Cranfield University

MSc in Aerospace Vehicle Design - Structural Design Option

Manufacturers of modern aircraft are demanding more lightweight and more durable structures. Structural integrity is a major consideration of today’s aircraft fleet. For an aircraft to economically achieve its design specification and satisfy airworthiness regulations, a number of structural challenges must be overcome.

This course trains engineers to meet these challenges and prepares them for careers in civil and military aviation. It is suitable if you have a background in aeronautical or mechanical engineering, or relevant industrial experience.

Compulsory Modules

All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course.

• Design and Analysis of Composite Structures
• Loading Actions
• Detail Stressing
• Reliability, Safety Assessment and Certification
• Design for Manufacture and Operation
• Finite Element Analysis
• Initial Aircraft Design
• Structural Stability
• Fatigue, Fracture Mechanics and Damage Tolerance

Elective Modules

Seven of the modules from the following list need to be taken as attendance-only modules.

• Design of Airframe Systems
• Aircraft Aerodynamics
• Computer-Aided Design
• Aerospace System Development and Life Cycle Model
• Aircraft Performance
• Aircraft Stability and Control
• Aeroelasticity
• Landing Gear Design
• Aircraft Power Plant Installation
• Flight Test Experience

• 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.

This Aerospace Vehicle Design option in Structural Design is valued and respected by employers worldwide. The applied nature of this course ensures that our graduates are ready to be of immediate use to their future employer and has provided sufficient breadth of understanding of multi-disciplinary design to position them for accelerated career progression.

Graduates from this option have gone on to pursue engineering careers in disciplines such as structural design, stress analysis or systems design. Many of our graduates occupy very senior positions in their organisations, making valuable contributions to the international aerospace industry. Student destinations have included BAE Systems, Airbus, Dassault and Rolls-Royce.

Why this course?

We 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 that holds a number of networking and social events throughout the year.

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 Hari's blog on his flight experience.

Cranfield University is well located for students from all over the world, and offers a range of library and support facilities to support your studies. This enables students from all over the world to complete this qualification whilst balancing work/life commitments.

This option comprises nine compulsory modules and 11 optional modules. 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 industry who assess the group design project and two from academia who assess the individual research project.

Taught modules 10% | Group project 50% | Individual research project 40%

Group Project

The extensive group design project is a distinctive and unique feature of this course. This teamwork project takes place over six months and recreates a virtual industrial environment, bringing together students with various experience levels and different nationalities into one integrated design team.

Students are given responsibility for the detailed design of a significant part of the aircraft, for example, the forward fuselage, fuel system, landing gear, environmental control system or wing. The project will progress from the conceptual phase through to the preliminary and detailed design phases. You will be required to run project meetings, produce engineering drawings and detailed analyses of your design. Problem-solving and project coordination must be undertaken on a team and individual basis. At the end of the project, groups are required to report and present findings to a large panel of senior engineers from industry.

This element of the course is both realistic and engaging, and places the student group in a professional role as aerospace design engineers. Students testify that working as an integrated team on real problems is invaluable and prepares them well for careers in a highly competitive industry.

Individual Project

The individual research project aims to provide the training necessary for you to apply knowledge from the taught element to research, and takes place from January to September. It is sometimes associated with a real-world problem that one of our industry partners is looking to resolve.