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Aerospace/Control

strengrstrengr Registered User Posts: 74 Junior Member
edited April 2010 in Engineering Majors
Here is an article on control engineering: Control engineering - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, I would like to know what would a typical job title for someone studying aerospace engineering with a concentration in control? Such as Boeing for example, perhaps systems engineer? If someone who does not have an undergraduate degree in electrical engineer (in which supposedly control is one of the concentration), but have a master in aerospace concentrating in control be able to obtain a job as an electrical engineer?

On other note, there seems to be a push for UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) in the future. I suppose that concentrating in control would be beneficial, since if in the future there is a demand for it.

Please give me some insight, I am starting my graduate study in aerospace and your opinion would definitely help.
Post edited by strengr on
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Replies to: Aerospace/Control

  • boneh3adboneh3ad Forum Champion Engineering Posts: 7,478 Forum Champion
    I am not 100% familiar with the controls side of things, but to comment on your UAV example, a controls engineer would have a lot to do with designing the control systems and how they read in data from the environment and react. You obviously know what controls engineering is, so I don't quite understand what your question is about. Wouldn't a controls engineer do controls when they get a job? Pretty much any machine with any degree of automation (everything in aerospace) has some sort of control issue associated with it.
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  • gsteingstein Registered User Posts: 1,493 Senior Member
    I don't understand why you'd want to get a masters in Aerospace and work as an electrical engineer. Aerospace controls is quite different than electrical engineering. It has a large basis in dynamics, including developing and testing control laws for aerospace vehicles (and as of recently, especially autonomous vehicles). Granted you need to know some electrical engineering and programming, but the two are pretty different fields.
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  • strengrstrengr Registered User Posts: 74 Junior Member
    Its not so much as I would like to work as an aerospace or electrical. I would like to know, if after I completed a master in aerospace with a concentration in control what are some of the type of jobs I could apply for. For example, if you are a structural engineering student you would apply for such jobs at Boeing under mechanical/structural. At least for me I was not able to find a specific job title, at Boeing that is for a "control engineer". However, at Boeing there are for example electrical engineer and systems engineer.

    Thanks for your reply. Sorry if I confused you.
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  • boneh3adboneh3ad Forum Champion Engineering Posts: 7,478 Forum Champion
    It may be that Boeing doesn't have any specific job postings for those positions right now or that they have a different name for them. Did you try looking at Lockheed as well for comparison?
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  • rogracerrogracer Registered User Posts: 1,205 Senior Member
    ^ Controls engineers often often have backgrounds in Electrical, Mechanical, or Systems....it is not limited to just electrical.
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  • greenvisongreenvison Registered User Posts: 491 Member
    The first controls class I took was based on mechanical systems for the most part.
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