How to become an aerospace engineer
Official title: Aerospace engineers
Also called: Engineer, Design engineer, Stress engineer, Systems engineer, Aircraft engineer, Aviation engineer, Avionics engineer, Aerospace engineer, Mechanical engineer, Aeronautical engineer, Fuel systems engineer, Aircraft design engineer
Aerospace engineers research develop and design aircraft, spacecraft and their components.
Main tasks
- Conceives and develops engineering designs from product ideas in aerospace engineering
- Organises and plans projects, arranges work schedules, carries out inspection work and plans maintenance control
- Analyses test data; undertakes research and advises on all aspects of aircraft, spacecraft and their systems
- Ensures that equipment, operation and maintenance comply with design specifications and safety standards
- Inspects completed aircraft maintenance work to certify that it meets standards and the aircraft is ready for operation
How to become one
Job holders in this unit group usually possess a degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field. Qualified aircraft engineers need a licence issued by the Civil Aviation Authority or equivalent.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Aerospace engineer (level 6). England. Typically 48 months. Skills England standard ST0010.
- University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 25 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £55,839 a year
- About 25,000 people work in this job now, and about 27,800 are projected by 2035. (+11.1%)
Related jobs
- Civil engineers
- Mechanical engineers (professional)
- Electrical engineers
- Electronics engineers (professional)
- Production and process engineers
- Engineering project managers and project engineers
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Questions people ask
How do I become an aerospace engineer?
Job holders in this unit group usually possess a degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field. Qualified aircraft engineers need a licence issued by the Civil Aviation Authority or equivalent.
How much does an aerospace engineer earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £55,839 a year (Office for National Statistics).
Is an aerospace engineer a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 11% by 2035, from about 25,000 to about 27,800 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become an aerospace engineer?
Usually. 72% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.