Aeronautical Engineering

The Department of Aeronautics offers a standard MEng in Aeronautical Engineering and two separate streams:

• MEng Aeronautical Engineering with a Year Abroad
• MEng Aeronautical Engineering with a Year in Industry

All students follow a common programme of study for the first two years. After this, students on target to achieve a 1st by the end of the second year (for placements in the USA or Singapore), or a minimum of a 2:1 for placements in Europe, may apply to transfer to our Year Abroad stream. Students on target to achieve a minimum of a 2:1, who have organised a suitable industry placement, may transfer to our Year in Industry study stream.

The first year provides a solid introduction to broad-based physical and engineering subjects. 

We introduce more specialised aeronautical material, such as aerodynamics and the mechanics of flight, from year two onwards. This includes the opportunity for all second years to attend a flight testing course at Cranfield University.

The first two years also include management modules and a variety of non-technical modules through the Imperial Horizons programme.

If you remain on the standard programme, you will study four core modules and a large selection of optional modules in the third year. The optional modules are varied and diverse, including subjects such as:

• Helicopter dynamics
• Innovation management
• Aircraft systems engineering and unmanned vehicle technologies
• Project management

You will also take part in a six-week design project at the end of the third year in which you replicate a real design office in either an aircraft company or a Formula One racing team. You will go through all the main stages in the design of a new vehicle, including aerodynamic profiling, structural design, engine sizing and autopilot synthesis. You will choose your role in the team according to your own preferences. 

In the fourth year, you continue to study a mixture of core and optional courses and a four-month individual project.

Course structure

Year 1

• Introduction to Aerodynamics
• Aircraft Performance
• Properties of Materials
• Mathematics
• Mechanics
• Introduction to Structural Analysis
• Thermodynamics
• Engineering Ethics
• Management and Business for Aeronautical Engineers

Coursework

• Computing
• Engineering Design and CAD (including Applications)
• Laboratories
• Subject tutorials

Year 2

• Aerodynamics
• Curcuits, Signals and Systems
• Materials
• Mathematics
• Mechanics of flight
• Propulsion and Turbomachinery
• Structural Mechanics and Dynamics
• Technology, Business and the Market for Aeronautical Engineers

Coursework

• Numerical Analysis
• Manufacturing Processes (including Applications)
• Laboratories
• Subject tutorials

You also have the opportunity to attend a flight testing course at Cranfield University.

Year 3

Compulsory modules

• Aircraft Aerodynamics
• Control Systems
• Finite Element
• Aircraft Structures
• Aerospace Vehicle Design
• Airframe Design
• Experimental Methods (5 Labs)
• Applications Exercise
• Group Design Project

Optional modules

The following list of modules are those currently available; the selection may be altered in the future to accommodate new modules.

• Advanced Mechanics of Flight
• Materials Modelling
• Mathematics
• Helicopter Dynamics
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Advanced Propulsion
• Design of Experiments
• Separated Flows and Fluid-Structure Interaction
• UAV and MAV Systems
• Design Leg Innovation & New Venture Creation
• Innovation Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance and Financial Management
• Project Management
• Humanities Language or Non-Language options (available through Imperial Horizons)

Year 4

Compulsory modules (includes subject tutorials)

• Structural Dynamics
• Wing Design
• Four-month individual Research Project and Laboratory Work: this may be in the Department, in industry, at a research establishment or in a university either in the UK or overseas

Optional modules (includes subject tutorials)

The following list of courses are those currently available; the selection may be altered to accommodate new courses.

• Advanced Mechanics of Flight
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Materials Modelling
• Helicopter Dynamics
• Applications of Fluid Dynamics
• Entrepreneurship
• Innovation Management
• Emerging Technologies for Green Aviation
• Design Led Innovation and New Venture Creation
• Humanities Language options (available through Imperial Horizons)

Minimum entry requirements.

A-Level:

A* grades in Mathematics and Physics plus a A grade in a third A2 level subject excluding General Studies.  Further Maths is preferred as the third A level.

International Baccalaureate:

40 points overall with 18 points in three Higher Level subjects including 7 in Mathematics and 7 in Physics.

European Baccalaureate:

85% overall with 8.5 points in Mathematics and Physics.

French Baccalaureate:

"Mention Tres Bien" with Mathematics and Physics both at grade 16.

German Abitur:

1.5 overall with Mathematics and Physics both at grade 15.

Irish Leaving Certificate:

Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at grade A and Physics at grade A, all at Higher Level.

Scottish Qualifications:

Advanced Highers in Mathematics and Physics at grade A1 plus a third subject at grade A.

USA Qualifications:

Advanced Placement in Calculus BC and Physics at grade 5 plus two further AP qualifications at grade 5.

Spanish Qualifications (Titulo de Bachillerato):

9 overall with Mathematics and Physics both at 9.

Italian Qualifications (Diploma di Esame di Stato):

95 overall with Mathematics at 9.6 and Physics at 9.6.

Romanian Baccalaureate:

9.6 overall with Mathematics at 9.6 and Physics at 9.6.

Polish New Matura:

91% in all subjects.

*In addition, College English Language Requirements apply to both the H401 and H410 courses.
For the H410 course a minimum of grade B at GCSE in French or German is also required.

If your UCAS application indicates that you are likely to satisfy the requirements you will be invited to visit the Department.

The visit will include an interview with an academic staff member during which we will aim to explore your interest in the subject and your motivation to study aeronautics. You will also take a mathematics test, which is designed to evaluate your mathematical and problem-solving skills.

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

There are no Aeronautics Department scholarships or bursaries to support undergraduate study.

The Royal Aeronautical Society provides scholarships to students showing a keen interest in the field of aerospace, whom require financial help with their tuition fees. They do require that applicants have already studied at least two years in the area: as such they only provide scholarships to final year undergraduate students and to postgraduate students. There are no nationality restrictions, however,membership of the Royal Aeronautical Society is a condition of entry. Please note that the Department of Aeronautics does not deal with the administration nor have we any further information on any of the scholarships.

Mechanical Engineering Scholarships

1 x IMechE "AMEC" Undergraduate Scholarship

1 x IMechE "Land Rover Spen King Sustainability Award"

These scholarships offer mechanical engineering undergraduates up to £8,000 for their studies.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS 30 JUNE EACH YEAR

Imperial offers a number of undergraduate scholarships to those who are academically excellent and/or from lower income families.

 Apply for MEng Aeronautical Engineering with a year in Industry you spend the year between the third and fourth year, undertaking a placement in industry (typically with a Formula One racing team or with an aircraft manufacturer). You will be responsible for organising your own placement, though the Department has strong links with industry and can offer advice on companies to approach.

After completing the year in industry, you return to Imperial for your fourth and final year. During this year you continue to study a mixture of core and optional courses and undertake a four-month individual project.

Undergraduate Prizes

Awards for Excellence
Awarded to top three students in each year.
First Year 
Gold Award £100, Silver Award £50, Bronze £25 - Sponsored by the Department.
Second Year 
Gold Award £100, Silver Award £50, Bronze £25 - Sponsored by the Department
Third Year 
Gold Award £200 sponsored by Frazer-Nash Consultancy.
Silver Award £50, Bronze £25 sponsored by the Department

Departmental Applications Exercise Prizes (Book tokens for Yrs 1 and 2 and Quadcopters for Yr 3)Various prizes awarded annually in each of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year applications exercises.

Aeronautics Student Centenary Prize (£100 each)
Awarded to students with top mark in each of the four Group Design Projects (3rd Year).

Fourth Year Project Merit (Computational) Prize (£100)
Sponsored by the Department

Fourth Year Project Merit (Experimental) Prize (£100)
Sponsored by the Department

Fourth Year Project Merit (Industrial) Prize (£100)
Sponsored by the Department

Head of Department Exceptional Achievement Award (£100)
Sponsored by the Department

Best Contribution to Student Experience Award (£100)
Sponsored by the Department

Finsbury Medal (£100 + Medal)
Awarded annually to the final year undergraduate student of greatest merit in Aeronautical Engineering.

Royal Aeronautical Society Prize (£100)
Awarded annually by the Royal Aeronautical Society for final year student recommended by Head of Department for excellence in Aeronautical Engineering.

Governor’s Prize (£100)
Awarded annually to the student of greatest merit in the final undergraduate year in the Department of Aeronautics.
 

BAE Systems Prize (£100)
Awarded annually to a final year MEng student for the best all–round performance in Aeronautical 
Engineering.
 

Royal Academy of Engineering New Graduate Engineering Prize
No simple citation, but is open to UK citizens graduating on an accredited course and there should be evidence of “commitment to an engineering career and a breadth of interests beyond the purely 
academic”. 

Accommodation Awards
For the past two years the Old Centralians have made 2 Accommodation Bursary awards available to the department. These are of the order of £700 and are intended to be used to support non-academic student activities that present the College in a positive light. Typically this might include sporting activity, social work or College union work. If you wish to apply for one of these can you submit an application to the Senior Tutor with a letter making out your case for support before the end of Spring term for consideration by the Old Centralians during the summer.