An aerodynamics engineer tests aerospace components such as aircraft bodies and propulsion systems. An aerodynamics engineer's primary duty is to make sure the aerodynamic specifications of aircrafts do not violate the laws of aerodynamics. Their duties may further be extended to you assessing the efficiency of designs and making necessary recommendations. Aerodynamics engineers must also derive mathematical models and simulations to assess the functionality of designs before going onto to construct the actual aerospace models, as well as doing research on the appropriate equipment and material required to create the aircraft bodies. Aerodynamics engineers are required to diagnose technical glitches and review the performance of aerospace components.
The minimum education requirements for an aerodynamics engineer is a Bachelors degree in aerospace, aeronautical, or astronautical engineering. Aerodynamics engineers are expected to have brilliant mathematical and analytical skills, as well as advanced knowledge of aerodynamic principles and the mechanisms of air vehicles. Their position further requires them to pay thorough attention to safety precautions regarding the functionalities of the aircrafts they work with.
How to Become an Aerodynamics Engineer
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an aerodynamics engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $43.05 an hour? That's $89,550 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 1,100 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does an Aerodynamics Engineer Do
There are certain skills that many aerodynamics engineers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, business skills and writing skills.
How To Become an Aerodynamics Engineer
If you're interested in becoming an aerodynamics engineer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 79.4% of aerodynamics engineers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 16.7% of aerodynamics engineers have master's degrees. Even though most aerodynamics engineers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an aerodynamics engineer. When we researched the most common majors for an aerodynamics engineer, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or master's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on aerodynamics engineer resumes include doctoral degree degrees or associate degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an aerodynamics engineer. In fact, many aerodynamics engineer jobs require experience in a role such as research assistant. Meanwhile, many aerodynamics engineers also have previous career experience in roles such as internship or engineering internship.
Aerodynamics Engineer Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, an aerodynamics engineer can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as engineer, progress to a title such as project engineer and then eventually end up with the title senior project engineer.
Average Salary for an Aerodynamics Engineer
What Am I Worth?
Top Colleges for Aerodynamics Engineers
1. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
2. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
7. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
8. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
9. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Top Skills For an Aerodynamics Engineer
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 17.8% of aerodynamics engineers listed matlab on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and business skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Aerodynamics Engineer Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Aerodynamics Engineer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Aerodynamics Engineer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Aerodynamics Engineer Demographics
Aerodynamics Engineer Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among aerodynamics engineers, 13.8% of them are women, while 86.2% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among aerodynamics engineers is White, which makes up 71.1% of all aerodynamics engineers.
- The most common foreign language among aerodynamics engineers is Spanish at 35.3%.
Online Courses For Aerodynamics Engineer That You May Like
Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering: Master the Mechanics of Airplanes - Aerodynamics, Flight Maneuvers, JET Engines...
COURSE ABSTRACT: Have we reached the boundaries of what can be achieved in sports and building design? The answer is definitely "NO". This course explains basic aspects of bluff body aerodynamics, wind tunnel testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations with application to sports and building aerodynamics. It is intended for anyone with a strong interest in these topics. Key fields addressed are urban physics, wind engineering and sports aerodynamics. COURSE CONTENTS: The course co...
Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering: Master the Systems of Airplanes - Hydraulics, Avionics, Electric, Propulsion...
Best States For an Aerodynamics Engineer
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an aerodynamics engineer. The best states for people in this position are California, Arizona, West Virginia, and Maryland. Aerodynamics engineers make the most in California with an average salary of $107,583. Whereas in Arizona and West Virginia, they would average $101,971 and $100,700, respectively. While aerodynamics engineers would only make an average of $97,925 in Maryland, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Arizona
$101,971
Avg. Salary
2. California
$107,583
Avg. Salary
3. Delaware
$96,490
Avg. Salary
How Do Aerodynamics Engineer Rate Their Jobs?
Top Aerodynamics Engineer Employers
Most Common Employers For Aerodynamics Engineer
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Motors | $107,955 | $51.90 | 4 |
| 2 | Tesla | $107,091 | $51.49 | 10 |
| 3 | Gardner Denver | $99,182 | $47.68 | 3 |
| 4 | Boeing | $99,007 | $47.60 | 17 |
| 5 | Honeywell | $96,540 | $46.41 | 4 |
| 6 | SpaceX | $95,846 | $46.08 | 2 |
| 7 | Northwestern University | $95,834 | $46.07 | 2 |
| 8 | Lockheed Martin | $95,601 | $45.96 | 3 |
| 9 | Northrop Grumman | $95,134 | $45.74 | 3 |
| 10 | Rolls-Royce | $94,907 | $45.63 | 2 |