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Aircraft Engineering

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C

Including Maths and Physics plus GCSE English.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H3

Including Maths and Physics, plus English at Ordinary Level

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B

Including Maths and Physics, and Nat5 English .

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

114

About this course


Course option

1year

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Aeronautical engineering

**OVERVIEW**
The MEng (Hons) Aircraft Engineering is a five year, integrated masters degree that has been designed in partnership with the aerospace industry, and will provide you with the skills required to work effectively in the aircraft design, manufacturing, aerodynamic and structural design and repair and overhaul sectors. 

Aircraft engineers are responsible for the safety of thousands of air passengers every year. They play a critical role in the design and certification of an airworthy aircraft in accordance with aviation standards. 

Our strong partnership with aerospace industry employers helped in the development of the course content, and this course includes visits to organisations such as Spirit AeroSystems and British Airways. A number of final year projects are also undertaken in collaboration with industry.

**PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION**
Professional accreditation is being sought for MEng (Hons) Aircraft Engineering from both Institution of Mechanical Engineering and Royal Aeronautical Society in due course.

**CAREER PROSPECTS**
This degree has been designed to meet the needs of southwest Scotland’s aerospace cluster, which includes BAE Systems, Spirit AeroSystems, UTC Aerospace Systems and Ryanair. However, the skills you’ll develop are appropriate for range of careers in the UK and international industries too.

**Jobs**
A shortage of aircraft engineers ensures that your skills will be in demand by aerospace companies locally, nationally and internationally, allowing you to take on roles in design, manufacture or maintenance. Career opportunities include junior management and aircraft technician roles, as well as structural aircraft design and maintenance.

As an Aircraft Engineering graduate you’ll have the wide-ranging skills to take on roles in design, research, development, manufacture or maintenance in management, technician, maintenance and design roles.

**Further Study**
Completing the MEng (Hons) will allow progression to a specialist taught master's degree or a research degree (MPhil/PhD). Some of our graduates have even progressed to undertake a one-year teaching qualification (PGDE/QTS).

Modules

Throughout the course, a variety of topics will be covered which include the design of aerospace structures and systems, strength of materials, vibration theory, thermofluids, materials and manufacturing technology. The formal engineering design process and how it relates to aircraft engineering practice is introduced; as well as computer-aided design and information technology related techniques. You’ll also study project and business management to ensure you’re equipped with the management skills required for a demanding and rewarding engineering career. Check the 'Course Details' section on the course entry on the UWS website for more information on topics covered per year.

Assessment methods

A variety of assessment approaches are utilised throughout the course such as examination, written coursework, portfolio and presentations.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£18,000
per year
International
£18,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships

The Uni


Course location:

Paisley Campus

Department:

Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

81%
Aeronautical engineering

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Aeronautical and aerospace engineering

Teaching and learning

71%
Staff make the subject interesting
90%
Staff are good at explaining things
90%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
67%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

62%
Library resources
62%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
76%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

89%
UK students
11%
International students
90%
Male students
10%
Female students
74%
2:1 or above
30%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
D
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Aeronautical and aerospace engineering

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£23,808
low
Average annual salary
90%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

50%
Engineering professionals
11%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
9%
Science, engineering and production technicians

Just over a thousand UK graduates got a degree in aerospace engineering in 2015. There are a few dedicated employers, unevenly spread around the country, and so there's often competition for graduates looking for their first job - which leads to a relatively high (although improving) early unemployment rate, and a good grade is particularly important for graduates. Sponsorship and work experience can be key if you're after the most sought-after roles in the industry. Starting salaries are usually good and graduates commonly go into the aerospace (yes, this does include manufacture of equipment for satellites and space operations) and defence industries. Bear in mind that a lot of courses are four years long, and lead to an MEng qualification — this is necessary if you want to become a Chartered Engineer.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Aeronautical and aerospace engineering

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£26k

£26k

£27k

£27k

£32k

£32k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here