Aerospace engineering is one of the most challenging and least gender-diverse engineering disciplines: women represent approximately 14–16% of aerospace engineering graduates nationally, below even the already-low averages for engineering overall. Yet the field's fundamental problems — propulsion, structures, flight dynamics, space systems, avionics — are among the most technically demanding and consequential in engineering, and the career pathways aerospace engineering opens include federal government (NASA, Air Force, DARPA), defense contractors, and the rapidly expanding commercial space industry. For women who are drawn to aerospace as a technical discipline, understanding which US universities have the strongest programs specifically for women, what funding and scholarship resources exist, and what the industry career pathways look like is essential groundwork before choosing an institution.
Women's Representation in Aerospace Engineering: The Baseline
Aerospace engineering's gender gap is wider than most other engineering fields. Of the engineering disciplines that attract significant student enrollment, aerospace typically ranks near the bottom for women's representation alongside mechanical engineering, while electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering tend to have higher women's enrollment. The causes are partly historical (aerospace's deep connections to military aviation and defense, which were male-dominated environments when the professional culture was established) and partly structural (the physical demands and clearance requirements of some aerospace industry segments).
The commercial space industry's rapid growth in the 2010s and 2020s — SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, Planet Labs, and hundreds of smaller ventures — has expanded the aerospace career market substantially, and these companies have been somewhat more intentional about women's hiring than the legacy defense aerospace culture. For women entering aerospace engineering now, the industry they will graduate into is meaningfully different from the one that established the field's demographic patterns.
MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro)
MIT's AeroAstro department is consistently ranked among the top two or three aerospace engineering programs in the world. Women students at AeroAstro are served by the Women in AeroAstro (WiAA) organization, which runs mentorship, networking, and career development programming for undergraduate and graduate women. AeroAstro's faculty include prominent women researchers — recent years have seen deliberate senior faculty hiring of women in propulsion, autonomous systems, and space systems — who serve as visible mentors and principal investigators.
MIT AeroAstro's research breadth is exceptional: the department works in flight systems, guidance and control, propulsion (both chemical and electric), structural analysis, human factors, air transportation systems, and satellite and planetary science. Women who pursue AeroAstro research at MIT work alongside the graduate students and postdocs who go on to lead programs at NASA, JPL, and major aerospace companies.
Undergraduate research at MIT AeroAstro through UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) is strongly encouraged and actively supported — undergraduate women in AeroAstro consistently report significant research experience by their senior year, producing the publication and conference presentation records that strengthen graduate school applications.
Georgia Tech School of Aerospace Engineering
Georgia Tech's School of Aerospace Engineering (AE) is one of the largest and most research-productive aerospace programs in the US, with particular strengths in computational fluid dynamics, rotorcraft, propulsion, and small satellite systems. The AE school participates in the Georgia Tech Women in Engineering (WiE) program, which coordinates women's support infrastructure across all engineering schools at Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech's Atlanta location places it in proximity to major aerospace employers (Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Delta Air Lines, the Dobbins Air Reserve Base complex) and within the orbit of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama — creating cooperative education and internship opportunities for AE students. The Georgia Tech co-op program, while smaller than Waterloo's, integrates paid industry experience into undergraduate aerospace engineering in a way that builds professional networks before graduation.
Georgia Tech AE's graduate programs attract significant external fellowship holders: NSF GRFP recipients and NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO) fellows appear regularly among Georgia Tech AE's graduate student cohort. Women who hold external fellowships entering Georgia Tech AE have financial independence that gives them significant research direction freedom within the department.
Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Purdue is among the most historically significant aerospace engineering programs in the US — 23 of the 30 NASA astronauts who walked on the moon had connections to Purdue, and the program's culture reflects this heritage. Purdue's Women in Engineering program is one of the oldest and most resourced at any US engineering school, providing scholarships, mentorship, and community infrastructure for women across all Purdue engineering programs including aerospace.
Purdue AE's research strengths include propulsion (Purdue's Zucrow Laboratories is among the leading propulsion test facilities in the world), flight mechanics, spacecraft structures, and hypersonic systems. The proximity to Indianapolis's aerospace manufacturing sector and the strong Purdue-NASA connection (particularly with NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and Marshall Space Flight Center) creates industry pathways for aerospace engineers graduating from Purdue.
Purdue's Minority Engineering Program and Women in Engineering Program jointly provide scholarship resources specifically for women and underrepresented minority students in engineering — including aerospace. Purdue's out-of-state tuition, while significant, is offset by merit scholarships administered through the engineering school for high-achieving students.
Funding for Women in Aerospace: Scholarships and Fellowships
Several funding sources specifically address women in aerospace:
AIAA scholarships: The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) — the professional organization for aerospace engineers — administers several scholarship programs for undergraduate and graduate students in aerospace engineering. AIAA scholarships are not women-specific but are accessible to women aerospace students who are AIAA members. The AIAA Foundation's scholarship programs provide $2,000–$10,000 awards for qualifying students.
NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO): NASA's primary graduate fellowship in space technology provides approximately $80,000/year (including stipend and allowances) for doctoral students working on research relevant to NASA's space technology priorities. Women appear among NSTGRO fellows at rates that exceed their proportion of aerospace doctoral enrollment — NASA has articulated diversity goals for its fellowship programs that have produced measurable results.
SWE aerospace scholarships: The Society of Women Engineers administers scholarship programs that include awards for women in aerospace engineering. SWE's scholarship portal (discussed in the SWE Scholarships Guide on WIGSAT) is the primary access point for these awards.
Zonta International: The Amelia Earhart Fellowship — administered by Zonta International — provides $10,000 annual fellowships to women in aerospace-related fields at the graduate level. The fellowship is named for Amelia Earhart and is one of the longest-running women-specific aerospace fellowships in the world. Applications are competitive and international; women from any country may apply.
Other Strong Aerospace Programs for Women
Beyond MIT, Georgia Tech, and Purdue, several other US aerospace programs have notable women's support infrastructure: University of Michigan's Department of Aerospace Engineering (strong in space systems and flight dynamics, with an active WiE chapter and proximity to major automotive/aerospace employers); University of Texas at Austin's Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics (strong in computational mechanics and space systems, with Texas-specific engineering scholarship resources); and the University of Colorado Boulder's Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department (notable for its proximity to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, NOAA, and NIST, creating unusual research partnerships for aerospace students interested in Earth observation and atmospheric science).
NASA Internships for Women in Aerospace
NASA's internship programs — administered through NASA's Office of STEM Engagement — provide paid research internships at NASA centers across the country. NASA internships are among the most competitive and most professionally significant early-career opportunities in aerospace engineering, and NASA has made documented commitments to gender diversity in its internship selection. Women aerospace engineering students should apply for NASA internships through NASAJOBS.nasa.gov beginning in their sophomore or junior year; NASA's ten centers (including JPL, Goddard, Marshall, Ames, and Johnson) each have distinct research focus areas and different intern cultures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of aerospace engineers are women?
Approximately 14–16% of aerospace engineering graduates nationally are women — below the already-low engineering average (~22%). The commercial space industry's growth has created new employers with somewhat more intentional hiring practices than legacy defense aerospace, but the field's gender gap remains among the widest in engineering.
What is the Amelia Earhart Fellowship for women in aerospace?
The Amelia Earhart Fellowship, administered by Zonta International, provides $10,000/year to women pursuing advanced graduate study in aerospace-related fields. It is one of the oldest women-specific aerospace fellowships in the world, open to international applicants. The fellowship is competitive globally; applications are typically due in the fall.
What is the NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity?
NASA's NSTGRO provides approximately $80,000/year (stipend plus allowances) to doctoral students in space technology research areas, with a dedicated NASA researcher mentor. Women appear among NSTGRO fellows at rates above their proportion of aerospace doctoral enrollment. Eligibility requires US citizenship and enrollment in an accredited doctoral program.
Which US universities are strongest for women in aerospace engineering?
MIT AeroAstro, Georgia Tech School of Aerospace Engineering, and Purdue School of Aeronautics and Astronautics are the three most consistently referenced programs combining aerospace research depth with active women's support infrastructure. University of Michigan, UT Austin, and University of Colorado Boulder are also notable. Athena SWAN equivalents don't apply in the US; look at Women in Engineering program strength and external fellowship placement rates.
Can women in aerospace get scholarships from SWE?
Yes — the Society of Women Engineers administers scholarship programs that include awards for women in aerospace engineering as a recognized engineering discipline. Applications go through SWE's scholarship portal (at swe.org/scholarships), with eligibility criteria varying by specific award. SWE membership at the student chapter level is encouraged but not always required for scholarship applications.