Astronautical/Aerospace Engineer Programs?

[gebrial]

To start off, let me say I am a long time lurker, first time poster :) I am currently a senior in high school and I think I have decided what I should do as my career. You probably guessed it, yes, I want to become an astronautical engineer. However, I have a few questions about this that I couldn't find answers to.

First of all, are the programs simply called Aerospace Engineering, and then perhaps I have to choose my specialization a couple years through the program, or are there any simply called Astronautical Engineering?

Secondly, are there any programs I could take that are not called Aerospace Engineering that would lead down the same path? Perhaps it's simply called Engineering and you choose your specialization, again, a couple of years into the program? Also, I will have to choose an even more specialized field than the whole of Astronautical Engineering right, such as propulsion or aerodynamics?

Thirdly, I am in Vancouver, Canada and there doesn't appear to be a single University in my province that offers the program I am looking for. Also, my grades aren't as high as I would like them to be. So, does anyone know if I can study at a different post-secondary school here and then move into a different University, such as York University or University of Toronto, after a year or so?

Finally, I am aware that this is one of the harder engineering programs mathematically, but that isn't an issue. I seem to excel at maths. However, if there are any of you that are studying or in this field at the moment, do you have any words of advice or anything to say before I embark on this journey?

Your help is greatly appreciated :D

 

[viscousflow]

An aerospace program does indeed cover astronautics. Aerospace is a combination of aeronautics and space studies. And just as you though, you do choose your specialization down the road. Also I do not know of any university that has specialization within astronautics, usually that comes with your masters degree.

Normally with an aerospace (concentration in astro) undergrad, you mainly focus on design aspects of rockets and/or satellites.