Aerospace Engineering, Astronautics & Space Technology MEng/BEng(Hons): What our students say

"When I came across the aerospace and astronautics degree at Kingston, it really captured my imagination. It sounded really interesting.

"What the University is really good at, is focusing on the practical applications of what you learn in the classroom. Facilities like the Lear jet and the flight simulator mean we can reinforce everything that we learn in the classroom in the lab.

"It helps that lots of our lecturers have really strong ties with industry and that the Astronautics department is pretty strong on the research side. This means that we work with industry a lot, particularly the European Space Agency, carrying out research projects. Employment prospects within the UK space industry, and internationally, are really good for Kingston University students.

"Kingston is a 20-minute train journey away from London if you want to see the busier side of life. Equally, you can go and lose yourself in Richmond Park for a couple of hours. It is really lovely."

"I chose Kingston because I originally wanted to go into the aerospace industry - working on planes – but I also always had a thing for space. I was almost going to do astrophysics at one point, but I didn't want to spend my life just doing theory and research - I am more of a hands-on person. So when I came across the aerospace engineering with astronautics degree at Kingston, I thought - well, that's the perfect course!

"I was a bit torn between the other universities, but I am really glad I picked Kingston. The lecturers always go into great detail about everything. They don't leave any stone uncovered and make sure everyone understands.

"London was a big attraction for me to come here. Kingston is one of the nicer areas of London - because it's on the outskirts, it's not 'London in your face'. It's like a haven."

"I chose to come to Kingston because I didn't want to focus just on the space science side of things - I wanted to look more at space in general and how to make things happen within the space industry. Kingston was the only place that actively advertised astronautics as being a part of the course.

"Coming from a purely theoretical background with A-levels in physics, maths and biology, the course gave me a good practical introduction to spaceflight engineering. At the same time, I wouldn't say that my favourite part of the course was anything practical - I actually do enjoy the theoretical part.

"As we have progressed into the second year, we've started to study astronautics, orbital mechanics, space vehicle design and subjects like that. During lectures, you don't just have a lecturer standing at the front saying what they want you to hear with everyone going away and doing their own thing. Because it is such a small group, you instead have quite a lot of personal interaction with the lecturers.

"KUSEDS (the Space Society for Students) is a good way to get a link between your studies and the industry. We have quite a few people coming into the department who are active within the space industry, both lecturers and professionals from external companies.

"The International Space University does masters programmes and summer session programmes. Coming from Kingston University, you get a 50% reduction on your fees."

"The facilities here are good. The University has just got a new flight simulator, which looks really impressive. Everything you learn in the classroom is backed up with hands-on experience."

"I have done quite a lot of practical work during my time here. This year has been more theoretical, but next year I am hoping to get back in the labs again to do my final year project and get my hands dirty – I like that."