MEng Aerospace Engineering with Industrial Experience

Engineering design is about the application of knowledge, skills and understanding to the solution of open ended problems. These problems have the attribute that they may be precisely defined yet there may be many different valid solutions available. Within education provides a context for integration and demonstration of learning across a broad range of topics. Design is about doing, not just knowing, and understanding of how systems and products are designed is an essential attribute of a professional engineer.

 

This unit aims to enable masters level students develop and demonstrate a range of professional engineering skills through participation in a multidisciplinary group design exercise.

The detailed design requirement varies each year; however the general topic area is currently based around development of an autonomous fixed wing Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) system.

Students will develop different specialist skills and knowledge depending on the specialist role(s) they take on in their group. The available roles are: Chief engineer, Project Manager, Structures, Structures and materials, Aerodynamics, Flight dynamics/stability and control, Propulsion, Avionics and systems, Modelling and simulation, Test pilot. All roles have design process as a core part of their remit and this provides a framework to guide the revision or acquisition of technical knowledge in the chosen specialist role. The group work nature of the unit means that whilst individuals have assigned roles it is expected that the broad learning outcomes related to design are covered by all students. However it is also expected that students develop understanding in specialist areas aside from their own through the necessary day to day interaction with other team members.

 At the end of the unit, it is expected that students will be able to

1. Demonstrate the ability to contribute effectively in a multidisciplinary team environment
2. Demonstrate an advanced level of learning within a specific area of design
3. Understand how value is added through the process of design and how this value can be communicated to customers through demonstration
4. Understand the importance of validation within the design process and the value of practical testing
5. Reflect on personal performance and demonstrate the ability to learn effectively from experience

The second semester of this unit involves students designing an aircraft for a selected application. An initial challenge is to select an application, and then derive appropriate design requirements that meet the application, and thus provide a framework for the design challenge.
This unit is integrative by nature, requiring students to draw technical knowledge from a number of disciplines. The unit has a strong practical element, so emphasis is placed on the application of theoretical knowledge to solving a real-world problem - design, manufacture and test-flight of an aircraft.
In parallel, the unit aims to allow students to apply and develop methods of team working and project management, including time, risk and budget management, in the context of a real engineering project.

The unit emulates engineering with an industrial setting. This includes being allocated teams to work in, and the management of key  resources: an allocated budget, manufacturing time, access to industrial and academic experts, and available laboratory time for fabrication. The assessments are designed to complement those expected within engineering industries - live test demonstration, a trade-show presentation, and a technical report, are all used within this semester.

While semester 1 focuses largely on skills development, semester 2 introduces the practice of design requirements analysis and also gives each group the opportunity to select an application for their aircraft. The scope of applications is outlined as being those which 'bring a positive benefit to society' and are therefore aligned to the University goal of Social Responsibility.

The unit helps to prepare students to solve a range of practical engineering problems that they are likely to face in industry. In particular, problems that require practical prototyping and design iteration are well captured by the structure of this unit. In addition, the incorporation of formal design requirements analysis will be a skill that students can take onto tackling a range of complex design challenges in a logical fashion.

 

Other - online quiz

Online quiz - Marks and model answers to questions are released within 1 week

Oral presentation - Oral feedback immediately after presentation, and written comprehensive feedback to groups is provided within 2 weeks

Poster - Written feedback to groups is provided within 2 weeks

Practical demonstration - Oral feedback immediately after demo, and written comprehensive feedback to groups is provided within 2 weeks

Written report - Individual written feedback within 2 weeks of submission

 

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2027 will be £10,050 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £37,500 per annum.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

The University of Manchester is committed to attracting and supporting the very best students. We have a focus on nurturing talent and ability and we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to study here, regardless of your financial circumstances.

For more information about fees and funding, please see our undergraduate fees pages or visit the scholarships and bursaries page.