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Aerodynamics engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an aerodynamics engineer. Aerodynamics engineers usually study aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or engineering. 79% of aerodynamics engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 133 real aerodynamics engineer resumes to see exactly what aerodynamics engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for aerodynamics engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

There are also many online aerodynamics engineer courses to help get the education required to be an aerodynamics engineer.

What education do you need to become an aerodynamics engineer?

What degree do you need to be an aerodynamics engineer?

The most common degree for aerodynamics engineers is bachelor's degree, with 79% of aerodynamics engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 2%.
  • Bachelor's, 79%
  • Master's, 17%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Associate, 2%

What should I major in to become an aerodynamics engineer?

You should major in aerospace engineering to become an aerodynamics engineer. 54% of aerodynamics engineers major in aerospace engineering. Other common majors for an aerodynamics engineer include mechanical engineering and engineering.

Most common colleges for aerodynamics engineers

Aerodynamics engineers often get their degrees at Purdue University, University of Florida, and University of California - Davis. Here are the most common colleges for aerodynamics engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Aerodynamics engineer common collegePercentages
Purdue University10.20%
University of Florida8.16%
University of California - Davis8.16%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology6.12%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute6.12%

Best majors for aerodynamics engineers

Best colleges for aerodynamics engineers

The best colleges for aerodynamics engineers are California Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

An aerodynamics engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for aerodynamics engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become aerodynamics engineers.

1. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

2. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$53,391

Enrollment

8,568

8. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

9. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

20 best online courses for aerodynamics engineers

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3. Aerospace Engineering: Aircraft Fundamentals and Advanced

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Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering: Master the Mechanics of Airplanes - Aerodynamics, Flight Maneuvers, JET Engines...

4. Flight Mechanics - From Theory to Certification of Aircraft

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Modeling theory, aircraft 6DOF simulation, flight dynamics, flight simulators and aircraft certification...

5. Autonomous Vehicle Engineering

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8. Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Practice Tests

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External aerodynamics and turbo-machinery CFD in Ansys Fluent, ICEMCFD, Space Claim & Design Modeler...

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14. Computational Fluid Dynamics Fundamentals Course

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Fundamentals and First Principles...

15. Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional -Preparation

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16. Data Engineering using Databricks on AWS and Azure

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17. Data Visualization with MATLAB - Projects and Examples

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18. Practical - ISTQB - Test Automation Engineer Course 2023

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20. Master Data Engineering using GCP Data Analytics

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Learn GCS for Data Lake, Big Query for Data Warehouse, GCP Dataproc and Databricks for Big Data Pipelines...

Top 10 most affordable universities for aerodynamics engineers

The most affordable schools for aerodynamics engineers are California State University - Long Beach, university of florida, and city college of new york of the city university of new york, the.

If the best universities for aerodynamics engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for aerodynamics engineers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for aerodynamics engineers

The hardest universities for aerodynamics engineers to get into are California Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for aerodynamics engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for aerodynamics engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,566

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

Admissions rate

18%

SAT average

1,502

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for aerodynamics engineers

The easiest schools for aerodynamics engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, texas a&m; university - kingsville, and old dominion university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an aerodynamics engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for aerodynamics engineers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

3. Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,093

4. Lamar University

Beaumont, TX • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,043

5. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

6. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

8. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

9. Wichita State University

Wichita, KS • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,152

10. Widener University

Chester, PA • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,115

Average aerodynamics engineer salary by education level

Aerodynamics engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $111,638 annually. With a Master's degree, aerodynamics engineers earn a median annual income of $106,085 compared to $96,967 for aerodynamics engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
Aerodynamics engineer education levelAerodynamics engineer salary
Master's Degree$106,085
Bachelor's Degree$96,967
Doctorate Degree$111,638

Aerodynamics engineer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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