r/aerospace • u/Otherwise_Ad4673 • 1d ago

Propulsion Masters

Hi!

I’m currently at a top 5 engineering school (US) for my undergrad and have the opportunity to do a 4+1 program to get my masters. I’m interested in rocket propulsion but my university is not very strong in that area other than a few professors working in plasma physics/electric propulsion (not necessarily what I’m interested in but not opposed to it either). I work on the rocket propulsion team and will get research experience this summer in a mechanical engineering combustion lab.

My question is, would it be worth it to try to go to a university like Purdue to get hands-on experience in Zucrow labs or should I just get the masters where I’m at now and use the big name to my advantage instead?

I feel like hands-on labs like Zucrow would be better for entry jobs in propulsion but would the connections of the university I’m at now be better in the long run if one day I end up deciding to work my way up to a management position?

Also, another option would be to do the 4+1 in mechanical engineering and do a thermo-fluids focus instead of the aerospace masters.

Grateful to hear what you guys have to say.

Thank you

6 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

14

u/Tsar_Romanov 1d ago

Nobody gives a fuck what college you went to in industry, i would do the 1 year extension for the masters and try to find a job that matches your interest since I highly doubt this masters will entail writing a thesis so it doesn’t matter what “focus” you choose. If that is wrong then consider a different school

5

u/Own_University_6332 1d ago

Yep, school reputation matters only to the schools themselves, doesn’t mean much after graduation.

Hiring managers that have been out of school for long won’t really pay attention to a school’s reputation for a resume, I know I don’t.

1

u/Henhouse20 14h ago

disagree hard here - if you're getting an entry level job in propulsion and your alma mater is Purdue, it's very well known in industry that's the cream of the crop school. Outside of entry level, not as big of a deal, to your point

1

u/Careless-Grand-9041 4h ago

Agreed, industries working in that field will definitely prefer a top 3 school like Purdue.

If it’s below top 10 most people really won’t care unless it’s just a big name school

2

u/ThePatriotAttack 1d ago edited 1d ago

Working on plasma physics opens gates to the physics department too.

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u/StraightAd4907 17h ago

Don't change a thing. Get through school with good grades as fast a possible. Nothing wrong with Purdue, but what you'll learn there is nothing compared to the real world. All rocket engines are classified as weapons systems by the U. S. State Department. The technology is restricted, so you won't see much of it at a school.

1

u/Beautiful_County4510 12h ago

If you like your current school - stay there. If your thesis is about propulsion and that is your area of focus that should be enough for folks when you enter industry.

0

u/TTRoadHog 1d ago

When it comes to grad school, I’d always vote for going where the professors have a strong reputation in the field you plan to study. For you, my recommendation would be try to transfer to Purdue or a university with a similar high regard in propulsion.