MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering
Bedford, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
21 Sep 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 29,025 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for UK and Irish students
** for overseas students | £13,005 - for home students
Key Summary
About: The MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering at Cranfield prepares you to lead large, complex engineering projects. You’ll learn state-of-the-art mechanical engineering methods, apply them via industrially focused modules and research projects, and gain management and technology leadership skills. Cranfield’s postgraduate-only environment and near-industrial-scale facilities let you tackle real-world problems. The course develops transferable engineering skills for energy, aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing, so you can make an impact from day one.
Career Outcomes: Graduates work as Mechanical Design Engineer, Production Line Supervisor, Staff Engineer, Engineer, Management Associate, Project Engineer and move into design, R&D, manufacturing, systems and project leadership roles.
Be part of the mechanical engineering drive to a sustainable future.
The Advanced Mechanical Engineering MSc is designed to prepare you for a successful mechanical engineering career leading large, complex projects. You will learn state-of-the-art mechanical engineering methods, apply them to real-world problems via industrially focused modules and research projects, whilst gaining the essential management skills to bring your ideas to life. Ranked in the UK top 5 for mechanical engineering, Cranfield offers a unique, postgraduate-only environment, with near-industrial scale engineering facilities and a teaching team with extensive experience of solving real-world issues within industry.
This course has been designed to provide you with engineering skills and experience which are transferable to the sector of your choice, including energy, aerospace, automotive or manufacturing. Our focus is on ensuring that you can make an impact from day one in your career. We do this by teaching you the state-of-the-art skills in mechanical engineering, enabling you to apply what you learn through industrially relevant group and individual research projects and equipping you with technology leadership skills.
Compulsory Modules
All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course.
- Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability
- Assessing Risk and Failure
- Component Design
- Computational Fluid Dynamics for Renewable Energy
- Engineering Design and Project Management
- Principles of Engineering
- Engineering Stress Analysis: Theory and Simulations
- Fluid Mechanics and Loading
To help students find appropriate funding, we have created a funding finder where you can search for suitable sources of funding by filtering the results to suit your needs. Visit the funding finder.
ASEAN-UK: Women in STEM Scholarships
Cranfield University is proud to join the Women in STEM Scholarship initiative by offering six fully funded scholarships for female students from selected countries in East Asia. We are looking for women with a background in STEM who can demonstrate their need for financial support and who wish to inspire future generations of women to pursue careers in STEM.
Master's Loan from Student Finance England
A Master's Loan is now available for UK applicants to help you pay for your Master’s course. You can apply for a loan at GOV.UK
Commonwealth Scholarships for Developing Countries
Students from developing countries who would not otherwise be able to study in the UK can apply for a Commonwealth Scholarship, which includes tuition fees, travel and a monthly stipend for Master’s study.
Chevening Scholarships
Chevening Scholarships are awarded to outstanding emerging leaders to pursue a one-year Master’s at Cranfield University. The scholarship includes tuition fees, travel and a monthly stipend for Master’s study.
Commonwealth Shared Scholarship
Students from developing countries who would not otherwise be able to study in the UK can apply for a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, which includes tuition fees, travel, and a monthly stipend for Master’s study, jointly supported by Cranfield University.
Institution of Mechanical Engineers Postgraduate Master's Scholarship
IMechE is offering a number of postgraduate research Scholarships worth up to £6,500 to graduates with a 2:1 honours IMechE-accredited BEng (Hons) degree to allow them to undertake an IMechE-accredited Master's degree.
IGEM Postgraduate Master's Scholarship
The Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) is offering postgraduate Master's Scholarships worth £6,500 to those studying an Engineering Council-accredited degree.
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society offer Centennial Scholarships for those studying an accredited course.
Lendwise Postgraduate Student Loan
The Lendwise Postgraduate Student Loan provides tuition fees and maintenance loans of between £5,000 and £100,000 for eligible applicants studying at Cranfield University.
Scottish Power Masters Scholarship
The scholarship covers tuition fees and living costs for postgraduate students in engineering, renewable energy, environmental science, cyber security and related fields.
Graduates of this course have gone on to work in a range of roles, including:
- Mechanical Design Engineer at Siemens,
- Production Line Supervisor & Lean Implementer at GKN Land Systems,
- Staff Engineer at BPP Technical Services Ltd, working on offshore oil and gas engineering,
- Engineer at Det Norske Veritas,
- Management Associate at BMW Group UK Limited,
- Project Engineer at BASF Coatings S.A.
This course is designed for engineering, physics or mathematics graduates who wish to develop a successful mechanical engineering career in industry, government or research. It will equip you with the advanced engineering and management skills demanded by leading global employers, including project management, design, computer-aided engineering, operation and optimisation of machinery, structural mechanics and integrity, and technology leadership.
Why this course?
By combining advanced mechanical engineering topics with a thorough underpinning in the management skills required to lead large, complex projects, this course will prepare you for a successful career.
- Study at a top 5-ranked UK university for mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering,
- Develop your technology leadership capabilities with the world-renowned Cranfield School of Management,
- Participate in individual and group projects focused on your personal interests and career aspirations,
- Learn from lecturers with extensive, current experience of working with industry on solving real-world mechanical engineering challenges,
- Benefit from near-industrial scale facilities for project work in energy and power, aerospace, automotive, transport and manufacturing.
This MSc is supported by our team of professorial thought leaders.
Modules are delivered over two weeks. In the early part of the year, the modules cover the fundamentals of advanced mechanical engineering. These are intensive weeks, consisting of all-day teaching. During this period, there are some weeks which are largely free of structured teaching to allow time for more independent learning and reflection, completion of assignments or exam preparation.
After the winter break, there are three modules that involve more active problem-based learning and typically include practical or laboratory sessions, case studies or group work. These are opportunities for you to apply and integrate your knowledge. These modules are all assessed by assignments that are completed during the two-week period. The focus on group work and application within these modules provides a valuable transition into the Group Project.
Taught modules 80 credits/800 hours, Group projects 40 credits/400 hours, Individual project 60 credits/600 hours
Group Project
The group project runs from late February until early May and enables you to apply the skills and knowledge developed during the taught modules. It provides you with direct experience of bringing knowledge to bear on an industrially relevant problem that requires a team-based multidisciplinary solution. You will develop a fundamental range of skills required to work in a team, including team member roles and responsibilities, project management, delivering technical presentations and exploiting the variety of expertise from each individual member. Industry involvement is an integral component of the group project, to give you first-hand experience at working within real-life challenging situations.
In recognition of the fact that the modern design engineer cannot be divorced from the commercial world, you will provide a presentation and poster. This provides the opportunity to develop presentation skills and effectively handle questions about complex issues in a professional manner. All groups submit a written report and deliver a presentation to the industry partner.
Part-time students are encouraged to participate in a group project as it provides a wealth of learning opportunities. However, an option of an individual dissertation is available if agreed with the Course Director.
Individual Project
The aim of the individual research project, which takes place between May and August, is to provide you with direct experience in undertaking a research/development project in a relevant industrial or research area. It therefore offers the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills and focus your interests in a particular area of interest. You will submit a research thesis and make a formal presentation of your findings to a panel of academics and industry experts.
For part-time students, it is common that their research thesis is undertaken in collaboration with their place of work and supported by academic supervision.
Recent individual research projects include:
- Comparison of a panel method and Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) method to estimate the aerodynamic coefficients of a profile flying in ground effect,
- The stress shielding effect of cracks in loaded components,
- Review and modelling of heave and roll motion passive damping systems for offshore floating support structures for wind turbines.