DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 Jul 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 11,500 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Home: £11,500 Overseas: £24,000
Key Summary
Introduction
Overview
With the ever-increasing traffic density of civil aircraft and the need for increased military precision in conflicts around the world, safer aircraft operations require more sophisticated avionic systems.
This specialist option of the MSc Aerospace Vehicle Design provides you with an understanding of avionic systems design, analysis, development, test, and airframe integration.
Ideal Students
Who is it for?
This course is suitable for students with a background in aeronautical or mechanical engineering or those with relevant industrial experience. It provides a taught engineering programme with a focus on the technical, business, and management aspects of aircraft design in the civil and military aerospace sectors.
Admissions
Curriculum
Why this course?
The Avionic Systems Design option aims to provide an understanding of avionic systems design, analysis, development, test, and airframe integration. This includes a detailed look at robust and fault-tolerant flight control, advanced 4D flight management and RNP navigation, self-separation and collision avoidance, and advanced digital data communications systems, as well as pilot-friendly and intelligent cockpit displays and situation awareness.
The course extent also covers future ATM systems which have been at the forefront of postgraduate education in aerospace engineering since 1946. Aerospace Vehicle Design at Cranfield University was one of the original foundation courses of the College of Aeronautics. 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.
Cranfield University is well located for students from all over the world and offers a range of libraries and support facilities to support your studies. This enables students from all over the world to complete this qualification whilst balancing work/life commitments.
Course details
This option is comprised of a number of mandatory modules and a minimum of 60 hours of optional modules, selected from a list of options. You are also required to complete a group design project and an individual research project. Delivered via a combination of structured lectures, industry guest lectures, computer-based workshops, and private study.
A unique feature of the course is that we have four external examiners; two from the industry who assess the group design project and two from academia who assess the individual research project.
Compulsory modules
All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course:
- Aeronautical Communication Systems
- Aerospace Software Engineering and ADA
- Avionics Air Traffic Control
- Aircraft Performance
- Aircraft Stability and Control
- Avionics Data Networking, Hardware Integration and Testing
- Cockpit Environment
- Control Systems
- Design of Airframe Systems
- Fault-Tolerant Avionics Design
- Flight Experience
- Inertial and Satellite Navigation Systems
- Integrated Navigation Systems
- Modeling of Dynamic Systems
- Radio Systems
Elective modules
A selection of modules from the following list needs to be taken as part of this course:
- Aerospace System Development and Life Cycle Model
- Aircraft Aerodynamics
- Aircraft Power Plant Installation
- Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
- Design for Manufacture and Operation
- Initial Aircraft Design
- Integrated Vehicle Health Management
- Landing Gear Design
- Reliability, Safety Assessment, and Certification