i think most pilots are average joes when it comes to intelligence, so dont worry that you're not "naturally smart." i hate how every kid nowadays thinks he or she is so smart just because their mom told them every day how special they were. i think becoming a pilot takes determination, hard work and persistence above any "natural smartness."
and no, an aviation degree is not comparable to an engineering one. alls i had to take was 2 semesters of calculus and physics, my engineering roommates toiled every day and night for all their courses for all 4 or 5 years.
but that's really not relevant, because you're probably going to have 98% of the people here tell you not to get an aviation degree anyway. yeah, DONT TO IT.