Aerospace Engineering MSc

About the Course

This specialist course has been developed to equip graduate engineers with the skills required of a highly demanding aerospace industry. Students will be actively involved in learning such topics as: aircraft design; advanced aerodynamics; space mechanics; spacecraft design; propulsion systems; and the role of flight simulation in aerospace.

Current Aerospace/Aeronautics Engineering students to build and fly a Microlight aircraft.

See what the students have said about this course.

Aims

This specialist MSc course has been developed to equip graduate engineers with the skills required of a highly demanding aerospace industry. Over 12 months, students of this course will be actively involved in learning such topics as: aircraft design; advanced aerodynamics; space mechanics; spacecraft design; propulsion systems; and the role of flight simulation in aerospace.

These taught modules are balanced with practical and challenging individual and group aerospace project work. Such projects may include, for example: the design, fabrication and testing of a scale aircraft; computational fluid dynamics and structural analysis modelling of a critical aerospace component; flight performance evaluation using a flight simulator.

Although the course has a distinct specialist and technical flavour, the MSc also seeks to provide graduates with a raft of non-technical skills to enable them to realise their professional potential to its fullest. To this end, the course provides modules that cover topics in strategic management, enterprise, research and innovation, as well as exploring issues that are of special importance to the future of the aerospace industry, such as safety, security, and sustainability.

Enquiries

Initial enquiries to:

Marketing and Recruitment Officer
School of Engineering and Design
Email sed-pg-admissions@brunel.ac.uk
Tel +44 (0)1895 265814 or 266633

Course Director: Dr Cristinel Mares

Related Courses

• Engineering Management MSc
• Automotive and Motorsport Engineering MSc
• Building Services Engineering MSc

Special Features

Mechanical Engineering at Brunel is one of the top Mechanical Engineering subject areas in the UK and was rated 5 in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. Furthermore, the Guardian league table, April 2005, placed Mechanical Engineering at Brunel as tenth in the UK. Postgraduate students can therefore expect to benefit from an experienced and supportive teaching base whilst having the opportunity to thrive in a dynamic and high-profile research environment.

Accreditation

Aerospace Engineering is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE). This will provide a route to Chartered Engineer status in the UK.

Course Content

The MSc aerospace engineering course consists of five taught modules, a group project, and an individual project and dissertation. The taught modules are:

Design and Analysis of Aerospace Vehicles

• Part A – Aerospace Vehicles
  Introduction to spacecraft design: types, roles, systems, operating environment; Introduction to helicopter design: configurations, roles, design problems, operating environment, sizing and performance estimation; other aerospace vehicles: UAVs, MAVs, GEVs, spaceplanes, microlights, parachutes.
• Part B – Aircraft design and systems analysis
  Fixed-wing aircraft conceptual design, parametric studies, preliminary design, detailed design. Airframe structure, aerodynamics, propulsion, use of materials, and mission requirements. Aircraft cost, aircraft reliability and maintainability predictions. Use of aircraft design data and design formulae. Application of specialist performance analysis software to the conceptual aircraft design process.

Advanced Aerodynamics, Propulsion Systems, and Space Mechanics

Incompressible flow over airfoil and finite wings: Classical airfoil theory, vortex panel numerical method, Biot-Savart law, Helmholtz's theorem, Prantdl's classical lifting-line theory, lifting-surface theory, vortex lattice numerical method, the delta wing. Compressible flow: flow about bodies and shock formation, compressible flow relations, flow through nozzles, shock interactions and reflections, hypersonic flows.

Application of numerical codes: CFD, Euler solvers. Spacecraft trajectories. Multistage rockets. Escape velocity. Elliptical and circular orbits. Orbital manoeuvres. Atmospheric re-entry and atmospheric heating. Axial aircraft compressors. Radial equilibrium theory for axial machines. Axial aircraft turbines. Aircraft combustion chamber design. Ramjet.

Current and Specialist Topics in Aerospace: Environment, Safety and Flight Simulation

Airport design, air traffic control and management; aircraft and airport security; safety measures in aircraft; environmental pollution and noise; history and statistics of air accidents; passenger and luggage handling; catering services; role of flight simulators; future for aerospace industry and air traffic growth.

Strategic Management and Enterprise

• Financial ownership issues: financial implications, sources of finance, raising capital, venture finance, merchant banks, mergers, take-overs, business restructuring.
• Human resources management: key theories of motivation in workplace, leadership, incentivisation, managing a unionised workforce, employment legislation in UK, EU and worldwide. Organisation of a business: organisation theory, organisational strategy and culture, integration of functions, forces for change and continuous improvement.
• Marketing concept: Customer orientation; market segmentation and analysis
• Ethical business: Moral codes; legal frameworks; industry regulations; local and global trade. Marketing Communications: market research, marketing mix, branding, advertising and sponsorship.

Research Methodology and Innovation

Practical research issues: research processes and strategies; researcher/supervisor roles and relationships; writing, communicating and disseminating research; principles of good research practice. Information retrieval: objectives; sampling methods; data analysis; when and how to apply statistics; statistical methods; preparing and sorting data; parametric and non-parametric tests; computer software for statistical analysis.
Risk management: Risk analysis and decision support, financial indicators;
Innovation: Brainstorming, value engineering, intellectual property protection.

Group Project

Students work nominally in groups of five or six to prepare a novel design for a particular engineering system or product. They will be required to work from an initial design brief to produce the product design specification and the necessary planning and management strategies. Using these procedures students will learn and apply the techniques and skills necessary to carry out the design of a multidisciplinary or cross-disciplinary system or product. As part of the outcome of this work they will be required to produce a final technical specification including cost justification. They will also be expected to provide performance justification, the specification of appropriate manufacturing techniques and provision for accommodating environmental effects.

Dissertation

Students will work independently on a project within given resources and time constraints. Students often choose project topics from a list provided by the module co-ordinator or after having discussions with academic members of staff. Some projects may be part of the research activities undertaken by various research groups within the school. Some project topics may be initiated by organisations external to Brunel though supervision from within Brunel is necessary in all cases. The nature of projects may be predominantly design, experimental, computing and/or analysis, or sometimes a critical literature survey. Many projects combine several of these aspects. 

Assessment

Modules are taught over eight months (from October to May) and are assessed by a balanced combination of examination and assignment.

For the final four months (June to September), students will conduct an individual project and prepare a dissertation, allowing the opportunity to undertake original research relating to the aerospace engineering field.

The group project is conducted throughout the year and is assessed by means of project logbooks, oral presentations and final project reports.

Careers

Aerospace engineering is currently one of the key areas where there is significant industry demand to recruit well qualified engineers. This demand exists especially in the UK, but also in other European countries. Brunel's MSc Aerospace Engineering course aims to prepare students with the knowledge and skills to fulfil this burgeoning industrial demand. Roles within the aerospace industry might include working in a broad range of areas including strategic management, enterprise, research and innovation, specifically research in safety, security, and sustainability which are of special importance to the future of the aerospace industry.

Fees for 2013/14 entry

UK/EU students: £5,800 full-time

International students: £15,000 full-time

Read about funding opportunities available to postgraduate students

Fees quoted are per annum and are subject to an annual increase.

Entry Requirements

A UK first or second class Honours degree or equivalent internationally recognised qualification usually in engineering; science; technology; or a related discipline. Other qualifications and relevant experience will be assessed on an individual basis. 

English Language Requirements

Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accept a range of other language courses. We also have a range of Pre-sessional English language courses, for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English.