Aerospace Engineering MSc

If you already hold an engineering degree but would like to broaden and deepen your knowledge of the aerospace industry and gain a strategic overview of aerospace engineering and management issues, this course is ideal. It will help you to develop a wider perspective and understanding of the concerns facing the aerospace engineering industry, and includes subjects such as law, finance, risk assessment, and green environmental issues. Throughout the course, academic teaching is complemented by visits from industry experts, keeping you up-to-date with the latest developments.

This exciting and innovative course has been designed to satisfy the requirements of the Engineering Council's UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC).

What will you study?

You will gain a broad understanding of the practical requirements of aerospace engineering, as well as a knowledge of the subjects that are both specific and complementary to aerospace engineering, such as modules in Further Aerospace Structures and Materials or Computational Fluid Dynamics. You will develop the ability to resolve the broader problems that arise in aerospace engineering. You will learn about management issues and improve your evaluation and project management skills.

The MSc features an Aerospace Design Project Dissertation module, a group design project that provides you with the challenge of undertaking a real-world problem in a virtual engineering environment. You will also develop an awareness of work in a multidisciplinary team within an engineering organisation with real industrial constraints.

Studying this course means you'll have opportunities to be involved with organisations outside the University. Our excellent industrial links have developed over many years and throughout many countries.
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Many engineering academic staff are engaged in a range of research and consultancy activities funded by the Research Councils, the European Union, the government, trade unions and industry. These activities ensure our staff are in touch with the latest industry thinking and bring best practice to your studies.
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Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.

Core modules

• Aerospace Design Project Dissertation

• Aerospace Design Project Dissertation

  This module is designed for students on the Aerospace Engineering MSc. You will work as a team solving an engineering design project problem. It allows you to put what you have learnt during the course into practical implementation of some forms, using a mix of research, analyses and design to provide solutions.

  
   
• Finance Resource Management

• Finance Resource Management

  This module examines the role of financial accounting within organisations. It provides an overview of financial accounting systems in business and public sector organisations.

  It also covers:

  • the needs of first level managers for financial information and their role in supplying information;
  • accounting concepts and conventions; and
  • ways of measuring income and valuing assets.
  
   
• Project Management
• Information Systems for Engineers

• Information Systems for Engineers

  This module helps you to understand:

  • the importance of information to organisations;
  • the need for an information strategy to support the business strategy; and
  • the range of facilities that information systems may provide.

  You also learn about methods and tools for developing appropriate systems to professional standards.

  
   
• Legal Obligations

• Legal Obligations

  In this module you will:

  • acquire an understanding of the legal rules governing the law of contract, the law of tort and the administration of the English legal system;
  • apply the tort of negligence, duty of care, breach of duty and remoteness of damage; and
  • evaluate and critically analyse how a contract is discharged and identify how a contract is performed and breached.
  
   

Technical broadening modules (choose two)

• Green Engineering and Energy Efficiency
• E-Engineering with Internet Applications

• E-Engineering with Internet Applications

  This module introduces you to the fundamentals of e-commerce and its potential benefits and impacts, particularly in different engineering companies. It explores:

  • how to use the internet to help meet engineering design and management objectives; and
  • the development of a web strategy for engineering companies.
  
   
• Industrial Systems and Management

• Industrial Systems and Management

  This module gives you an understanding of the key operational elements in a typical manufacturing company. It considers what enables a company to function and successfully interact in an integrated environment.
  
  This includes hardware, software and management concepts that are important to the success of the company. You also look at a logical framework to:

  • identify and analyse particular problems in an engineering company; and
  • recommend feasible solutions with justifications.
  
   
• Integrated CAD/CAM Systems

• Integrated CAD/CAM Systems

  This module develops a fundamental understanding of 3D solid modelling and the core technologies of part modelling and parametric modelling. This will enable you to develop complex geometry, which defines many of today's engineering and product models.

  The module also develops an understanding of:

  • the state-of-the-art engineering philosophies of concurrent engineering, collaborative working and virtual product development; and
  • the role of contemporary engineering computing tools to support these.
  
   
• Total Quality

• Total Quality

  This module introduces students to:

  • the management and improvement of quality in products and processes; and
  • supporting tools and techniques.

  The module has a bias towards statistical methods, but we do not assume any prior knowledge of statistics.

  
   

Technical deepening modules (choose two)

• Aircraft Maintenance and Economics
• Advanced CAD/CAM Systems

• Advanced CAD/CAM Systems

  This module develops your understanding of the techniques required to extend the capabilities of a 3D solid modelling system by using the embedded application program interface available in many Windows compliant products.

  This enables you to develop an additional functional capability by accessing the modelling kernel within the CAD system and integrating functions across multiple systems (typically databases). This is achieved using Visual Basic as a programming language.

  
   
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

• Computational Fluid Dynamics

  This module gives you the knowledge base you need to apply computational fluid dynamics to simple flow problems.

  
   
• Further Aerospace Structures and Materials

• Further Aerospace Structures and Materials

  This module identifies and develops the skills needed to solve problems relating to:

  • the static loading characteristics of aerospace vehicles; and
  • the use and suitability of materials with appropriate fatigue and fracture analysis.
  
   

See student project work from the Aerospace Engineering MSc programme.
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