Salary Of An Aerospace Engineer
Aerospace engineering is a subspecialty of the engineering field that involves the design, production and enhancement of aircraft, spacecraft and missiles. This rewarding career requires the study and practical application of mathematics and physics. Aerospace engineering is an exciting field with varied job opportunities both in the private and public sectors. It is also a lucrative career; the median annual aerospace engineer salary is the highest mean salary for all engineer subspecialties.
All jobs related to aerospace require a four year bachelor’s degree from an accredited school. Mostly, students need five years to complete the bachelor’s degree. Normally, those who just graduated from college would get a relatively low salary because of lack of experience. That is not the case for aerospace engineering graduates. They get the highest starting salary in the United States. It only follows that the starting salary of aerospace engineer is close to the median starting salary of all engineers and it increases fast compared to other fields of engineering. The median annual salary of aerospace engineer is around $100,000 while it is $40,000 a year for those newly graduate aerospace engineers compared to the $60,000 aerospace engineers get. The best thing is it can go up as high as $100,000 in no time.
The starting salaries for aerospace engineers increase with the level of education. The median annual starting aerospace engineer salary for a master’s level engineer is $62,000. The median annual starting salary for a doctorate level aerospace engineer is $74,000.
On average, private sector aerospace engineering jobs pay more than public sector aerospace engineering jobs. The exception to this rule is employment with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA aerospace engineer jobs are very lucrative with an average annual salary of about $108,000. The Department of Defense, the United States Navy, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Space Science Data Center and the National Laboratories are all examples of agencies of the federal government who employ aerospace engineers. The average annual salary for aerospace engineers in the private sector is about $88,000. The main employers of aerospace engineers in the private sector are Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, United Technologies, SAIC, BAE Systems and General Dynamics. Of these companies, Boeing has traditionally paid the highest salaries for aerospace engineers.
Aerospace engineers have another option and that is a teaching position in the college level. They will become qualified in this teaching position if they have a doctorate degree.
A good way for the aerospace engineer graduate to obtain a high-paying starting job is to participate in an internship program while still in college. A successful internship will lead to contacts, potential references for a resume and perhaps a job offer. Many colleges have internship programs to help students find work during college in both the public and private sectors. NASA also has an internship program for college aerospace engineer students.
Aerospace engineering is a very promising career aerospace engineering students can have once they graduate. The opportunities are great and very promising. It is considered as the highest paying engineering job there is in the United States.
Want to find out more about Aerospace Engineer Salary, then visit John Carver’s site on the Aerospace Engineer Job Description and salary info.
November 12, 2011 | Posted by John Carver
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