Aerospace Electronics Vs Aerospace Technology: Which Diploma More Relevant?

A student who aspires to be a pilot in the future wonders what are the main differences between obtaining a diploma in Aerospace Electronics (AE) versus that in Aerospace Technology (AT) at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and which would be more suited to his career needs. A netizen going by the moniker dfuinghl shares his views:

"I am currently a third year student doing a diploma in AT so I guess I can answer this for you.


AE basically deals with avionics systems while AT handles the "hardware". Both will teach you the basics of flight and such, and if you're gunning to become a pilot both courses will also give you the opportunity to apply at the Singapore Youth Flying Club in your first year of study.


The difference lies in the fact that AE is within the Electrical And Computer Engineering (ECE) division (they learn more about electrical-related stuffs) while AT is within the Mechanical Engineering (ME) division (we learn more about materials and physical structures).


Both have their advantages I reckon, but honestly speaking I thought my electrical module was really hard to understand. Up to you, really. Perhaps some on the other side may feel the same way about my course modules too.


Note that AT allows you to specialise in your second year now (wasn't the case when I first enrolled) so you've got a wider range of options to explore in AT. Previously both AT and AE students pretty much ended up sharing the same kind of job prospects as that of their respective main divisions.


Edit: If you want to obtain a commercial pilot license (CPL) you're gonna need to get a university degree first before signing up for the training programme. So really it doesn't matter which diploma you're gonna take in the end. Either a degree here or pay 200k to train overseas."


THANK YOU DFUINGHL FOR ALLOWING US TO REPRODUCE YOUR THOUGHTS HERE.


The Czar (Site Founder)

Dated 6 February 2015


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