<p>I want to study astronautical engineering or aerospace engineering and I am having trouble choosing between Michigan and USC.</p>
<p>USC offers an astronautical engineering program while Michigan only offers aerospace, so i feel like USC has an upper hand in that respect because I want to do space engineering. Michigan though is considered one of the best in the country when it comes to aerospace engineering while USC isn’t looked upon as one of the top(correct me if i’m wrong).</p>
<p>Also i feel like i would be extremely happy at either of them and money is not a factor. Michigan has a better program, but USC has an astronautical engineering program and its in California :)</p>
<p>IMO the more specialized your major gets, the harder it is to find jobs, especially if you decide to change fields/industries later. I dont know your goals or intentions, but I personally would not do astronautical because it is so specialized. Aerospace or even mechanical would be just fine; just my two cents based on advice of Univ of Illinois Urbana-Champaign admissions counselors.</p>
<p>USC isn’t even close. Aerospace engineering is a combination of aeronautical and astronautical. You will be equally qualified for aero and Astros stuff with an aerospace degree. You just choose different electives your junior or senior year to tailor the curriculum towards air or space or keep it well rounded.</p>
<p>I go to USC, and I’m an aerospace engineer. The curriculum here is very theory-based, but there’s lots of great opportunities to get hand-on experience with the kinds of things you’ll be doing. The USC Aerodesign Team and the USC Rocket Propulsion Lab are two student-run organizations that give you great real-world experience in working with small-scale airplanes and rockets, respectively. The Aerodesign Team goes and competes with other universities in the AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition while the Rocket Propulsion Lab launches rockets at places like Vandenberg AFB and events like BALLS 19 (which some of my friends went to this year).</p>
<p>As for classes, as an Aerospace engineer I’ve taken one specialized astronautics class my sophomore year. The first two years the Aero and Astro majors have pretty much the same classes, but they branch off your last two years. However, they are actually separate departments: there’s the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME) and the Department of Astronautical Engineering (ASTE).</p>
<p>USC is a great school, and I actually chose it over Michigan. Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.</p>
<p>USC marketed itself better, basically. They sent me prettier flyers, their people were more pleasant to talk to on the phone, and they kept in touch with me through the application process. It also helped that I knew about the USC Aerodesign team from beforehand, and it sounded really cool to me.</p>
<p>Plus USC gave me a lot more financial aid money.</p>
<p>sorry this is not about the thread but it is the perfect time to ask, how does USC financial aid work? do you have loans, scholarships, or just aid money>?</p>
<p>A typical aid package consist of a mix of all the options. You will have some loans, usually the federal Stafford loan at least. Scholarships/grants are “free money” that you don’t have to pay back, and can be merit based or need based. You may get both if you qualify. Plus each department in the school also gives out grants to its own students.</p>
<p>I just finished my first semester at USC in astronautical engineering, and a year ago I was in a similar situation as you, trying to decide between astronautical engineering at USC and aerospace engineering at other schools.</p>
<p>I am very glad that I chose astronautical engineering at USC, even though the classes for the aerospace and astronautical degrees are very similar.</p>
<p>For one, I got to take the Intro to Astronautics class, which was a great class where we learned a lot and were introduced topics such as orbital mechanics and propulsion that we will take classes on junior or senior years. At the other schools I looked at, the intro to aerospace classes have a lot to do with airplanes, which do not interest me at all, so I am very happy to have been able to focus on space from the start. And from what I’ve seen, the upper-level ASTE classes look like so much fun and are exactly what I’m interested, so I am very excited to take them in a few years.</p>
<p>Also, I feel like the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory is one of the best things about USC. It’s made up of mostly aerospace and astronautical engineers, and we build our own ~10+ foot rockets. If you’re interested in astronautics and space, I highly recommend this student-run organization, as it is tons of fun, lets you apply the concepts you learn in class, and gives you great experience that impresses future employers. Freshmen are encouraged to join and help out, so you’ll learn a lot and get a lot of experience if you want to put the time in. Google the USC Rocket Propulsion Lab if you think think that may be something that will interest you, it was a huge selling point for USC for me.</p>
<p>However, an aerospace degree will prepare you for space-related fields just as well as an astronautical degree can, especially if you take space technical electives. And with an aerospace degree from a top-ranked school, you really can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>I’m just a freshman with only a semester of experience in astronautical engineering, but let me know if you have any other questions!</p>
<p>These department names are interchangeable to some extent. Suggest you dig into the specific degree requirements, number of electives and concentration areas offered, course descriptions, research projects, and the number of department faculty at each school. All of that should be available on the Web.</p>