Aeronautical Engineering degree is one of the rare courses in Kenya. A career in aeronautical engineering has attractive pay, and also has numerous job opportunities. But what is aeronautical engineering?
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is similar, but deals with the electrical side of aerospace engineering.
Aeronautical engineering was the original term for the field. As flight technology advanced to include craft operating in outer space (astronautics), the broader term “aerospace engineering” has largely replaced it in common usage. Aerospace engineering, particularly the astronautics branch, is often colloquially referred to as “rocket science”.
Flight vehicles are subjected to demanding conditions such as those produced by changes in atmospheric pressure and temperature, with structural loads applied upon vehicle components. Consequently, they are usually the products of various technological and engineering disciplines including aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, materials science, structural analysis and manufacturing. The interaction between these technologies is known as aerospace engineering. Because of the complexity and number of disciplines involved, aerospace engineering is carried out by teams of engineers, each having their own specialized area of expertise
Most students opt to pursue aeronautical engineering at diploma level, since there are many colleges that offer this course. Some of the colleges and universities with that offer the program include:
- Kenya Aeronautical College
- Technical University of Kenya
Kenya Aeronautical College and Technical University of Kenya offer aeronautical engineering at degree level. Minimum entry requirements are:
| KCSE | Grade |
| Mean Grade | B or Equivalent for Degree | C Plus or Equivalent for Diploma |
| Mathematics | B or Equivalent for Degree | C Plus or Equivalent for Diploma |
| Physics | B or Equivalent for Degree | C Plus or Equivalent for Diploma |
Job vacancies
Job vacancies arise at Kenya Airways, Wilson Airport, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Kenya Airports Authority, Kenya Airforce, and many private airlines in the country.
Salaries
From our survey, we arrived at Ksh 110,000 as the starting salary of an Aeronautical Engineer in Kenya. The highest paying company is Kenya Airways, which pay this engineer an average salary of Ksh233, 000.Kenya Civil Aviation Authority also pays an average salary of Ksh 230,000 per month.
How marketable is the course
Since few Kenyans pursue this course, job opportunities are plenty.
