Aeronautics is a fascinating and challenging subject that provides you with a in-depth study of aircraft and their systems. These courses cover everything from materials science to engine testing, and will give you the scientific basis, technical capability and business skills needed to launch your engineering career.

A aeronautical and engineering degree will give you commercial and industrial insight, and prepare you for a wide range of careers in areas such as; manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, maintenance or process industries. It is a unique opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the most advanced methods and techniques involved in specific fields of aeronautical engineering.

Students will be able to analyse and understand aircraft behaviour, predict its performance, understand its propulsion systems and begin to perform detailed designs of aircraft structural components. Courses are reviewed regularly to ensure they respond to the priority needs of the industry and engineering market place.

The degree also helps to develop those transferable skills that employers seek, such as oral and written communication, team working, analytical abilities and time management, all of which provide a sound basis for employment in the aerospace industry.

The broad content taught means that successful graduates have multiple career options in both aerospace and other engineering industries.

Aeronautical engineering degree course overview

Classes are taught through a range of lectures, tutorials and hands-on laboratory/workshop sessions. The theory side of the course is delivered in a series of lectures and the practical part involves laboratory work designed to demonstrate and reinforce the knowledge gained in the lectures. You’ll get plenty of hands-on experience with projects in areas such as; aircraft design, combustion modelling and computer aided design, on top of this there will be opportunities for industrial placements. In addition to academic teaching, you will take work-based modules that will give you hands-on experience of aircraft component and equipment replacement, condition monitoring, inspection, and fault diagnosis and rectification.

On many courses tuition is provided by experienced engineering staff who have worked in and have vast practical knowledge of their own particular aeronautical disciplines.

Typical course modules and areas of study on a aeronautical engineering Degree 

  • Mechanical engineering
  • Aircraft structures
  • Electrical and electronic engineering
  • Materials engineering
  • Aerodynamics
  • Aircraft systems
  • Flight dynamics
  • Avionics
  • Propulsion systems
  • Mathematics
  • Applied mechanics
  • Dynamics,
  • Fluid dynamics
  • Thermodynamics
  • Electronics
  • Aircraft Maintenance
  • Aircraft Materials and Hardware
  • Engineering Fundamentals
  • Manufacturing Methods

Students will learn about

  • How flight is possible.
  • How aircraft are designed, constructed and powered.
  • Satellites and space systems
  • Composite materials
  • Advanced turbo-machinery
  • Aircraft handling qualities
  • Aircraft operations
  • Advanced structural analysis techniques
  • Helicopter theory
  • Engine monitoring and ground operation
  • Propeller maintenance
  • The principles of efficiency, safety and sustainability
  • Product design
  • The mechanical processes and the metals and alloys used in aircraft
  • Fatigue analysis
  • Weight distribution

Students will learn how to

  • Sign off aircraft as fit to fly.
  • Civil aviation laws and regulations.
  • Determine the aerodynamic loads used by structural engineers.
  • Determine safety margins for aircraft.
  • Co-ordinate work flow and work with other engineers to solve technical problems.
  • Use computer-aided design (CAD) applications to translate specific design specifications into drawings and standards for performance.

Aeronautical engineering personal statement

Below is a aeronautical engineering personal statement written by one of our writers. You can use this example to gain an idea of how to structure and put together your own one. You are strongly advised not to copy or plagiarise it, instead use it as a resource to inspire your own creative writing.

Aeronautical engineering personal statement example

“Studying for this degree is a passport for me into a career that is beyond the conventional and one that will literally help me reach for the sky. To me aeronautics is a vast global industry that has not only shrunk the planet but also brought immense social and economic benefits to mankind. I have always had a passion for flights and engineering, and in my opinion this is one of the most diverse, technically advanced, challenging and exciting industries to be in.

The benefits of having a aeronautical degree cannot be over emphasised, apart from providing a sound basis for employment, it is a subject that will help me to turn my ideas into reality through the principles of science and technology. The aerospace industry provides an excellent environment for innovation, superb career opportunities in both the technical and managerial sectors. Courses will produce multi-skilled graduates with technical command and management potential, abilities that are essential for today’s engineer and tomorrow´s business leader. In my opinion there are very few industries like this which can attract the most talented individuals, and which offer such varied and rewarding career opportunities that involve leading-edge technology.

I consider myself to be a intelligent individual, excellent team player, keen on challenges, self-motivated, innovative and a lateral thinker. I possess the capacity for highly technical and analytical thinking, and am a proven technical problem solver, with the ability to analyse, interpret and evaluate data as well as come up with new ideas. I possess superb self management skills which allow me to work effectively on my own or as part of a group. Having an aptitude for mathematics and science, with an inquiring, creative and inventive mind and a capacity for details. I also have superb oral and written communication skills along the ability to explain complicated ideas in simple language for report writing or to express design plans to colleagues or technicians.

I found college a very enjoyable and stimulating learning experience in which I was able to build a solid knowledge base and prepare for the future in my chosen career. I studied engineering and related subjects at A level, and excelled by my own and my teachers expectations. By reading everything I could get my hands on, exchanging my thoughts and opinions with a serious and diverse group of students and having had a great deal of one to one interactions with my teachers, I was able to form a solid intellectual foundation and refine my views on many engineering issues.

I chose to apply to your university because it’s one of the best in the country for aeronautical engineering. I looked at several places before deciding on where I wanted to study and I now know that I have made the right decision. Your students have full access to advanced facilities and extensive resources for delivering aeronautical engineering, including; an aerospace workshop, flight simulator systems, subsonic wind tunnel and aerospace simulation and modelling software. The multidisciplinary approach you take, along with the flexibility you offer, makes your Aeronautical Engineering Degree unique amongst courses offered in the UK.

I think like most things in life you will only get out of it what you put in, if you are motivated and determined to succeed (like I am), then your university is more than equipped to assist me to get where I want to be.”

 

Other engineering degree courses
Civil engineering degree courses
Chemical engineering degree
Engineering degree courses
Mechanical engineering degree

More degrees
University courses

Personal statements
Personal statement examples

Student resources
Essay writing
Graduate internships
Introduction to graduate fasttrack schemes
Revision timetable
Revision tips
Student accommodation
Student loan company
Study skills
UCAS personal statement
University interview questions
University open days

Student CV examples
Student CV templates (over 30 free professional written examples)

More career resources
Aeronautical engineer CV template
Engineering CV template
Cover letter examples (over 50 expertly cover letter examples)
CV templates (over 300 free professionally written samples)