Aerospace engineering
Whether you enjoy solving technical challenges or being creative and innovative, aerospace engineering opens up opportunities in a range of industries including aerospace, defence, automotive, energy and computing
Job options
Jobs directly related to your degree include:
- Academic researcher
- Aerospace engineer
- CAD technician
- Design engineer
- Higher education lecturer
- Maintenance engineer
- Manufacturing systems engineer
- Materials engineer
- Mechanical engineer
Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
- Automotive engineer
- Control and instrumentation engineer
- Patent attorney
- Product designer
- Production manager
- Quality manager
- Sales executive
- Technical sales engineer
Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.
Work experience
Employers value experience gained through industrial placements, summer placements or part-time work.
Industrial placements as part of your course will add valuable experience to your CV and may also lead to job openings as employers often see placements as an opportunity to identify future recruits. If industrial placements are not part of your course, look for summer placements with major engineering or manufacturing companies.
Work experience in any kind of role within manufacturing, maintenance or related settings, whether in the office, factory shop floor or laboratory, will help you understand the whole production process and develop skills such as designing, research or working in a team.
You could also join relevant societies while at university to show your interest.
Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.
Typical employers
The UK aerospace sector is well established and dominated by large multinationals that produce a range of products in locations across the world. Manufacturing 'hubs' are in the South West, North West, Midlands, Northern Ireland, Wales and the South East.
Apart from aircraft manufacturers, opportunities exist with regulators such as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the armed forces, government research agencies, the Ministry of Defence, airline companies, space programmes and suppliers of raw materials and parts to manufacturers.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a range of opportunities, from engineering to commercial and managerial roles within sales, finance and IT.
There are opportunities to move into other high-technology sectors, such as wind and marine power or Formula 1 racing. You could also follow a career in research at a university or other research institution.
Find information on employers in engineering and manufacturing, law enforcement and security, transport and logistics and other job sectors.
Skills for your CV
Aerospace engineering students develop specialist knowledge in areas such as design, control, systems, flight mechanics, aerodynamics, avionics, stress engineering, materials and structures, and sustainable aircraft design.
Employers are also interested in the broader technical, interpersonal and IT skills you acquire studying aerospace engineering, such as the ability to:
- work effectively in multinational teams
- use creativity and problem-solving skills to establish innovative solutions
- manage the design process and evaluate outcomes
- develop economically viable, ethically sound and sustainable solutions
- be numerate and computer literate
- work accurately and with attention to detail
- effectively communicate
- show leadership and exercise responsibility
- demonstrate project management skills
- meet changing customer needs.
Further study
You can complete an MEng, which involves an integrated additional year of study, or undertake a separate Masters qualification after BEng level in a specialist subject field. Research through an MRes, MPhil or PhD is also possible.
As a new graduate employee, you may work towards Incorporated or Chartered status through the Engineering Council to achieve professional standards and you can be involved in further work-related education and training.
For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search postgraduate courses in aerospace engineering.
What do aerospace engineering graduates do?
A third (34%) were working as engineering professionals. Other common occupations for these graduates include science engineering and production technicians, business associate professionals, natural and social science professionals and finance professionals,
| Destination | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Employed | 65.6 |
| Further study | 12.7 |
| Working and studying | 8 |
| Unemployed | 9.4 |
| Other | 4.3 |
| Type of work | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Engineering | 44.7 |
| IT | 10.4 |
| Retail, catering and customer service | 9.2 |
| Business, HR and finance | 8.2 |
| Other | 27.5 |
Find out what other aerospace engineering graduates are doing 15 months after finishing their degrees in What do graduates do?
Graduate destinations data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.