What is astronautical engineering?
Whenever people ask me what I am studying, they are most definitely never expecting me to say “astronautical engineering”. With surprised, confused faces they often repeat back to me, “astrological engineering?” or “aeronautical engineering?” and I have to explain to them that astronautical engineering is a field that encompasses all thing space. That means that at USC, I have been exposed to classes that help me develop the engineering and math foundation of a mechanical engineer complemented with courses that dive deeper into spacecraft design, development, and space mission planning.
What makes astronautical engineering special at USC?
I have been able to be taught by industry professionals while also gaining a ton of hands-on experience that has both helped me learn what aspects of astronautical engineering I am interested in as well as prepared me for my future endeavors (pun intended). On top of all that, USC is conveniently located in a city that is home to every major aerospace company plus more. This has given me to opportunity to take tours of various facilities and interact with engineers from a plethora of companies that are just a short drive from campus. Finally, I love that at USC I have the option of getting my masters in astronautical engineering while simultaneously getting my bachelors. The Progressive Degree Program (PDP) lets me take graduate level courses where I have room with my undergraduate course so that I can graduate with both degrees in under five years.
Photo Gallery
Okay so I’ve blabbed about my major enough and as they say, a picture is worth 1000 words (and I happen to be a photography minor) so here are some pictures of me being an astronautical engineer over the past almost three years 🙂
