Astronautics and Space Engineering MSc

Why this course?

This master's degree is highly respected around the world, and many of our students obtain employment/research offers in the space sector before the course finishes. We encourage interaction between our students and potential employers at events such as the group design project industry presentation, dedicated interview days, and alumni conferences. In many space companies and agencies within Europe you will find our former graduates, some in very senior positions. Many of them continue to contribute to the course, forming a valuable network of contacts for those entering the industry and this course will equip you with the skills required to join them in a successful career in industry or research.

You will have the opportunity to fly during a Student Experience Flight in our National Flying Laboratory Centre’s (NFLC) light aircraft. This flight experience will complement your MSc studies, focussing on the effects of control, spatial disorientation and the effects of “G” forces. During the flight you will have the opportunity to take control of the aircraft. Each experience is 2 to 3 hours in duration and includes a pre-flight safety briefing outlining the details of the manoeuvres to be flown, a flight of approximately 1 hour, and a post-flight debrief.

This course is also available on a part-time basis for individuals who wish to study whilst remaining in full-time employment. Cranfield University is well located for part-time students from all over the world, and offers a range of support services for off-site students. This enables students from around the world to complete this qualification whilst balancing work/life commitments.

To study for a formal award at Cranfield you will need to demonstrate that you can communicate effectively in English in an academic environment. You can meet this requirement in the following ways:

• If you have previously obtained a higher education level qualification from a UK university and have been taught and assessed in English (note that international applicants applying for Master’s courses in Cranfield’s School of Management are required to have studied in the UK for the full duration of the course).
• If you are a national of or have a obtained a higher education level qualification from a country on the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) list of majority English speaking countries:
  
  

  Antigua and Barbuda	Ireland
  Australia	Jamaica
  The Bahamas	Malta
  Barbados	New Zealand
  Belize	St Kitts and Nevis
  Canada*	St Lucia
  Dominica	St Vincent and the Grenadines
  Grenada	Trinidad and Tobago
  Guyana	United States of America

  
  
  *You will usually be required take an English test if your studies were not taught and assessed in English.
• If you have been continuously employed in the UK for a minimum of five years immediately prior to the start of the course, providing you are able to supply a reference from your current employer which explicitly confirms you are able to communicate effectively in English.
• By providing a satisfactory English test certificate that meets the requirement of the course you have applied for.

Your career

Cranfield University is heavily supported by the space industry in the UK. Many of these companies provide case study lectures, concepts and thesis topics for the individual research projects, and some actively support the group design projects. They also provide a guide to the content of the course, so they are confident that Cranfield are training people with the industry skills employers require.

As a result, our graduates are regularly recruited by organisations including EADS Astrium, SSTL, Vega, ABSL, Tessella, OHB, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the European Space Agency in roles including Systems Engineer, Spacecraft Operations Engineer, Thermal Analyst and Space Robotics Engineer. We arrange company visits and interview days with key employers.

If your interests lie in research, many former students have gone on to pursue PhDs at Cranfield and other universities.