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Aerospace Engineers

Designs aircraft, spacecraft, satellites and drones.

Typical education to startBachelor's degree
Job outlook2025–2035: +8%
Median pay$134,960 a year (2025)
Interest codeIRC Investigative, Realistic, Conventional

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Aerospace engineers design and test airplanes, helicopters, rockets, satellites and drones. They work on how a vehicle flies, what it's made of, how it's powered and how it's controlled, often on large teams for aerospace companies, NASA or the military.

Open the aerospace engineer guide

The guide checks the courses against your plan, with things to try each year. Free account needed.

High school courses that build toward it

  • Engineering Design · Career and Technical

    Builds engineering, which this job uses.

  • Calculus · Math

    Builds math, which this job uses.

  • Computer Science Principles · Computer Science

    Builds computers and electronics, which this job uses.

  • Physics · Science

    Builds physics, which this job uses.

  • Studio Art · Arts

    Builds design and technical drawing, which this job uses.

  • English 10 · English

    Builds reading and writing, which this job uses.

Ranked by how much the job relies on what each course teaches, from O*NET's knowledge ratings. Your school's own courses and the counselor have the final word.

Aerospace Engineers on O*NET OnLine · O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections 2025.