Aeronautical Engineering Technology

Types of Degrees Aeronautical Engineering Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many aeronautical/aerospace engineering technology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	336
Associate Degree	258
Bachelor’s Degree	251
Basic Certificate	159

What Aeronautical Engineering Technology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to aeronautical/aerospace engineering tech and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Tech Majors

Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Tech majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Tech Majors

When studying aeronautical/aerospace engineering tech, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Tech Majors

As a aeronautical/aerospace engineering tech major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

What Can You Do With a Aeronautical Engineering Technology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with aeronautical/aerospace engineering tech:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technicians	6.6%	$67,010

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering Technology?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 86% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of aeronautical/aerospace engineering tech majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	4
Black or African American	10
Hispanic or Latino	48
White	177
International Students	6
Other Races/Ethnicities	13

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Tech. About 2.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Aeronautical Engineering Technology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Tech majors often go into careers with median salaries of $68,970. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Aeronautical Engineering Technology

Some careers associated with aeronautical/aerospace engineering tech require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to aeronautical/aerospace engineering tech have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	19.7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	39.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	33.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	7.9%

Online Aeronautical Engineering Technology Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	10	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	19	1
Bachelor’s Degree	5	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Aeronautical Engineering Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a aeronautical/aerospace engineering tech grad is $68,970 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 73% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $581,400 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Aeronautical Engineering Technology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to aeronautical/aerospace engineering tech.

Major	Number of Grads
Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Technology	3,490
Automotive Engineering Technology	1,062
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies, Other	473
Marine Engineering Technology	106

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.