Choosing Between Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Degrees

[Sniperman724]

Would it be better to get a BAS in Mechanical Engineering then go for my masters in Aerospace Engineering? or just stay specific in the field of aerospace throughout college?

 

[fss]

It depends. Getting a BME might make it more difficult to get into a graduate program in AE (but perhaps not), but will give you more options if you decide AE isn't right for you.

It really depends on the BME curriculum/concentration as well as what the graduate program is looking for/willing to accept.

 

[boneh3ad]

In general, ME and AE degrees are nearly interchangeable for most purposes, especially graduate school. The two are rooted in identical physical principles. Only the examples are different (and thus the courses differ only slightly).

I was an ME undergrad and then am working on my PhD in AE.

 

[AIR&SPACE]

Current Aero-Mech dual here. If I could do it all over, I'd drop the mech part and just go Aero. Why? So that I could take more Aero (and by association math) undergrad classes. I'm not a big fan of the mechanical aspect, don't know if I want to do grad school anymore, and would rather take classes like Comp Flow, Turbulent Flow, FEA, Fluid Mech, CFD etc. etc. than more classes designing bearings/bolts/screws.

I have pinpointed that this is due to preferring "ideas" and gaining theoretical understanding rather than algebraic design parameters. (ie. I'd rather learn about the material science aspect of designing a bolt than just applying a "trust me, this is how you do it," approach.

 

[boneh3ad]

Your ME department is kind of crappy if that is the way they do it, or you just aren't approaching it right. I was an ME undergrad and even in the classes where they did stuff like designing gears, they still gave you the reason why you were doing it that way. My only problem was that I didn't care and would rather be doing fluids or heat transfer.

 

[Sniperman724]

What about getting a ME degree with a concentration in AE, would that make any difference? or not really

 

[boneh3ad]

Well I suppose it depends. Usually, having a concentration on your transcript isn't worth that much, it is the classes you take to get that concentration. If you are an ME and want to get into AE for graduate work or as a career, it certainly would help to tailor your electives towards whichever area of AE you want to pursue, regardless of whether you formally add a "concentration" or not.

 

[RandomGuy88]

I did my undergrad in Mech and am currently doing graduate school in AE. I did not have any formal concentration in AE as an undergrad but I did take several aerospace electives (my school did not have an AE department) and all of my research experience was related to aerospace engineering.