University of Bristol - Science and Engineering
MSc Aerospace Engineering
Bristol, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
GBP 33,900 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* home applicants | overseas applicants: 25 july 2025
** overseas full-time tuition
Key Summary
The MSc Aerospace Engineering programme is designed for engineering graduates wishing to develop knowledge of advanced aerospace engineering topics, and hone skills required to make them succeed in industry. Students graduating from this programme will have the knowledge and skills required to tackle the big questions facing the aerospace sector and will be looking to lead in developing next-generation solutions.
The programme is for graduates who have a first degree in either Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or another engineering topic that contains a good amount of aerospace content. All students will be able to hone their existing engineering knowledge and develop a higher understanding of aerospace engineering. For those with a more general engineering degree, this programme will allow them to specialise in aerospace engineering meaning they can transition to working in the aerospace sector. All students will be joining the University of Bristol, which has a long history of nationally-leading aerospace teaching. The City of Bristol is also the centre of aerospace engineering in the UK, with Airbus, Rolls-Royce, GKN, Leonardo and Boeing (to name a few) within a few minutes of the University.
Uniquely, this programme allows students to either tailor their degree around a specialism they find interesting, or remain general. Optional units that reflect the research expertise at Bristol means students could specialise in, for example, aerodynamics or composites, or remain more general by taking broader options in, for example, space engineering or wind energy. As well as this, students will work on a group multidisciplinary design task, with a brief that mimics industrial design problems. Students will apply their advanced aerospace engineering knowledge, and develop key soft skills such as communication and team-working to perform the conceptional design of an aircraft. The knowledge and skills that students will develop during the degree will put them on the path to success in their future careers.
The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) 5-yearly re-accreditation of the course is currently underway.
from 25th November 2024- 4th of December 2025
The MSc Aerospace Engineering programme is an advanced degree that covers a broad range of subjects in Aerospace. The programme combines several core units with a range of optional units and uniquely allows students to tailor their degree around subjects they find interesting.
In the first term, students will choose one foundational unit in either aerodynamics, structures, control or space. This is supplemented with two additional optional units that span the breadth of aerospace engineering and are informed by the cutting-edge research at Bristol in aeroacoustics, composites and control.
In the second term, students will be able to choose a final optional unit that is led by one of our world-leading researchers. A major aspect of this term is the group design project. This multi-disciplinary project will see students apply the concepts they learn in their academic units to the design of a full aircraft, with a brief mimicking a typical industrial problem. They will develop fundamental teamwork and communication skills that will see them succeed in the industry.
Finally, the research project will see students work within one of the world-leading research teams at Bristol. Here, students will be working on a cutting-edge research project, and pushing the boundary of the state-of-the-art. For example, this could be trying to understand how to reduce noise produced by aircraft wings, developing simulation methods for the next generation of large wind turbines, or designing deployable structures for space applications.
University of Bristol is ranked 8th in the UK and 51st in the world (QS World University rankings 2026)
This programme will provide you with key knowledge and skills to succeed in industry. You may choose to work for one of the many large, medium or small aerospace engineering businesses in the Bristol area. Alternatively, you may choose to work in the automotive sector, perhaps in Formula 1, which an aerospace degree can open doors to.
An engineering degree provides you with a broad skill set, with skills such as problem solving, team working, and communication. These skills mean engineering graduates are highly employable in a range of areas, including finance, consultancy and project management.