Expert: David A. NewMyer - 9/8/2010

Question
QUESTION: sir
i am a mechanical engineering student who is interested in working in
the aviation industry (specially in air crash investigations) what
course would you recommend me to pursue for my masters which will
enable me to secure a job in the aviation industry?

note:- i have completed one year in engineering in Dubai, and iam
planning to relocate myself to Canada after a year or so, what would
you recommend me to do:

1)continue with mechanical engineering and do masters in the aviation
industry  

2) or start afresh with an aviation degree, which i think is a waste
of time and money

ANSWER: Hi, Allen:

Thank you for your questions, I will try to assist.  This is NOT an easy career field to get into!

With regard to getting into aviation accident investigation work, it is not only a matter of gaining the appropriate degree(s), but it is also a matter of gaining operational and, perhaps, regulatory experience in aviation.   For example, most aviation accident investigation jobs have a specialty component [such as the operations side of aviation, the instrumentation aboard the accident aircraft, the air traffic control-related factors, weather-related factors, airframe issues (metallurgy, etc), human factors and issues related to the engines and how they operated (among many others)].  Certainly, a mechanical engineering undergraduate degree combined with some sort of aviation master's degree would be a good start.  But, from there, you have to build on the various degrees that you would hold with some work experience, knowledge and skills that would make you valuable as a team member for an aircraft accident invesgtigation.  

Many people who enter the aviation accident investigation field do so via the military.  Military aviation units in larger nations have the resources to train people in aviation accident investigation.  In the civilian world (here in the USA for example), the Federal Aviation Administration, which is our nation-wide aviation regulatory body (among other things) has the responsibility to investigate non-fatal general aviation (small aircraft) accidents and also some fatal general aviation accidents (normally for aicraft under 12,500 pounds, which are delegated to the FAA by the National Transportation Safety Board).  So, what happens is that some of those who learn the basics of aviation accident investigation at the FAA move on to the NTSB later in their careers.

So, my view is that it is not a bad idea to build on a mechanical engineering background with an aviation-related masters degree.  There are several such degrees in the USA in aviation safety-related subjects that include an aircraft accident investigation course or two.  It would also not be a bad idea to obtain some sort of pilot or aviation mechanic certification as well---this shows your interest in aviation AND provides an aviation employer with an additional reason to hire you (not as a pilot or as a mechanic but as someone who has that background in addition to being an engineer with an aviation masters degree).

I hope that this advice assists you with your planning.

Best wishes to you.

David A. NewMyer

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi sir
Could you please name a few masters course suitable for a
mechanical engineer which will make him eligible to work in
the aviation industry. And also is it wise to do masters
soon after my bachelors.
thanks  

Answer
Hi, Allen:

There is an excellent listing of non-engineering aviation masters degrees located at this website:  www.uaa.aero  and, once at that site, click on the "Colleges and Univesities" link on the left hand side of the main page and you will see the graduate listing in a drop-down menu.  You will note that the list is primarily a listing of colleges and universities in the United States.  (I know of no aviation masters offered in Canada, which is where you said you were re-locating to).

As far as the wisdom of going right into your masters degree from a baccalaureate degree, that depends on a number of things.  But, in a case where the student is trying to gain some focus into a particular field (like aviation), there is no other option in my view.  If you begin working in the mechanical engineering field, as you gain experience in that field, that will make it more difficult to come back to school and make a change in career fields.  I would recommend that you do the schooling now.  And, as noted earlier, you might want to try to find a school that offers an aviation masters degree with some sort of work experience/experience-building component.  That would give you both the academic background and a bit of work experience, which should help your marketability.  Some masters degrees require an internship or a cooperative work experience as part of the degree---that is what I would look for.

The only excpetion that I can think of to the above options would be to use your baccalaureate degree in mechanical engineering to gain employment in an aviation-related company (such as an aerospace manufacturer).  In that instance, you would gain some aviation/aerospace-related work experience and, in many cases, those companies will pay you to go to school---and, perhaps you can use that benefit to obtain an aviation-related masters.  I realize that this is a narrow possibility, but, I thought I would mention it.

Best wishes,

David A. NewMyer