To date, we’ve asked 24 current and past aerospace engineering students about their happiness with their degree. Turns out, they rate it average.

Different majors will offer different opportunities.

To help you reach the decision that is right for you, we asked students who have pursued a aerospace engineering degree to respond to questions concerning five dimensions of the educational track they chose:

  • Course material: Were they interested in the material they learned?
  • Intellectual fulfillment: Did they find the coursework intellectually stimulating?
  • Job prospects: Did they leave the program with job opportunities?
  • Personality: Was the degree a good fit for their personality?
  • Overall fit: Were they happy with the program overall?

We examined their responses and combined the rankings to give us an average satisfaction score across all students. This doesn't necessarily reflect how satisfied you would be with a aerospace engineering degree, but it’s a starting point to help you evaluate your options.

How satisfied are aerospace engineering students compared to other degrees?

Overall, aerospace engineering students rate their satisfaction with their degree a 3.1 out of 5. This is low compared to other degrees which average a rating of 3.28 across all degrees. For context, aerospace engineering students rate their happiness similarly to students in Management Science and Quantitative Methods, Criminal Justice and Radio, Television, and Digital Communication.

Here are other degrees that have a similar satisfaction rating to aerospace engineering

DegreeAvg Grad SalarySatisfaction
Marketing$77,464
Communications, Journalism, and Related Studies$66,788
Aerospace Engineering$97,463
Management Science and Quantitative Methods$87,254
Criminal Justice$61,258
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication$60,080
Engineering$100,998
Business/Managerial Economics$92,150

Let's break that down further.

Are aerospace engineering students satisfied with what they’re learning?

We asked students about their satisfaction with their course material and overall intellectual fulfillment. Here’s what they said:

We asked graduates how interesting they found the course material to be. Their response was:
3.5 out of 5 stars
24 ratings
5 stars
21%
4 stars
29%
3 stars
29%
2 stars
17%
1 stars
0%
We asked graduates how intellectually fulfilling they found the degree. Their response was:
3.8 out of 5 stars
23 ratings
5 stars
30%
4 stars
35%
3 stars
13%
2 stars
13%
1 stars
4%

These ratings are meant to give you an indication about what other people enrolled in aerospace engineering experienced. While their input is useful, keep in mind that different people have had vastly different experiences, all of which were impacted by their personal motivations, professors, and specific curriculum. Always keep your own goals at the center of your decision-making process when it comes to something as significant as your education.

Did aerospace engineering graduates leave school with good job prospects?

Of course, working towards a degree is also about pursuing your desired career. Here’s what aerospace engineering grads had to say about their job prospects:

We asked graduates how satisfied they were with their job prospects. Their response was:
3.6 out of 5 stars
23 ratings
5 stars
30%
4 stars
26%
3 stars
13%
2 stars
17%
1 stars
9%

We can see there’s a cluster of positive responses, which might indicate a strong or growing job market.

Were aerospace engineering students happy with their degree overall?

This rating takes into account all factors: how demanding the program is, whether graduates felt it was worthwhile, and how fulfilling they found their educational experience.

We asked graduates how satisfied they were with their degree as a whole. Their response was:
3.1 out of 5 stars
24 ratings
5 stars
21%
4 stars
17%
3 stars
21%
2 stars
25%
1 stars
13%

As you consider this information and input from others, remember above all that your choice should be based on your interests, goals, passions, and abilities. Consider the future and give yourself time. If you’re feeling unsure, click here to take our career assessment and see what path could be right for you.

Career Paths

Learn about your career prospects after graduation.

Read about Career Paths