Which degree you should have to join NASA?

Answer 1

It depends on which area of NASA you're looking to work for; NASA is a relatively small government agency, and those who wish to be involved in the Space Program are better off working for the hundreds of private contractors that are mostly responsible for NASA's programs. I say that since aside from not being constrained by being a Federal Employee (your pay decided by the whim of the President and Congress each year), there's more room for advancement in the private sector. In addition, what is not readily known in public circles is that NASA contracts, when they change hands from one contractor to another, typically state that the key personnel are moved with the program to the new contractor. I've literally seen one contractor lose a key contract, and have all personnel (plus their computers and equipment) moved enmasse to the new contractor administering the program. The term is known as "project heritage", meaning NASA likes to keep those personnel on their programs who have proven themselves over time as there aren't any margins for error when it comes to the Space Program.

However, NASA employees typically have degrees in areas that are germane to the Aerospace, Aeronautics, Mechanical, Thermal, Cryogenics, Materials & Electrical Engineering disciplines, as well as Astrophysics. The same is typical for NASA contractors, though the list is much more varied, since they're responsible for program support and operations for all missions.

Most of the people I used to work with when I was working NASA QA were Electrical or Mechanical Engineers, and they seem to be the most prevalent in the agency at the NASA Center level. At higher levels, Ph. D's in Thermal Mechanics, Chemical Engineering, Astrophysics, Aeronautical Engineering, Celestial Mechanics, etc., are found.

Essentially, it comes down to what fields are prevalent in the Aerospace community, which are the most widespread for employees, and which NASA Center of Excellence you're interested in. Each Center has its own research and development focus, and therefore each has more people with degrees relevant to the field of research that particular Center is focused on.

It's also good to be cognizant of what government contracts are being submitted to the contracting community for RFP's (Request for Proposals) and which contracts the government has awarded to Aerospace companies. By keeping up to date on this information, you can gain further insight as to what qualifications are most needed, and at what companies.

To do that, there is no better resource than the FedBizOpps (FBO), or FBO-Online Service. The FBO replaced the old contract/proposal resource for government contracts, the Commerce Business Daily, in 2002.

The link to NASAjobs.gov is below. However, I must note that despite official PR and government policy, it's customary for NASA to hire personnel from contractors or universities working on established programs that it is overseeing, or from other government agencies, whose employees have preference over civilian applicants. A degree in one of the key scientific or engineering fields is a must; even with my own background in NASA and DoD programs, without finishing my degree I knew I wouldn't be accepted should I apply to NASA, even being a Veteran with hiring preference and a government employee. NASA jobs are few, and competition is stiff.

Again, it's far easier to apply to one of the key Aerospace contractors, get experience, then apply to NASA later on. As a student, typically it's those working on grad programs that are funded by NASA at one of their key University partners (e.g., Cal Tech or Johns Hopkins).