MSc in Aerospace Manufacturing
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 **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for UK and Irish students
** for overseas students | £13,005 - for home students
Key Summary
About: The MSc in Aerospace Manufacturing at Cranfield trains you to manage and improve aerospace production systems and manufacturing processes for aircraft and spacecraft. You’ll learn technology and management skills to lead improvement programmes, reduce time-to-market and boost productivity for aerospace products. The course covers materials, composites, automation, operations and quality across aerospace supply chains.
Career Outcomes: Graduates move into management, logistics and engineering roles in global aerospace manufacturers. Examples: Aeronautical Engineer, Aerospace Manufacturing Engineer, Composite Manufacturing Engineer, Mechanical and Automation Engineer, Production Leader. You may progress to process improvement, supply chain or production leadership with sponsors or industry employers.
Within a rapidly evolving aerospace industry, the need to adapt and innovate aerospace manufacturing production processes is becoming increasingly apparent. This, in combination with a need to meet faster time-to-market demands for increasingly complex, interconnected and feature-rich aerospace products, means there is a requirement for graduates who are well-equipped to manage the related manufacturing processes.
Aerospace manufacturing is responsible for the design, development, and production of aircraft, spacecraft, and their components. This industry is constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries of technology, which makes it an exciting and rewarding field in which to work. Specialist skills of aerospace production systems are vital to drive productivity improvements.
On the MSc in Aerospace Manufacturing, you will gain the sought-after capabilities to manage major improvement programmes in the aerospace manufacturing industry or instigate interventions that deliver improvements to the performance of the businesses.
Compulsory Modules
All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course.
- Operations Management
- Manufacturing Systems Engineering
- Sustainable Aerospace Manufacturing Business
- Supply Chain Management
- Aircraft Assembly
Elective Modules
- Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing Technologies
- Composites Manufacturing for High-Performance Structures
- Failure of Engineered Assets
- Manufacturing Strategy
- Metal Additive Manufacturing Processes
- Operations Analysis
- Welding Processes and Equipment
- Cranfield University has been ranked amongst the world’s top universities in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject.
- In Engineering – Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing, Cranfield has been ranked 27th in the world and attained top scores in Employer and Academic Reputation.
To help students find and secure 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
Cranfield University GREAT Scholarship
In partnership with the British Council and the GREAT Britain Campaign, Cranfield University is offering 5 scholarships of financial support to the value of £10,000 to students from Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Thailand and Vietnam.
A Master's Loan is now available for UK applicants to help you pay for your Master’s course.
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 includestuition fees, travel and a monthly stipend for Master’s study.
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 Masters 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.
ISTAT Foundation Scholarships
The ISTAT Foundation is actively engaged in helping young people develop careers in aviation by offering scholarships of up to $US10,000. One student will be nominated for a scholarship each year by Cranfield University.
This qualification takes you on to a wide range of aerospace manufacturing roles such as management, operations, logistics and technology-related functions within global aerospace manufacturing organisations. Many graduates find employment with one of their project sponsors.
Students from this course have gone into roles including:
- Aeronautical Engineer
- Aerospace Manufacturing Engineer
- Composite Manufacturing Engineer
- Mechanical and automation Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Production Leader
- Zero Emission Prototype Manufacturing
We welcome students from a range of backgrounds, including undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
We also welcome students who have spent time in industry and are looking to further their education.
Why this course?
The MSc in Aerospace Manufacturing combines Cranfield's long-standing expertise in delivering high-quality Master's programmes in both aerospace and manufacturing. You will learn from a range of modules, from how to assemble aircraft, through to manufacturing and systems engineering, as well as developing your management capabilities. Through elective modules and project work, you will be able to tailor the learning experience to your unique areas of interest, helping you to develop a competitive edge in the employment market.
The course receives strong support from the global aerospace industry, both from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) such as Airbus and Rolls-Royce, as well as their tiers of supplier. We ensure that there is a strong emphasis on applying the knowledge that you acquire during the course in the industrial environment in which you will work, and all teaching is in the context of industrial application.
As a student, you will benefit from our wide range of equipment, analysis tools and specialist software packages. The course objectives are achieved through a carefully integrated and structured series of eight one-week assessed modules, a group project and an individual project.
The course comprises eight modules (five compulsory and three electives), a group project and an individual project.
The modules include lectures, workshops, case studies, tutorials and company visits. Students need to complete a mix of modules that are fundamental to aerospace manufacturing systems and modules that are technology-related.
Taught modules 40%, Group project 20%, Individual project 40%
Group Project
The group project experience is highly valued by both students and prospective employers. Teams of students work to solve an industrial problem. The project applies technical knowledge and provides training in teamwork and the opportunity to develop non-technical aspects of the taught programme. Part-time students can prepare a dissertation on an agreed topic in place of the group project.
Industrially oriented, our team projects have support from external organisations. As a result of external engagement, Cranfield students enjoy a higher degree of success when it comes to securing employment. Prospective employers value the student experience where teamwork to find solutions to industrially based problems is concerned.
Individual Project
The individual thesis project, usually in collaboration with industry, offers students the opportunity to develop their research capability, depth of understanding and ability to provide solutions to real problems in aerospace manufacturing production systems.