Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering
What do aerospace engineers do?
Aerospace engineering is concerned with the design, airworthiness, development and maintenance of flight vehicles. It’s a multidisciplinary combination of aerodynamics, aero‑structures, avionics, propulsion, materials engineering and computational simulation.
As an aerospace engineer, you’ll have the skills to tackle many of tomorrow’s global challenges. You may be involved in the creation of a more environmentally-friendly aircraft, or even help build a vehicle capable of exploring our solar system and beyond. Project work includes the use of wind tunnels for aerodynamic testing, computational modelling for predicting structural behaviour, advanced manufacturing, and materials and structural testing.
Your future career options
When you graduate you could work in aircraft design and maintenance, aerospace control systems, aerodynamics, sustainable energy and conservation, lightweight materials, big data analytics, or new manufacturing techniques.
You could join a large aerospace company or a manufacturer that contracts to the aerospace industry. Or work at an airline, a government aerospace laboratory or research centre.
Formula One teams also employ aerospace engineers. You could also have a career in management, consulting or finance. Join a thrilling profession in the midst of developing the next generation of flight vehicles. The Airbus A350, A400M and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are just some of the advances led by aerospace engineers. Career specialisations include:
- aircraft design and testing
- avionics and control systems
- airport operations and management
- aircraft fleet management
- manufacturing
- research and development
- defence industries
- renewable energy
- transportation aerodynamics
- building and structure design and testing.
Our graduates have gone on to successful careers in top companies including NASA, Thales, Boeing, Gilmour Space Technologies, US Airforce, Rocket Lab, Defence Science and Technology Group, Barnes Aerospace, Tesla, and Dyson.
Graduate work-ready
Leverage our world-wide industry connections, find your entrepreneurial spirit, discover your leadership and professional style and kick-start your career with an internship. There’s a range of extracurricular programs to prepare you for success and your dream career.
The new Co-operative Education Program provides relevant work experience opportunities through internships with our partner organisations. Undertake a three, six or 12 month paid internship and explore different industry sectors, understand what it is to be a working engineer and connect the experience to your studies in a practical way. You’ll enhance your technical and professional skills, build industry connections and gain skills to give you the edge in a competitive employment market.
Our Career Connect program gives you access to experienced coaches and industry based professionals. Take part in employability workshops, small group career conversations and, in your final year, one-on-one coaching.
The Monash Engineering Leadership Program is a development program that prepares you to be an engineering leader. It’s an opportunity to engage with industry professionals from the private sector, with seminars, interactive workshops and industry site visits. Through the program you’ll establish valuable networks and develop ‘soft skills’ such as communication, leadership and teamwork, that are highly regarded by employers and gives you a competitive edge. Students in the program may also be eligible to apply for a generous scholarship thanks to the support of industry partners and donors.
The MITI program provides an invaluable experience that’ll equip you for life’s challenges by offering insights into the business world, practical learning, leadership and teamwork opportunities. Students are competitively selected from a range of fields to form multidisciplinary teams. Working as part of a team, you’ll be placed alongside industry experts and given a challenging, well-defined real-world project to deliver, pushing you to use all of your problem-solving, innovation and design skills. This may even be in a company based overseas.
Creativity and entrepreneurialism are at the centre of engineering design education at Monash. You can access dedicated, collaborative design and build spaces to take an idea to reality. The university’s entrepreneurial initiative, The Generator, provides experiential education, mentors and seed funding to support you and your startup or social enterprise on your entrepreneurial journey.
I am passionate about space exploration and engineering is the closest I can get to working with cutting-edge technology to pioneer new ways to discover the universe.
Being part of Monash Nova Rover I have met other students who share a similar passion for space. There are many benefits to being in a student team, you hear about work-related opportunities or internships and you can further apply the skills from your studies in a real-life team environment.
It’s also a great way to grow your network.”
Shefin Mariya Joju
Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Science (Astrophysics)
Operations Team, Nova Rover
What you’ll study in your undergraduate degree
Aerostructures
principles of structural mechanics and analytical techniques to ensure a vehicle’s structural integrity.
Aerodynamics
fluid motion around a body moving through the atmosphere at subsonic and hypersonic speeds.
Propulsion
basics of thrust generation by the application of aero/gas dynamics and thermodynamics.
Flight control
the analysis of flight, including techniques for vehicle guidance and stability, space vehicle trajectories and orbits.
Aerospace materials
advanced materials used on the airframe and in propulsion systems.
Aerospace design
preliminary design of the complete aircraft which emphasises systems integration.
Expand your skills with an engineering minor
As an aerospace engineer the career opportunities are diverse and you may find yourself working in one of many adjacent fields of engineering. Selecting your electives from one of our minor programs will ensure that you have the background knowledge required to make strong contributions in your role from day one.
A minor offers you a depth and breadth of study in the adjacent field which widens your knowledge and enhances your career opportunities – all within your four-year Engineering degree. The engineering minors available in aerospace engineering specialisation of the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) are:
Artificial intelligence in engineering
Computational engineering
Micro and nano technologies
Mining engineering
Renewable energy engineering
Smart manufacturing
Sustainable engineering
Course details
Bachelor of Aerospace engineering (Honours)
4 years full-time / 8 years part-time
Starts: February and July
At Monash you can become a fully qualified and accredited engineer in just four years. Your degree kicks off with a ‘common first year’ that allows you to explore the ten engineering disciplines before specialising from second year.
Learn more about undergraduate study at Monash Engineering
Complement your engineering specialisation with a minor and tailor your studies to explore your interests and expand your career opportunities. Choose from:
- Artificial intelligence in engineering
- Computational engineering
- Micro and nano technologies
- Mining engineering
- Renewable energy engineering
- Smart manufacturing
- Sustainable engineering
Earn two degrees with only one* extra year of study and broaden your career opportunities. Combining engineering with another degree gives you a distinct set of skills and helps you stand out in today’s competitive job market.
Combine aerospace engineering with:
- Arts
- Commerce
- Laws (Honours)
- Science
Discover more about this course, including study areas, entry requirements, fees and scholarships
Your pathway to success
From your first day to your final lecture, you’ll have everything you need to be prepared for a successful career.
There's a range of extracurricular activities and programs to support you to pursue your passions and get the most from your uni experience. Develop hands-on skills, build friendships and networks, undertake opportunities to think and work globally, plus get a head start on your career through work-based learning.
Join a student team
You can join one of the many student teams like Monash Nova Rover, Unmanned Aerial Systems or High Powered Rocketry and form lasting friendships, get hands on experience and put your classroom learning into practice.
Learn in world-leading facilities
Some of the facilities and research centres that will enhance your learning experience include the Woodside building for Technology and Design, Monash Makerspace, Monash Wind Tunnel, and Laboratory for Turbulence Research in Aerospace and Combustion (LTRAC). We work with the aerospace industry to carry out pioneering research and deliver sustainable solutions to global challenges.
Professional development opportunities
You’ll have access to extracurricular programs that will unlock your potential and prepare you for work and a successful career.
Apply for a scholarship
Scholarships available to help unlock your engineering talents and contribute to a better future.
Aerospace engineering stories and research
Graduate study options
Whether you want to gain a professional edge, or are looking to explore your specialisation at an advanced level or pursue research interests, graduate study will take your qualification to the next level.
Master of Advanced Engineering
The expert masters program explores your chosen specialisation at an advanced technical level and is designed to foster innovative thinking, entrepreneurship and leadership. This qualification will advance your skills and give you a competitive advantage to lead innovation and drive industry change in your engineering field.
Master of Professional Engineering
This course is for students who have completed undergraduate studies in engineering or in another field such as science, mathematics or pharmacy and are seeking an internationally recognised engineering qualification to practice as a professional engineer. In this masters program, you'll specialise in engineering technical, research and professional units and undertake a design and a research project, blending theory and practice.
This is pathway program for high-achieving students to be on track to earn, in just five years, both a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and an expert master’s degree in advanced engineering. The Masters Accelerated Pathway program allows you to gain practical and theoretical skills for a career in engineering. There’s a rich selection of specialist electives to choose from, and the course offers strong links to industry and a focus on leadership skills to strengthen your critical reasoning and strategic thinking skills.
Make an impact and solve real world issues with a PhD or masters by research degree. Be involved in pioneering research that can impact the world, collaborate and be mentored by leading researchers and expand your career options. A graduate research degree opens doors not just in industry and academia but also in roles outside your research area.
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Learn more about the course
To ask a question, find out how to apply, or discover more about this course, including study areas, entry requirements, fees and scholarships.
Events and info sessions
There's a range of events held throughout the year for you to talk to current students, meet our lecturers, see our innovative facilities and experience Monash Engineering first-hand.