Online Aeronautical Engineering Degree Program Options

Aerospace engineers design and manufacture aircraft, spacecraft and missiles. Astronautical engineers work primarily with crafts that operate beyond the earth's atmosphere, and aeronautical engineers concern themselves with devices like airplanes, helicopters, lighter-than-air craft, gliders and ultralights. Online master's programs will often combine these related disciplines into one degree.

Online Master's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering Program Overview

Online programs in aeronautical and astronautical engineering study technologies like propellers, jet engines, airfoils, structural mechanics, propulsion, guidance, instrumentation and control systems. Classes examine the physical properties of materials, the effectiveness of wing design and the movement of fluids around a moving body. Online bachelor's degree programs in aeronautical engineering are very rare, but there are a number of options available for a master's degree candidate.
Programs differ slightly in name and purpose. Some schools refer to their similar degrees as a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics or a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering. A different option, the Master of Aerospace Engineering, is likely to be practice-oriented in nature, leading not to further graduate study, but to a technical career in the industry.
Applicants to an online master's program in aeronautical engineering are typically students with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or a related field. Depending upon the program, students are expected to complete 27-45 credits, and programs may offer thesis and non-thesis options. Full-time students may be able to complete their coursework in 1-2 years, and part-time students may take as long as 5-6 years to earn their degree.

Program Requirements

Most distance-learning master's degree programs in aeronautical engineering offer enough fully online courses for students to complete a degree online. However, there may be some courses and specialties that are not fully supported by online course material, and students wishing to concentrate in these specialties may be required to attend face-to-face classes.
Distance-learning students should have a relatively powerful personal computer with a browser, multimedia capabilities and a fast Internet connection, in order to view and hear online presentations without distortion or interruptions. In some cases, students will be expected to log in to a live lecture and have the ability to interact with fellow students.
Chat rooms may be set up for student interactions or for students to participate in remote meetings with advisors. Research, assignments and examinations may be conducted online; in some cases, schools may require students to obtain proctors to witness and validate remote examinations.

Common Online Aeronautical Engineering Courses

Instructors may require specific design or engineering software that may run only on a Windows, Mac or Unix platform. A school's distance-learning department will be able to advise students on which hardware and software configurations are best-suited for their online aeronautical engineering major.
Specialty areas for online students may only be a subset of specialties offered to face-to-face students, depending upon the availability of specific courses. Some concentrations in aeronautical engineering include computational engineering, aerodynamics, structural mechanics, guidance and control, safety systems, instrumentation and human factor engineering. Sample courses include:

Aerospace Mathematics Course

This course teaches methods of advanced engineering analysis as they apply to aerospace engineering, including vector analysis, fluid mechanics and solid mechanics. Linear ordinary differential equations factor into all aspects of aerospace engineering, as do the calculus of variations and finite-element analysis.

Gas Turbine Engine Course

The theory, design and manufacture of gas turbine engines are discussed in detail in this course, including recent innovations in the design of physical features like burners and nozzles. Discussion may touch upon the environmental impact of present-day engines.

Aerospace Environment Course

Aircraft engineering must protect occupants and internal components from the effects of external forces like sun, wind, weather, atmospheric conditions, heat and radiation. Strategies to counteract these effects are considered in this online course.

Linear Control Systems Course

The mathematics of vectors and linear equation solution theory are applied to the design of control systems, incorporating feedback controls. The discrepancies between a model and the actual function of a system are often addressed.

Rocket Propulsion Course

Propulsion systems are presented, starting with the basics of rocket propulsion, orbital mechanics, liquid rocket propellants and solid-fuel rockets. The course usually ends with study of more speculative and unusual propulsion systems.

Career Information for Aeronautical Engineers

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) projected that aeronautical engineering jobs would grow by ten percent from 2008 to 2018, slightly less than all engineering jobs, but equivalent to the rate of growth of the average U.S. job. The outlook for jobs is characterized as favorable, since new technologies create a demand for engineers with up-to-date training.
The median annual salary for aerospace engineers in 2008 was $92,520. According to PayScale.com, the starting salary in 2010 for engineering school graduates with a master's degree in aeronautical engineering was $62,648.