Aerospace Engineeringat University of Virginia-Main Campus
Graduates earn $77,922/yr in their first year — about 7.0% above the national Aerospace Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $873K; scenarios range from $762K to $894K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at University of Virginia
UVA's elite engineering reputation and rigorous curriculum set its aerospace graduates apart, attracting top-tier employers in the defense, space, and aviation sectors. You'll find strong recruiting pipelines from major contractors like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, alongside opportunities with NASA and innovative aerospace startups, particularly those clustered in the DC Metro area and other national hubs. The program's emphasis on advanced design, propulsion systems, and materials science prepares you for complex roles far beyond entry-level, often leading into project management or specialized R&D quickly. Given the evolving nature of the field and increasing AI integration, focus your studies on interdisciplinary skills like computational modeling, data analytics, or advanced robotics to future-proof your career.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to University of Virginia's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Aerospace Engineering
How University of Virginia stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at University of Virginia
Other highest-scoring programs offered at University of Virginia, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Aerospace Engineering at University of Virginia
How does University of Virginia-Main Campus's Aerospace Engineering program score?
A score of 68/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but University of Virginia-Main Campus trails the majority of Aerospace Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.
How vulnerable is Aerospace Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Aerospace Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 41% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.