Overview
Ranked 2nd in London for early career progression in Aerospace Engineering by The Guardian University Guide 2025.
Our Aerospace Engineering MEng degree is an exciting, hands-on specialist course that has been developed to equip you with advanced knowledge and management skills to meet the real world needs of the global aerospace industry.
You will be introduced to fundamental engineering subjects such as structures, materials, fluids, and maths, and gain skills in technical drawing. You’ll then learn about the principles of aircraft design and progress to specialist subjects such as propulsion systems, and flight testing and analysis. Then you move on to higher-level topics including advanced aerodynamics, space mechanics, and the design and analysis of aircraft and spacecraft systems. You will also acquire specialist knowledge on current aerospace engineering topics concerning flight safety, environmental impact, and fuel efficiency.
You’ll have access to a range of technical facilities including our aerospace/aviation laboratory, full-motion engineering flight simulator, supersonic and subsonic wind tunnels, materials and structure testing laboratory, anechoic chamber for aero-acoustic experiments, and 3D printing in the digital fabrication workshop. Industry standard specialist software for aircraft design is available for you to use 24 hours a day in high-performance computing clusters.
During your time at Brunel, you will benefit from guest lectures delivered by industry professionals who present a valuable insight into current, challenging topics in the field of aerospace. There are also planned visits to engineering and manufacturing companies where you’ll see first-hand the latest breakthroughs in development and technology for future aerospace systems. In addition, you have the advantage of Brunel’s close location to London’s Heathrow Airport for site visits as well as project opportunities, and placement and employment options.
At the end of each academic year, engineering and maths students are invited to showcase their project work at Brunel Engineers +, an event that both celebrates their achievements and gives them the chance to network with industry figures and employers. This video shows some of the projects exhibited at the 2024 Brunel Engineers + event, with explanations by the students themselves.
Our MEng aerospace engineering course is accredited by both the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). (NB: we are seeking accreditation for the with-placement route). These professional bodies ensure that your engineering degree meets the academic requirement to qualify as a professional engineer. This accredited MEng degree in aerospace engineering can be studied full-time over four years, or five years with a placement year. The MEng degree fully meets the educational requirement to fast track you to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
We encourage the placement year option. This time in industry helps you to further prepare for the world of work and you’ll have a year’s worth of invaluable professional experience when you graduate. If you decide to go on an engineering placement year, you will have the opportunity to work in the aerospace engineering sector.
Brunel Engineers is an annual exhibition that showcases our engineering talent at its finest. It’s a great way for you to network with leading aerospace engineering experts and show them the innovative, creative and enterprising work you have produced during your time at Brunel.
As an extracurricular activity, there is also the opportunity to be part of a student-led initiative involving the design and build of an unmanned aircraft vehicle and participating in the IMechE industry-sponsored UAS Challenge (Unmanned Aircraft Systems Challenge).
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
Course delivery is a well-balanced combination of theory and practical sessions. In your first two years, you will gain solid knowledge and understanding of key aerospace engineering principles. You’ll also develop your reflective skills and professional development planning through the professional engineering practice module. In later years, you move on to specialist topics such as propulsion systems, flight testing, advanced aerodynamics, space mechanics, and the design and analysis of aircraft and spacecraft systems. There is also a choice of optional modules, either fluids or solids, depending on your area of interest. You will work on your industry-relevant individual research project in your third year and your major group project in your MEng final year.
Compulsory
Compulsory
Compulsory
Compulsory
Optional
This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.
This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Careers and your future
An aerospace engineering degree from Brunel will equip you with innovative technical knowledge and transferable skills relevant to demanding careers in the aerospace, aeronautical and related industries.
Our MEng students often have several job offers before they graduate and find themselves in the enviable position of cherry-picking their prospective careers. They take up employment in fields such as aircraft and components design and manufacture, maintenance and testing, flight simulation, aviation, avionics and patent engineering.
Brunel’s high-calibre graduates are working for prestigious organisations, including: Rolls-Royce, Airbus, British Airways, BAE Systems, GE Aviation, Thales, Bombardier, Lockheed Martin and the Ministry of Defence. Opting for the year in industry during your aerospace engineering degree often leads to a job offer from your placement company.
UK entry requirements
If your qualification isn't listed above, please contact the Admissions Office by emailing admissions@brunel.ac.uk or call +44 (0)1895 265265 to check whether it's accepted and to find out what a typical offer might be.
Brunel's committed to raising the aspirations of our applicants and students. We'll fully review your UCAS application and, where we’re able to offer a place, this will be personalised to you based on your application and education journey.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants, as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.
Fees and funding
Fees quoted are per year and may be subject to an annual increase. Home undergraduate student fees are regulated and are currently capped at £9,535 per year; any changes will be subject to changes in government policy.
For the 2026/27 academic year, tuition fees for home students will be £9,790, subject to Parliamentary approval.
In England and Wales, tuition fees for home undergraduate students are subject to the Government fee cap. The Government has confirmed that this will be £9,790 for 2026/27 and £10,050 for 2027/28 (subject to Parliamentary approval).
From 2028 onwards, the fee cap is expected to rise annually in line with inflation. This means your tuition fees in future years may increase to reflect these changes.
International fees may change annually, by no more than 5% or RPI (Retail Price Index), whichever is the greater.
More information on any additional course-related costs.
See our fees and funding page for full details of undergraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Please refer to the scholarships pages to view discounts available to eligible EU undergraduate applicants.
Teaching and learning
First Year Students
The Engineering Year 1 is common to all disciplines during term 1 (Chemical; Civil; Electronic and Electrical; Mechanical; Automotive and Aerospace Engineering), providing a broad educational base and opportunities for cross-disciplinary study. While much of the teaching will remain common to all disciplines during term 2, there will also be some opportunity for discipline-specific teaching activities.
Lectures
Lectures will be delivered using a variety of different methods. Some will be delivered live online or in-person on-campus, while others will be pre-recorded and made available online for you to access prior to engaging in interactive in-person tutorials or seminars on campus. Some on-campus live lectures will be simultaneously livestreamed; all live lectures, whether delivered online or on-campus, will be recorded and made available for you to review after each lecture has taken place.
Tutorials
All lecture-based modules will be supported by regular (in most cases, weekly) tutorials or seminars that will all be held on campus, allowing you to work with both staff and other students on the practical application of what has been discussed during lectures.
Laboratory classes
Laboratory classes will be held on campus. Students will have the opportunity to perform experiments and carry out other hands-on practical activities in the engineering labs and workshop spaces. Small group project work will also be carried out in person on campus, supported by regular on-campus interactive discussion sessions (workshops).
You'll need to come onto campus on most days to participate in all the teaching activities that make up the Engineering Year 1.
The University’s online digital assessment platform will be used for the submission of written course work. All examinations will take place in person on campus. Other forms of assessment, such as presentations, are also expected to be run on campus.
All other undergraduate students (year 2, 3 and MEng year)
To ensure you receive the maximum support and have the greatest opportunity to reach your full potential; the expectation is that you enrolled on these programmes and attend in-person all teaching activities including examinations that are scheduled on campus. This will be the majority of all activities. However, where for pedagogical reasons alternative methods of delivery are used for activities; you'll be notified and be expected to engage with the activity at the time of delivery.
Laboratory Support
- For modules with practical learning content, these will be delivered in-person on campus in the laboratories.
Assessment
- Traditional examinations will be taken in-person on campus.
Access to specialist software
- You'll have access to relevant engineering software on campus. You're also able to install software on your own personal laptops and connect to the Brunel License server through a VPN connection. This provides continued access to all services.
Contingency
If for any reason there are access restrictions imposed on staff or students, alternative arrangements will be made and due notice given.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
Our aerospace engineering degrees are delivered by world-renowned academic staff. They are also researchers, collaborating with commercial organisations like aircraft manufacturers. This means they feed their cutting edge research back into the course. There will also be guest lectures from industry experts and aerospace engineering site visits.
There are opportunities to study abroad during your second year, either in Europe or at University of Iowa in the USA.
Study will combine lectures, tutorials and seminars, laboratory work, computer simulation, field work, self-study, research reports and project work.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
Your progress will be assessed via assignments, presentations, technical and laboratory reports, group design and research projects, exams and your individual and major group projects.
Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.