MSc in Aerospace Dynamics
Cranfield, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
21 Sep 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
28 Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 29,025 **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for UK and Irish students
** for overseas students | £13,005 - for home students
Key Summary
About: This MSc in Aerospace Dynamics at Cranfield gives applied knowledge in aerodynamics, flight dynamics and computational modeling. You’ll gain practical experience in measurement, analysis, modeling and simulation of airflows and vehicles. Choose your specialist option in Flight Dynamics or Aerodynamics once you start. Cranfield’s expertise links both technology and management.
Career Outcomes: Career opportunities span aerospace and military sectors and extend to automotive, environmental, energy and medical fields. Graduate roles include Advanced Simulation Engineer, Aerodynamics Engineer, Flight Test Engineer, Senior Aerodynamicist and Wind Tunnel engineer. Graduates can enter industrial or research roles and integrate into teams with minimal training.
The aerospace industry in the UK is the largest in the world, outside of the USA. Aerodynamics and flight dynamics will remain a key element in the development of future aircraft and in reducing civil transport environmental issues, making significant contributions to the next generation of aircraft configurations.
This course provides both fundamental and applied knowledge to understand airflows, vehicle dynamics and control and methods for computational modelling. It will provide you with practical experience in the measurement, analysis, modelling and simulation of airflows and aerial vehicles.
Choose your specialist option from the following once you commence your studies:
- Flight Dynamics option: if you want to develop a career in flight physics and aircraft stability and control, more specifically in the fields of flight control system design, flight simulation and flight testing;
- Aerodynamics option: if you want to develop a career in flight physics and specifically in the fields of flow simulation, flow measurement and flow control.
Suitable if you have an interest in aerodynamic design, flow control, flow measurement, flight dynamics and flight control.
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.
Compulsory Modules
All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course.
- Introduction to Aircraft Aerodynamics
- Flight Experimental Methods
Elective Modules
Eight of the modules from the following list need to be taken as part of this course.
- Modelling of Dynamic Systems
- Compressible Flows
- Viscous Flow
- Control Systems
- Introduction to CFD
- Flight Dynamics Principles
- Air-Vehicle Modelling and Simulation
- Launch and Re-Entry Aerodynamics
- Transonic Aerodynamic Design
- Technology for Sustainable Aviation
- Flying Qualities and Flight Control
- CFD for Aerospace
- Multivariable Control Systems for Aerospace Applications
- Fundamentals of Rotorcraft Performance, Stability and Control
- Fundamentals of Aircraft System Identification
- Experimental Aerodynamics
- Positioning, Navigation and Timing Systems
Industry-driven research makes our graduates some of the most desirable in the world for recruitment in a wide range of career paths within the aerospace and military sectors. A successful graduate should be able to integrate immediately into an industrial or research environment and make an immediate contribution to the group without further training. Increasingly, these skills are in demand in other areas, including automotive, environmental, energy and medicine.
Recent graduates have found positions in the aerospace, automotive and related sectors, taking roles such as:
- Advanced Simulation Engineer
- Aerodynamics Engineer
- Aerospace Engineer
- Air Vehicle Design Engineer
- Aircraft Performance Engineer
- Flight Control Engineer
- Flight Test Engineer
- Lead Flow Analyst
- Mechanical Design Engineer
- Senior Aerodynamicist
- Wind Tunnel engineer
Why this course?
The aerospace industry in the UK is the largest in the world, outside of the USA. Aerodynamics and flight dynamics will remain a key element in the development of future aircraft and in reducing civil transport environmental issues, making significant contributions to the next generation of aircraft configurations.
In the military arena, aerodynamic modelling and flight dynamics play an important role in the design and development of combat aircraft and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). The continuing search for aerodynamic refinement and performance optimisation for the next generation of aircraft and surface vehicles creates the need for specialist knowledge of fluid flow behaviour.
Cranfield University has been at the forefront of postgraduate education in aerospace engineering since 1946. The MSc in Aerospace Dynamics stems from the programme in Aerodynamics, which was one of the first master's courses offered by Cranfield and is an important part of our heritage. The integration of aerodynamics with flight dynamics reflects the long-term link with the aircraft flight test activity established by Cranfield.
You will have the opportunity to fly during a Student Experience Flight in our National Flying Laboratory Centre’s (NFLC) light aircraft. This flight experience will complement your MSc studies, focusing on the effects of controls, aircraft stability and angle of attack. During the flight, you will have the opportunity to take control of the aircraft. Each experience is 2 to 3 hours in duration and includes a pre-flight safety briefing outlining the details of the manoeuvres to be flown, a flight of approximately 1 hour, and a post-flight debrief. Read Dominic's blog detailing his flight experience.
Graduates of this course are eligible to join the Cranfield College of Aeronautics Alumni Association (CCAAA), an active community which holds a number of networking and social events throughout the year.
This course consists of optional taught modules, an individual research project and a group flight test project.
The group flight test project consists of two compulsory modules that offer an initial introduction to aerospace dynamics and provide grounding for the group flight test. Choice is a key feature of this course, with specialist options in either aerodynamics or flight dynamics. Choose your option once you have commenced your studies.
Taught modules 50%, individual project 50%
Individual Project
The individual research project allows you to delve deeper into an area of specific interest. It is very common for industrial partners to put forward real-world problems or areas of development as potential research project topics. The project is carried out under the guidance of an academic staff member who acts as your supervisor. The individual research project component takes place between April and August.
If agreed with the Course Director, part-time students have the opportunity to undertake projects in collaboration with their place of work, which would be supported by academic supervision.
Previous individual research projects have covered:
Aerodynamics option
- Spiked body instabilities at supersonic speeds;
- Aerodynamic loads on a race car wing in a vortex wake;
- Lateral/directional stability of a tailless aircraft;
- Aerodynamic drag penalties due to runback ice;
- Automotive flow control using fluidic sheets;
- Aerodynamic design and optimisation of a blended wing body aircraft.
Flight Dynamics option
- Flight dynamic modelling of large amplitude rotorcraft dynamics;
- Decision making for autonomous flight in icing conditions;
- Comparative assessment of trajectory planning methods for UAVs;
- Machine vision and scientific imaging for autonomous rotorcraft;
- Linear parameter varying control of a quadrotor vehicle;
- A gust load alleviation system for large flexible civil transport.