an airline and commercial pilot, you could earn an average wage of about $130,440 per year. If you pursue a job as an aerospace engineer, the median average wage is about $118,610 per year. Aerospace engineering and operations technicians typically make about $68,570 per year.
If you're ready to take advantage of what this degree can offer you, start by weighing the benefits of the best five master's in aeronautics and aviation programs below. You'll also find information on what types of courses you'll take, the potential salaries you can earn in this field, and what requirements are necessary to enroll in master's in aeronautics and aviation.
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The 20 Best Master's Degrees in Aeronautics and Aviation of 2021
What to Expect From a Master's in Aeronautics and Aviation
Working in aeronautics and aviation requires you to have a working knowledge of the mechanics of aerospace vehicles and structures, advanced control theory, electric propulsion, and flight dynamics. You will also need to know how to control an aerospace craft. A master's degree in aeronautics and aviation will prepare you for that. You'll take classes in aircraft structural design, advanced control systems, engineering materials, design optimization, and engineering mechanics.
Many programs require you to complete at least 30 credit hours to graduate. Students in these types of programs typically complete their education requirements within three years, including part-time students. Plus, many programs will allow students to take online and night classes, which is convenient for those with full-time jobs.
What to Expect From a Master's in Aeronautics and Aviation
Working in aeronautics and aviation requires you to have a working knowledge of the mechanics of aerospace vehicles and structures, advanced control theory, electric propulsion, and flight dynamics. You will also need to know how to control an aerospace craft. A master's degree in aeronautics and aviation will prepare you for that. You'll take classes in aircraft structural design, advanced control systems, engineering materials, design optimization, and engineering mechanics.
Many programs require you to complete at least 30 credit hours to graduate. Students in these types of programs typically complete their education requirements within three years, including part-time students. Plus, many programs will allow students to take online and night classes, which is convenient for those with full-time jobs.
Admission Requirements for a Degree in Aeronautics and Aviation
As with all degree programs, the admission requirements for a master's in aeronautics and aviation master's program will vary from program to program and school to school. That said, there are some requirements you can expect to see across most programs.
For example, many master's programs will require you to have a minimum GPA of 2.5 or higher from the work you did during your undergraduate studies. Many programs will also require that you take a GRE and score above a minimum threshold to be admitted. You will also need to have a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or a similar field to be admitted into the program.
Common Courses for a Master's in Aeronautics and Aviation
During your time enrolled in a master's in aviation and aeronautics, the bulk of your courses will revolve around science and mathematics. The classes you may be required to take include:
Aerospace Vehicle Dynamics This degree leads to opportunities in the aeronautics and aviation industry, which means you'll need to learn all about aerospace vehicles. This course teaches you about topics like three-dimensional kinematics and dynamics, Aircraft 6-DOF equations of motion, and Newton/Eulerand Lagrangian and Kane's formulations. You can expect to cover translating and rotating reference frames and orbital mechanics as well.
Advanced Aerodynamics
This course will mostly focus on mathematics, and you'll learn about things like vector analysis, perturbation methods, V/STOL and UAV Aerodynamics, and viscous flow control. You can also expect to learn theoretical studies of thin airfoils, finite wings, wing-body and vorticities, and high-lift aerodynamics.
Foundations of Structural Mechanics When studying the foundations of structural mechanics, you'll need to establish an understanding of analysis techniques for aerospace crafts. In this course, you'll learn Castigliano's theorems, analysis of stress and strain, and boundary value problems. You'll also be taught energy methods and multi-axial yield.
Computational Fluid Dynamics
In a computational fluid dynamics course, you'll need to have an understanding of computer programming languages. This will serve as the foundation for the rest of the material in this class. During this course, you'll study hyperbolic equations, finite difference formulas, and stability analysis..
Fatigue of Engineering Materials Since aerospace vehicles experience wear and tear, it's important for you to know how to address those issues. In this course, you'll learn how to recognize material fatigue and how to improve the lifespan of materials. Specifically, you'll study fatigue damage, fatigue limit, and life prediction.
