Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace engineering programmes teach flight — aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, control and orbital mechanics — and the design of the aircraft and spacecraft built from them. In Florida the industry is unusually close: the Space Coast launch complex, and the defence, avionics and simulation firms around Orlando.

The degrees this program covers

A Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, with master’s and doctoral degrees above it. ⚠ Only three Florida public institutions award it, so for much of the state this is a relocation decision rather than a choice of major — read the school list below before you commit. ⚠ And read MECHANICAL engineering beside it, honestly: aerospace employers hire mechanical graduates in large numbers, and the mechanical degree keeps far more industries open if your plans change. Aerospace work runs largely under the industry exemption, so a Professional Engineer licence is required less often than in civil or structural practice, but the degree should still come from a programme accredited by ABET’s ENGINEERING commission. ⚠ Several institutions that do NOT award an aerospace degree run a first year common to all engineering majors, or an engineering-science degree of their own — a real way in, but confirm the transfer agreement with the receiving department before you rely on it.

Careers this program leads to

Each one sets out the courses along the way, the licence or certification at the end, and the sources behind it.

Aerospace Engineer

Aerospace engineers design, analyse and test aircraft and spacecraft — aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, flight dynamics and the mission design that ties them together. ⚠ Florida is one of the few places in the world where the whole industry is present at once: launch, satellites, aviation, simulation and defence, concentrated on the Space Coast and around Orlando.

Materials Engineer

Materials engineers work out why materials behave as they do and choose or design them to meet a requirement — metals, ceramics, polymers, composites and semiconductors — and they are who finds out why something broke. ⚠ It is the smallest engineering occupation on this site, and in Florida it is mostly a graduate degree.

Careers that name this program, but not as a route

Commercial and Airline Pilot

⚠ Named by BLS among acceptable degrees. An engineering degree plus separate flight training is a legitimate route to an airline, but it does not count toward the restricted ATP.

Programs similar to this one

Neighbouring fields that share much of the same coursework, and often the same employers. ⚠ Read these before you commit to a major — which doors a neighbouring degree keeps open is the part no catalog tells you, and it is far cheaper to change now than later.

Mechanical Engineering 11 Florida schools

⚠ The serious alternative, not a fallback — and the one to read before you commit to relocating. It is offered at eleven Florida institutions against three, aerospace firms hire its graduates in large numbers, and it keeps far more industries open if your plans change.

Materials Science and Engineering 4 Florida schools

The aerospace industry is the biggest consumer of materials expertise there is — composites, high-temperature alloys, fatigue and fracture. A materials master’s after an aerospace bachelor’s is a well-worn route into structures and propulsion work.

Professional Pilot and Aviation Science 8 Florida schools

⚠ BLS says airlines want a bachelor's in any field and names engineering among them. An engineering degree plus separate flight training is a legitimate route, but it does not count toward the restricted ATP, which needs aviation coursework at an authorised institution.

Florida public institutions offering this program

3 institutions awarded a credential in this field in 2023, at these levels: Bachelor's, Certificate (12 weeks-1 year), Doctorate (research/scholarship), Master's, Postbaccalaureate certificate. A school appears here if it awards anything in the field, however limited its offering — a technical college teaching only practical nursing has a nursing program. Listed alphabetically, not ranked.

Florida Atlantic University

Certificate (12 weeks-1 year) · Postbaccalaureate certificate

University of Central Florida

Bachelor's · Doctorate (research/scholarship) · Master's

University of Florida

Bachelor's · Doctorate (research/scholarship) · Master's

Source: federal IPEDS completions data for 2023, first majors only — the most recent year published. ⚠ It records what was awarded, which is strong evidence of what is offered, but a program launched since 2023 will not appear here. Check the institution’s own catalog before applying.

Updated 21 September 2026. ⚠ Program pages describe a field of study, not one school’s degree — always read the catalog of the institution you are applying to.