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Aeronautical Engineering

Wits offers the only accredited undergraduate Aeronautical Engineering degree on the African continent. While there are other accredited degrees that describe themselves as Aeronautical, ours is the only degree that teaches aircraft design (the others only teach aerodynamics, or structures, or some other component of our full offering). Ours may also be the only undergraduate aircraft design degree in the Southern Hemisphere.

Graduates of this degree programme have gone on to work at Rolls Royce Aero Engines (Justin Mills), Airbus Industries (Byron Mansfield; Arne Schwarck), and NASA (Prinal Naidoo). Some of our Graduates have also started their own companies designing drones with innovative design (Matthew Whalley).

What is Aeronautical Engineering?

The aeronautical engineer is involved in the design, development and modification of the components and systems of all types of flight vehicles - including fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, sail planes, airships and missiles.

What will you Study?

At Wits, you will share the first two years of study with the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering students to provide you with a firm foundation in the engineering sciences. Thereafter, emphasis is placed on aeronautical design and on the study of aircraft behaviour.

The practical aspects of your training are important and you will be required to complete project work during your vacations. Much of this project work is carried out in co-operation with the aircraft industry.

Career Prospects

Aeronautical Engineers may be involved in research, design and development, or they could select the management and production side of the industry, or operations and maintenance. As these aspects overlap they may be involved in all these stages.

Careers in aeronautical engineering may be found in major aeronautical concerns such as Denel S b Aerostructures, Denel Aerospace Systems, South African Airways, Aerotek (CSIR) and the Directorate of Civil Aviation, as well as in many other, extremely active, smaller companies working and competing in both local and international aerospace programmes. There are likely to be significant developments in this and associated fields with the recent defence commitments. Many of our aeronautical engineering graduates have also made successful careers in non-aeronautical organisations.

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