Quick answer: Fully online ABET-accredited aerospace bachelor’s programs are rare; hybrid and degree-completion formats aimed at working technicians are more common, and several universities run online master’s programs for people already holding an engineering bachelor’s. The credential runs through an ABET-EAC-accredited bachelor’s in aerospace engineering. Programs, the careers this degree opens, and what they pay are covered below.
Fully online ABET-accredited aerospace bachelor’s programs are rare; hybrid and degree-completion formats aimed at working technicians are more common, and several universities run online master’s programs for people already holding an engineering bachelor’s. Laboratory work in fluids, structures and propulsion is the constraint, and it is a real one.
Confirm ABET-EAC accreditation for the specific program, and ask how the laboratory work in fluids, structures and propulsion is met in a hybrid format. With those checks in mind, compare aerospace engineering programs enrolling now:
Every school listed is verified in federal IPEDS data both to award this degree and to offer programs that can be completed entirely by distance education at this level. Whether this exact degree is delivered fully online varies by school, so confirm the format before you apply.
This page lists 10 schools, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 10 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Aerospace engineering follows the standard Professional Engineer framework the state boards administer: an ABET-accredited degree, the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination, qualifying experience, then the PE. In practice most aerospace engineers work under what is commonly called the industrial exemption and never license, so the ABET accreditation matters more than the PE for most careers here.
Separately from programmatic accreditation, the institution itself should hold accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor. Credit transfer between institutions is decided by the receiving school and genuinely varies, so get any transfer evaluation in writing before enrolling.
The sequence runs a heavy mathematics and physics core into aerodynamics and fluid mechanics, structures and materials, propulsion, flight dynamics and control, and a capstone design project. The mathematics load is a common reason candidates from a maintenance background stall, and it is worth confronting honestly before enrolling rather than in the second semester.
Confirm ABET-EAC accreditation, which is the accreditation that matters for engineering rather than engineering technology. If you hold an A&P certificate, ask specifically what transfers - usually little as academic credit, though it is a hiring advantage. Ask how laboratory requirements are met in a hybrid format. Ask where graduates are hired, because this field is concentrated in a small number of employers and regions.
The national framework is the constant: a ABET-EAC-accredited program, then the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination administered through NCEES. What sits on top of that framework is set jurisdiction by jurisdiction, and this site does not hold a sourced dataset of per-state rules, so confirm the specifics with your state engineering licensing board before enrolling.
Ask these before an application fee, and get the answers in writing rather than over the phone:
Before you shortlist schools, it also helps to be precise about the job this degree points at.
Aerospace engineers design and analyze aircraft, spacecraft, propulsion and the systems inside them, and a large share of the work is analysis, simulation and test rather than drawing. Employment concentrates in aerospace manufacturing, federal agencies and defense contractors, which is why the geography is unusually clustered and why security clearance eligibility can affect hiring.
Employment is projected to change by 6.1% between 2024 and 2034, with roughly 4,500 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Openings come from growth and from replacing people who leave the occupation, which is why the annual figure can look large relative to the percentage.
Aerospace engineers earn a median $134,960 per year, or $64.89 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $134,960 |
| Median hourly wage | $64.89 |
| Employed nationally | 67,710 |
| Bottom 10 percent | $86,700 |
| Top 10 percent | $205,890 |
| Middle half | $106,110 to $169,690 |
| Projected change, 2024-34 | 6.1% |
| Annual openings | about 4,500 |
Wage and employment figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Growth and openings: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34.
This degree sits above credentials many readers already hold. The rungs run:
For scale, aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians show a median of $82,890 against $134,960 for aerospace engineers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
This site does not publish tuition figures, because there is no sourced dataset behind them and the number varies enormously by institution and residency. What can be stated is the wage structure the degree can lead into. The middle half of aerospace engineers earn between $106,110 and $169,690, with the bottom 10 percent at $86,700 and the top 10 percent at $205,890 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is the honest range to plan against - not the median alone, and not the top figure.
Against the tier below, aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians show a median of $82,890. The difference is what the additional education is buying, and it should be weighed against the years out of full-time earnings that the program requires.
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $159,060 | 140 |
| Washington | $158,370 | 5,760 |
| California | $157,620 | 9,170 |
| District of Columbia | $157,600 | 290 |
| Maryland | $156,750 | 3,180 |
Highest-paying states, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living is not held constant, so a higher median does not automatically mean more disposable income.
| State | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| California | 9,170 | $157,620 |
| Texas | 6,750 | $130,270 |
| Alabama | 5,820 | $127,540 |
| Washington | 5,760 | $158,370 |
| Colorado | 4,070 | $156,190 |
Largest employing states, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment concentration and pay do not track each other. State and metro pages linked below carry the full distribution.
Two constraints shape this path. The mathematics sequence is genuinely demanding and is where many career-changers stop. And employment is concentrated: 67,710 aerospace engineers nationally with roughly 4,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34), clustered around aerospace manufacturing and defense, so geography and clearance eligibility matter. The offsetting case is pay, at a median of $134,960 and a top decile of $205,890 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and an unusually direct narrative for someone already maintaining aircraft.
Partly. Fully online ABET-accredited bachelor's programs are rare because of laboratory requirements. Hybrid and degree-completion formats exist, and online master's programs are common for people who already hold an engineering bachelor's.
The national median annual wage is $134,960, or $64.89 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The bottom 10 percent earn $86,700 or less and the top 10 percent earn $205,890 or more, across 67,710 aerospace engineers nationally.
Yes, and the maintenance background is a real hiring advantage because it supplies practical knowledge of how aircraft actually fail and get repaired. It rarely transfers as academic credit, and the mathematics sequence is the genuine obstacle rather than the aviation content.
Usually not. Most work under what is commonly called the industrial exemption inside manufacturers and defense contractors. The path exists through an ABET-accredited degree, the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination, experience and the PE exam; confirm specifics with your state engineering licensing board.
Employment is projected to change by 6.1% from 2024 to 2034, with about 4,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). The percentage is healthy but the field is small, so the absolute number of openings is limited and hiring is concentrated in a few regions.
For a large share of positions, yes. Much of the work sits with defense contractors and federal agencies where clearance eligibility is a practical hiring condition. It is worth understanding early, because it can affect which employers are realistically open to you.
Best Online Aerospace Engineering Degrees in 2026 - the top schools ranked by BOC Score The careers this degree sits above or beside:
Related reading across the degree silo:
State pay, licensing and metro-level data for this degree. Wage and employment figures on every state page come from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Alabama * Arizona * California * Colorado * Connecticut * Florida * Georgia * Illinois * Indiana * Kansas * Kentucky * Maryland * Massachusetts * Minnesota * Mississippi * Missouri * Nevada * New Jersey * New Mexico * New York * North Carolina * Ohio * Oklahoma * Pennsylvania * South Carolina * Tennessee * Texas * Utah * Virginia * Washington
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
