I can offer a few thoughts from the professional perspective. There are relatively few courses of college study that will get you what you are specifically looking for from a business and capital perspective. The value of the engineering degree is whatever it is and what you make of it, but in terms of business classes and education you might do well to be somewhat more focused in your actions.
In the interest of full disclosure, it is worth noting that I am _not_ a big fan of business degrees. They rarely offer what people are expecting from them, and in most cases are really best suited for someone seeking a career in management, notwithstanding the hype we have so often heard about 'teaching entrepreneurship.'
Are either of your parents in the aerospace field? How about your parents friends? This is a great time to try to take advantage of any personal or family contacts. Try to get yourself a summer job or internship working for such a firm. Write your own letters and make phone calls (and lots of them), but there is nothing like a personal connection or a family friend for making a phone call on your behalf in a situation like this. Try to get such a position in the 'business' rather than the technical side of a company. I bet that relatively few position seekers do this, and it can be a way of making yourself stand out. Accentuate that you are trying to learn the business side of things. (The business side of aerospace is very complex and specialized). The very best of all possible circumstances might be to get a cheap or unpaid assignment as a gopher/assistant to some executive (family friend, etc? check your rolodex... ask around...) and just pay as much attention as possible and ask questions when convenient to all parties.
I realize that my prescription was a bit specific and dependent on circumstances, but my broader point, perhaps, is that a formal 'business education' will be far less valuable than some actual field time, particular under the watch of an interested practitioner.
That all said, there are some basic business skills that are _very_ valuable to have:
Basic bookkeeping and reading of financial statements. (Forensic bookkeeping is an incalculably valuable skill but it comes over time and with education and practice). I cannot overstate the importance of this. There are always stories in the numbers. There are many college classes on this, however they always managed to confound me - the classes that is, i managed to learn mostly by reading and doing both before college and after... it is almost exactly like learning a foreign language. Something that you can start doing right now and which will be of enormous value will be to start reading 'Annual Reports'. Make a list of all the aerospace companies that you find interesting. If they are public companies, and many are, get their annual and quarterly report and read them cover to cover. They will be very happy to send them to you for free. You used to have to call them on the phone, but now you can get all of this through their websites. They will send you the glossy and expensively produced annual and quarterly reports (and other materials) but if you want to see the distilled public infomation, you can look for their 10-K and 10-Q filings (annual and quarterly financial filings) and other interesting releases, like 8-K filings at
http://www.sec.gov . There is a box in which to enter a company's name and it will link to all the public filings.
Those reports, plus any industry periodical literature you can get your hands on... magazines, newsletters, what have you, will offer a source of information and business insight that is about as good as you could seek on a practical side.
Again, these are just a few starting points, and all must chart their own courses according to their interests and abilities... YMMV.
best of luck, and I hope that this was of some small assistance,
diogenesNY
