About this course
Learn to design helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and their avionic systems on our specialist integrated MEng Aeronautics and Astronautics / Airvehicle Systems Design course. You’ll study many advanced engineering, including the design and manufacture of fast-moving aircraft and spacecraft, before specialising on their systems, performance and optimisation requirements. This course is ideal for a career in air vehicle design.
Aeronautics and astronautics looks at the science, engineering and manufacture of aircraft and spacecraft, and how they operate within our atmosphere and in space.
You’ll study the general principles of aerospace engineering, then take more advanced modules specialising in advanced air vehicle systems and avionics systems design.
In Year 3 of this airvehicle systems design degree, you'll complete an individual research project and in Year 4 you’ll participate in a group design project.
You’ll get hands-on experience in our extensive facilities, which include:
- dedicated student design studios and workshops
- the largest wind tunnel in any UK university
- jet laboratory with supersonic ramjet, turbojet and rocket engine
- Boeing flight simulator
- state-of-the-art space propulsion facilities
- professional manufacturing centre
As part of this course you can:
- showcase your work in our annual Engineering Design Show
- attend site visits to experience engineering in practice
- apply your engineering knowledge to solve a real-world problem
Year in industry
Enhance your employability by taking this course with a paid industrial placement year.
Apply using:
- Course name: Aeronautics and Astronautics / Airvehicle Systems Design with Industrial Placement Year
- UCAS code: H41H
You'll spend this extra year at an engineering firm, applying the skills and knowledge you've learned so far.
The fee is 20% of the standard annual tuition fee.
As a research-led University we undertake a continuous review of our courses to ensure quality enhancement and to manage our resources. As a result, this course may be revised however, any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected. Find out why, when and how we might make changes.
Accreditations
This course is accredited by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) as meeting the academic requirement, in full, for Chartered Engineer registration.
This course is accredited by:
Learn more about this subject area
Course locations
This course is based at Highfield and Boldrewood.
Awarding body
This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.
Download the Course Description Document
The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.
Entry requirements
For Academic year 202425
A-levels
A*AA including mathematics (minimum grade A) and physics (minimum grade A), with a pass in the physics Practical (where it is separately endorsed).
A-levels additional information
A pass in the science Practical is required where it is separately endorsed. Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking. Applicants who have not studied mathematics and/or physics at A-level can apply for the Engineering/Physics/Mathematics Foundation Year
A-levels with Extended Project Qualification
If you are taking an EPQ in addition to 3 A levels, you will receive the following offer in addition to the standard A level offer: AAA including mathematics and physics, with a pass in the physics Practical (where it is separately endorsed) plus grade A in the EPQ
A-levels contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all applicants with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise an applicant's potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme, as follows: AAA or A*AB including mathematics (minimum grade A) and physics (minimum grade A), with a pass in the physics Practical (where it is separately endorsed).
International Baccalaureate Diploma
Pass, with 38 points overall with 19 points required at Higher Level, including 6 at Higher Level in Physics and 6 at Higher Level in Mathematics (Analysis and Approaches) or 7 at Higher Level in Mathematics (Applications and Interpretation)
International Baccalaureate Diploma additional information
Applicants who have not studied the required subjects can apply for the Engineering/Physics/Mathematics Foundation Year
International Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
International Baccalaureate Career Programme (IBCP) statement
Offers will be made on the individual Diploma Course subject(s) and the career-related study qualification. The CP core will not form part of the offer. Where there is a subject pre-requisite(s), applicants will be required to study the subject(s) at Higher Level in the Diploma course subject and/or take a specified unit in the career-related study qualification. Applicants may also be asked to achieve a specific grade in those elements. Please see the University of Southampton International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
BTEC
D in the BTEC National Extended Certificate plus grades A*A in A-level mathematics and physics (the A* can be in either subject), with a pass in the physics Practical (where it is separately endorsed).
or
D* in the BTEC National Extended Certificate plus grades AA in A-level mathematics and physics, with a pass in the physics Practical (where it is separately endorsed).
We will consider the BTEC National Diploma if studied alongside A-levels in mathematics and physics.
We will consider the BTEC National Extended Diploma in Engineering if studied alongside A-level mathematics.
RQF BTEC
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
Additional information
Applicants who have not studied mathematics and/or physics at A-level can apply for the Engineering/Physics/Mathematics Foundation Year
QCF BTEC
D in the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus A*A in A-level mathematics and physics (the A* can be in either subject), with a pass in the physics Practical (where it is separately endorsed).
or
D* in the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus AA in A-level mathematics and physics, with a pass in the physics Practical (where it is separately endorsed).
We will consider the BTEC Diploma if studied alongside A-levels in mathematics and physics.
We will consider the BTEC Extended Diploma in Engineering if studied alongside A-level mathematics.
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
Access to HE Diploma
Not accepted for this course. Applicants with an Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject should apply for the Engineering/Physics/Mathematics Foundation Year
Irish Leaving Certificate
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2017)
H1 H1 H1 H2 H2 H2 including mathematics, applied mathematics and physics
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2016)
A1 A1 A1 A2 A2 A2 including mathematics, applied mathematics and physics
Irish certificate additional information
Applicants who have not studied the required subjects can apply for the Engineering/Physics/Mathematics Foundation Year
Scottish Qualification
Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education.
Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement (PDF) for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Cambridge Pre-U
D2, D3, D3 in three Principal subjects including mathematics (minimum grade D3) and physics (minimum grade D3)
Cambridge Pre-U additional information
Cambridge Pre-U's can be used in combination with other qualifications such as A levels to achieve the equivalent of the typical offer, where D2 can be used in lieu of A-level grade A* or grade D3 can be used in lieu of A-level grade A. Applicants who have not studied the required Principal subjects can apply for the Engineering/Physics/Mathematics Foundation Year
Welsh Baccalaureate
A*AA including mathematics (minimum grade A) and physics (minimum grade A), with a pass in the physics Practical (where it is separately endorsed) or A*A from two A levels including mathematics and physics (the A* can be in either subject), with a pass in the physics Practical (where it is separately endorsed) and A from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate
Welsh Baccalaureate additional information
A pass in the science Practical is required where it is separately endorsed. Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking. Applicants who have not studied mathematics and/or physics at A-level can apply for the Engineering/Physics/Mathematics Foundation Year
Welsh Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all applicants with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise an applicant's potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
T-Level
Not accepted for this course. Applicants with a T level Technical Qualification in a relevant subject can apply for the Engineering/Physics/Mathematics Foundation Year
Other requirements
GCSE requirements
Applicants must hold GCSE English language (or GCSE English) (minimum grade 4/C) and mathematics (minimum grade 4/C)
Find the equivalent international qualifications for our entry requirements.
English language requirements
If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:
IELTS score requirements
- overall score
- 6.5
- reading
- 6.0
- writing
- 6.0
- speaking
- 6.0
- listening
- 6.0
We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.
You might meet our criteria in other ways if you do not have the qualifications we need. Find out more about:
- our Access to Southampton scheme for students living permanently in the UK (including residential summer school, application support and scholarship)
- skills you might have gained through work or other life experiences (otherwise known as recognition of prior learning)
Find out more about our Admissions Policy.
Got a question?
Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
Course structure
The first 2 years are the same across our Aeronautics and Astronautics degrees. They focus on core engineering science. In the third and fourth years you'll use a complete-vehicle approach to learn about modern design, search and optimisation techniques.
This is a very practical course, with many opportunities for practical engineering experience.
You will visit industry and research establishments and learn workshop training and research techniques.
Year 1 overview
You'll take an induction programme with all our Aeronautics and Astronautics students. This will give you your first practical experience and the opportunity to get to know your fellow students.
We'll develop your design and programming skills and teach you to build and test engineering systems, components and mechanisms.
You'll also learn manufacturing skills in our workshops so that you can make your ideas a reality.
Core modules include topics such as:
- aircraft operations and flight mechanics
- design and computing
- electrical and electronic systems
- mathematics
- thermofluids
Year 2 overview
You'll build on your core knowledge from the first year, and increases your focus on Aeronautics and Astronautics disciplines. Compulsory modules include:
- aerodynamics
- astronautics
- mechanics of flight
- propulsion
These modules feature hands-on teaching, using facilities such as our wind tunnels, turbojet and rocket engine.
You’ll take a systems design and computing module, and participate in a team project to design, create and test a robot, drone, responsive system or other device.
At the end of the second semester you’ll take a flight test course, in which experiments are performed on board a Jetstream aircraft.
Year 3 overview
You'll deepen your understanding of aircraft design, including their environmental impacts. You'll take a specialist module on wing dynamics, and core modules, including:
- aerothermodynamics
- aircraft structural design
- aerospace control design
You'll choose optional modules from topics including:
- applications of computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
- finite element analysis
You'll carry out an individual research project using many of the concepts that you've learnt over the previous 2 years. For example, students have investigated how to deflect asteroids, or use 3D-printed, metal jet engines.
Year 4 overview
Technical modules can be selected from a list of advanced level topics which focus on airvehicle systems and design. These include:
- aeroelasticity
- aircraft propulsion
- aeroacoustics
You’ll participate in a group design project - a chance to apply your conceptual engineering and scientific knowledge to an engineering design problem.
Previous projects include the design and development of a hybrid, tail-sitter aircraft for humanitarian aid missions and a fuel-efficient ion thruster for spacecraft. You can also create your own project. These projects are often linked to current research or supported by industry, like Airbus or the European Space Agency.
Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.
Modules
The modules outlined provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. As a research-led University, we undertake a continuous review of our course to ensure quality enhancement and to manage our resources. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand. Find out why, when and how we might make changes.
Year 1 modules
You must study the following modules in year 1:
An Introduction to Engineering Design
Engineers design physical products, systems and processes. They think big with vision, research, analyse, create, refine and deliver solutions. Engineering is a design discipline that is broad, creative, logical and holistic, while also focused and ex...
Electrical and Electronics Systems
It is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without electricity: homes without electric light, without television or radio, without motors to drive the washing machine, the refrigerator and the vacuum cleaner; offices without computers, word p...
Introduction to Aeronautics and Astronautics
This is an introduction to Aeronautics and Astronautics, which lays down the foundations of all of the aeronautical and astronautical engineering modules that follow in subsequent years. It includes: a) an aircraft operations element , which creates the ...
Mathematics for Engineering and the Environment
This course lays the mathematical foundation for all engineering degrees. Its structure allows students with different levels of previous knowledge to work at their own pace. Pre-requisite for MATH2048 One of the pre-requisites for MATH3081 and MATH...
Mechanics, Structures and Materials
This module covers the fundamentals of mechanics, statics, dynamics and materials. Providing a firm basis for all subsequent modules in these areas in later Parts and a further career in engineering. This module consists of four parts, Statics-1, Statics...
ThermoFluids
Core Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics for all Engineering Themes. Students should be aware that this module requires pre requisites of Mathematics and Physics A Level
Year 2 modules
You must study the following modules in year 2:
Aerodynamics
In this module the fundamental concepts of aerodynamics are introduced. The main focus is on inviscid, incompressible flow, but, viscous effects will be introduced in the latter part of the module. The lectures are complemented by laboratory sessions with...
Astronautics
This module introduces the fundamental concepts of astronautics and spacecraft engineering and applies the design approach to two separate case studies: the first for an interplanetary mission and the second for an Earth observation mission.
Engineering Management and Law
This module provides students with an introduction to management, accounting and law applicable to the operations of an engineering-based organisation. Emphasis is placed upon introducing managerial knowledge and skills required to apply effective managem...
Materials and Structures
This second year module continues to develop the links between structures and materials, building on the fundamentals established in the first year course on mechanics, structures and materials. The relationship between composition, microstructure and pro...
Mathematics for Engineering and the Environment Part II
The module aims to teach mathematical methods relevant for engineering. The first part is about differential equations and how solve them, from ordinary differential equations to partial differential equations. The second part is about either vector calcu...
Mechanics of Flight
This module further develops the fundamental concepts underpinning aircraft flight, stability, and control. The focus is initially on capturing the aerodynamic behaviour of lifting and control surfaces within simple mathematical models leading to simple e...
Propulsion
This module introduces the fundamental principles of aircraft propulsion, and covers air-breathing and rocket propulsion systems. The module focuses on the analysis and determination of thrust and performance criteria for propulsion systems such as ramjet...
Systems Design and Computing
This module follows on from FEEG1201 Introduction to Engineering Design where students are introduced to design processes supported by computing methods. In FEEG2001 students address the design of a system consisting of a number of interacting sub-systems...
Year 3 modules
You must study the following modules in year 3:
Aerospace Control Design
This module builds on the student’s understanding of mechanics and dynamics to develop an understanding of feedback control systems and the parameters that influence their stability and performance. The module covers time and frequency domain analysis of ...
Aerothermodynamics
Aerothemodynamics is essential to the design of high speed flight vehicles (in this context high speed refers to anything above about Mach 0.3). The subject integrates thermodynamics and fluid mechanics concepts to cover the fundamentals of compressible f...
Aircraft Structural Design
The module not only introduces the fundamental concepts of aircraft structural design but also provides the analytical and numerical tools to analyse complex aerospace systems within a multidisciplinary environment. Understanding and predicting the mutual...
Digital Aerospace
Aerospace design is a multidisciplinary task involving different disciplines, such as aerodynamics, structure, flight dynamics and performance, propulsion, etc. An accurate and reliable assessment of aircraft characteristics in various fields is essential...
Individual Project
The Individual Project is a learning experience that enables you to carry out research and bring together many of the concepts that you have learnt over the first two years of the course as well as the knowledge and skills learnt during part III. You w...
Introduction to Aircraft Design
This is an aerospace design synthesis module. The aircraft operations, aerodynamics, mechanics of flight, mechanics of solids and propulsion modules of Part I and II having equipped the students with the building blocks of aerospace engineering science, t...
Wing Aerodynamics
The Wing Aerodynamics module concerns the application of basic fluid dynamics principles to flow over external aerodynamic surfaces. This includes methods to calculate the potential flow outside the boundary layer as well as method to calculate the bounda...
Year 4 modules
You must study the following modules in year 4:
Advanced Aerospace Engineering Management
This module will provide students with the skills and knowledge to model and manage reliability, risk, uncertainty & security at both the project and business level while educating students on their responsibilities to be both ethical and inclusive engine...
Group Design Project
This group project enables you to apply your conceptual engineering and science knowledge to an engineering design problem. The ideas are developed through detailed design, experimentation, computer modelling and/or manufacture. You will also consider and...
You must also choose from the following modules in year 4:
Advanced Computational Methods I
The module is focussed around advanced computational methods incorporating C and compiled languages, computational modelling and software engineering techniques for science and engineering. It builds on lower level courses such as FEEG1001 and FEEG2001 an...
Advanced Finite Element Analysis
This module is aimed at providing exposure to and understanding of advanced, specialist areas of Finite Element Analysis and their underlying Solid/Structural Mechanics concepts. It then concentrates on using this knowledge for solving discipline-specifi...
Advanced Photovoltaics, Fuel Cells and Batteries
This module aims to provide the understanding of solar cell operation, relevant optical structures, photovoltaic systems and advanced concepts for high efficiency and low cost. Charge carrier statistics and transport are discussed in detail with applicati...
Aeroacoustics
This module covers aerodynamic noise sources and sound propagation in moving media. Aeroacoustics is of great importance in engineering settings involving high speed flows, including transport (aeroplane, aeroengine, automobile, train), industrial proces...
Aeroelasticity
This module concerns structural dynamics and aeroelastic phenomena that can result in dangerous static and dynamic deformations and instabilities, particularly relevant in the design of modern aircraft and space vehicles. It builds on basic knowledge on f...
Aircraft Propulsion
This module develops aerodynamic and thermodynamic methods for design of gas turbine engines. Starting from considerations of aircraft requirements and basic thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, students learn how the overall engine design can be tailored ...
Applications of CFD
The basic concept of Computational Fluid Dynamics and numerical procedures (FVM/FDM) are introduced. The major focus is practical applications, including geometry and grid generation, using solvers and turbulence models in CFD packages, and interpretation...
Automotive Propulsion
Motorised transport has transformed many aspects of human life over the past 120 years. Today’s automotive engineers, however, face the unresolved challenge of continuing that transformation in a sustainable manner. Therefore this module develops the stud...
Composites Engineering Design and Mechanics
This module provides an in depth coverage of the mechanics of fibre-reinforced polymer materials and structures. The core of the course encompass modelling of the 2D orthotropic lamina reduced from 3D continuum mechanics for anisotropic solids, classical ...
Computational Aerodynamics
This module is concerned with the physical modelling and numerical methods required for calculations of aerodynamic forces and moments on moving objects. It is not exclusively a package-based computational fluid dynamics module. Instead, it focuses on mat...
Corporate Finance
This module provides a deep insight in some key theories and topics in Corporate Finance. The module looks at how firms and corporation manage financial investment and decisions in the long term and short term. The module will discuss topics ranging fro...
Data-Driven Fluid Mechanics
The module will introduce contemporary computational methods for fluid flow analysis, with a specific focus on techniques that use simulation or experimental data. The module will cover aspects of flow stability, model order reduction and pattern identifi...
Design Search and Optimisation (DSO) - Principles, Methods, Parameterizations and Case Studies
This module introduces students to formal design search and optimization (DSO) approaches using a mixture of lectures covering theory and practice and a series of worked case studies with student participation.
Experimental Methods for Aerodynamics
This module is aimed at students who will be performing aerodynamic or fluid mechanic experiments in their individual project, group design project and/or in their research project. The student will gain insight on the problem associated with design, s...
Failure of Materials and Components
In this module, the emphasis moves away from alloy development and design, and focuses on the performance of structural materials in a range of engineering applications. The lectures draw on examples from applications of ceramics, steel, Al, Ti and Ni bas...
Finite Element Analysis in Solid Mechanics
Many real-world engineering structures are too complex for their behaviour to be understood using an ‘exact’ analytical or theoretical method alone. Therefore, in practice we often use approximate numerical or simulation-based tools for structural analysi...
Hypersonic & High Temperature Gas Dynamics
The module will provide the necessary background for those students interested in the design and operation of high speed aerospace vehicles, such as launch vehicles, re-entry vehicles and missiles.
Information Systems Management and Strategy
The purpose of this module is to equip students with a useful grounding in digital strategy and information systems (IS) management. After introducing the characteristics and concepts of systems and IS, the module will provide an overview of strategic pl...
Introduction to Machine Learning
Machine Learning advances are revolutionising our world. At a fundamental level, Machine Learning deals with the extraction of useful information from large and complex datasets. There are now many applications, from the automatic understanding and proces...
Materials for Transport Applications
This module considers metallic alloys with special reference to applications in transport applications. The main materials considered are aluminium, titanium and nickel based alloys, and steel. Also metal based composites, and high temperature materials s...
Microstructural and Surface Characterisation
This module on microstructural analysis and surface characterisation of materials and components considers Surface Profilometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy, diffraction techniques, energy...
Nonlinear Control of Aerospace Systems
Modern (and future) aircraft employ a variety of nonlinear techniques to both design control systems and perform analysis of the arising closed-loop. This is due to the fact that aircraft dynamics are fundamentally nonlinear and also, with the widespread ...
Numerical Methods
Often in mathematics, it is possible to prove the existence of a solution to a given problem, but it is not possible to "find it". For example, there are general theorems to prove the existence and uniqueness of an initial value problem for an ordinary di...
Principles of Photovoltaics, Fuel Cells and Batteries
This module covers the aspects of design and operation of modern fuels cells and photovoltaic systems. It discusses the fundamentals, structure, materials and operation of these systems. Students attending this module are expected to have understood th...
Project Management
The global and rapid growth of managing by projects in every sector, industry, and company type has led to the development of pan-sector theories and bodies of knowledge in project management. The specific nature of projects as temporary and unique activi...
Project Risk Management
Project risk management has evolved significantly over many years, but there are conflicting views about what constitutes best practice. This course provides an overview of best practice as outlined in the course text with a critical comparison of alterna...
Race Car Aerodynamics
The student will gain insight on major aerodynamic features associated with vehicle and race car aerodynamics, including aerodynamics of overall car, aerodynamics of major devices, test facilities and experimental methods, test setup, etc. The most import...
Renewable Energy from Environmental Flows: Wind, Wave and Tide
The atmospheric and gravitational processes present on the earth generate flows of wind and water. This module studies these resources and practical methods/technologies for extracting cost-effective electrical and other energy conversions. The main focu...
Spacecraft Instrumentation
This module describes the development of spacecraft instrumentation, from the definition of the requirements to the final design and operation. You will also gain a good understanding of the interaction between the instrument and the platform and the spac...
Spacecraft Structural Design
This module introduces the fundamental concepts of spacecraft structural design. It leads on from the basic static analysis of structures covered in part I and II and introduces the student to the static and dynamic analysis of satellite structures along ...
Strategic Management
Strategic management is central to the operation of a variety of businesses in different sectors and environments. The creation of a strategy and the management of its implementation are important in developing businesses that can create and sustain a com...
Strategic Operations Management
In the past, where organisations tended to be more hierarchical than today, the words, "strategy" and "operations" were almost mutually exclusive. In today's highly competitive environment, though, strategic operations capabilities must be in place in ord...
Sustainable energy systems, resources and usage
The module provides an understanding of general energy concepts and how to apply energy related techniques gained through specialist courses to every-day situations. We will also take a look at the energy flows around our planet and consider issues such a...
Systems Design of Multi-Rotor Aircraft
Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), particularly multi-rotor drones, are revolutionising our world. At a fundamental level, UAS design consist of a system of systems approach, which work together to produce the operational effect. Apart from the existing mil...
Turbulence
This module will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of turbulent flow . The focus will be on understanding the equations of motion and the underlying physics they contain. The goal will be to provide you with the tools necessary to continue the s...
Learning and assessment
The learning activities for this course include the following:
- lectures
- classes and tutorials
- coursework
- individual and group projects
- independent learning (studying on your own)
Course time
How you'll spend your course time:
Year 1
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 1:
How we'll assess you
- coursework, laboratory reports and essays
- design and problem-solving exercises
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written and practical exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 1:
Year 2
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 2:
How we'll assess you
- coursework, laboratory reports and essays
- design and problem-solving exercises
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written and practical exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 2:
Academic support
You’ll be supported by a personal academic tutor and have access to a senior tutor.
Course leader
Sean Symon is the course leader.
Careers
This degree will open the door to many vehicle aerodynamics jobs and career opportunities in the aerospace industry, engineering and beyond, including:
- Aerospace engineer
- Aerodynamics engineer
- Engineering consultant
- Performance and simulation engineer
- Propellor design engineer
- UAV designer
- Pilot
- Software and systems engineer
- IT consultant
It also provides a great launch pad for further studies at PhD level.
Recent graduates have gone on to work at organisations like:
- Airbus Defence and Space
- Dstl
- BAE Systems
- Boeing
- Dyson
- European Space Agency
- Formula 1 teams
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Rolls-Royce
- Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
We are a designated university for the Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme. This means you could receive military sponsorship.
This is also a BAE Systems preferred course.
Your degree will be aligned to the UK Space Agency Civil Space Strategy.
Employability sits at the heart of our curriculum and our courses are constantly adapted to ensure they meet industry requirements.
Our graduates also often continue their studies to PhD level.
Your personal academic tutor and employability coordinator can advise you on your career paths.
You can also join the Southampton University Air Squadron for possible flying opportunities.
Careers services at Southampton
We are a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022). Our Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise team will support you. This support includes:
- work experience schemes
- CV and interview skills and workshops
- networking events
- careers fairs attended by top employers
- a wealth of volunteering opportunities
- study abroad and summer school opportunities
We have a vibrant entrepreneurship culture and our dedicated start-up supporter, Futureworlds, is open to every student.
Work in industry
This course is also available with an industrial placement year in an engineering organisation. During your placement, you can apply the knowledge and skills you’ve developed during your degree, and gain vital professional engineering experience.
Apply with UCAS code H41H for the Industrial Placement Year option.
Fees, costs and funding
Tuition fees
Fees for a year's study:
- UK students pay £9,250.
- EU and international students pay £27,400.
What your fees pay for
Your tuition fees pay for the full cost of tuition and all examinations.
Find out how to:
Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:
Bursaries, scholarships and other funding
If you're a UK or EU student and your household income is under £25,000 a year, you may be able to get a University of Southampton bursary to help with your living costs. Find out about bursaries and other funding we offer at Southampton.
If you're a care leaver or estranged from your parents, you may be able to get a specific bursary.
Get in touch for advice about student money matters.
Scholarships and grants
You may be able to get a scholarship or grant to help fund your studies.
We award scholarships and grants for travel, academic excellence, or to students from under-represented backgrounds.
Support during your course
The Student Services Centre offers support and advice on money to students. You may be able to access our Student Support fund and other sources of financial support during your course.
Funding for EU and international students
Find out about funding you could get as an international student.
How to apply
When you apply use:
- UCAS course code: H491
- UCAS institution code: S27
What happens after you apply?
We will assess your application on the strength of your:
- predicted grades
- academic achievements
- personal statement
- academic reference
We'll aim to process your application within 2 to 6 weeks, but this will depend on when it is submitted. Applications submitted in January, particularly near to the UCAS equal consideration deadline, might take substantially longer to be processed due to the high volume received at that time.
Equality and diversity
We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.
Got a question?
Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
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PhDs and research degrees
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- A missing link between continental shelves and the deep sea: Have we underestimated the importance of land-detached canyons?
- A seismic study of the continent-ocean transition southwest of the UK
- A study of rolling contact fatigue in electric vehicles (EVs)
- Acoustic monitoring of forest exploitation to establish community perspectives of sustainable hunting
- Acoustic sensing and characterisation of soil organic matter
- Advancing intersectional geographies of diaspora-led development in times of multiple crises
- Aero engine fan wake turbulence – Simulation and wind tunnel experiments
- Against Climate Change (DACC): improving the estimates of forest fire smoke emissions
- All-in-one Mars in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) system and life-supporting using non-thermal plasma
- An electromagnetic study of the continent-ocean transition southwest of the UK
- An investigation of the relationship between health, home and law in the context of poor and precarious housing, and complex and advanced illness
- Antibiotic resistance genes in chalk streams
- Being autistic in care: Understanding differences in care experiences including breakdowns in placements for autistic and non-autistic children
- Biogeochemical cycling in the critical coastal zone: Developing novel methods to make reliable measurements of geochemical fluxes in permeable sediments
- Bloom and bust: seasonal cycles of phytoplankton and carbon flux
- British Black Lives Matter: The emergence of a modern civil rights movement
- Building physics for low carbon comfort using artificial intelligence
- Building-resolved large-eddy simulations of wind and dispersion over a city scale urban area
- Business studies and management: accounting
- Business studies and management: banking and finance
- Business studies and management: decision analytics and risk
- Business studies and management: digital and data driven marketing
- Business studies and management: human resources (HR) management and organisational behaviour
- Business studies and management: strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship
- Carbon storage in reactive rock systems: determining the coupling of geo-chemo-mechanical processes in reactive transport
- Cascading hazards from the largest volcanic eruption in over a century: What happened when Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted in January 2022?
- Characterisation of cast austenitic stainless steels using ultrasonic backscatter and artificial intelligence
- Climate Change effects on the developmental physiology of the small-spotted catshark
- Climate at the time of the Human settlement of the Eastern Pacific
- Collaborative privacy in data marketplaces
- Compatibility of climate and biodiversity targets under future land use change
- Cost of living in modern and fossil animals
- Creative clusters in rural, coastal and post-industrial towns
- Deep oceanic convection: the outsized role of small-scale processes
- Defect categories and their realisation in supersymmetric gauge theory
- Defining the Marine Fisheries-Energy-Environment Nexus: Learning from shocks to enhance natural resource resilience
- Design and fabrication of next generation optical fibres
- Developing a practical application of unmanned aerial vehicle technologies for conservation research and monitoring of endangered wildlife
- Development and evolution of animal biomineral skeletons
- Development of all-in-one in-situ resource utilisation system for crewed Mars exploration missions
- Ecological role of offshore artificial structures
- Effect of embankment and subgrade weathering on railway track performance
- Efficient ‘whole-life’ anchoring systems for offshore floating renewables
- Electrochemical sensing of the sea surface microlayer
- Engagement with nature among children from minority ethnic backgrounds
- Enhancing UAV manoeuvres and control using distributed sensor arrays
- Ensuring the Safety and Security of Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems
- Environmental and genetic determinants of Brassica crop damage by the agricultural pest Diamondback moth
- Estimating marine mammal abundance and distribution from passive acoustic and biotelemetry data
- Evolution of symbiosis in a warmer world
- Examining evolutionary loss of calcification in coccolithophores
- Explainable AI (XAI) for health
- Explaining process, pattern and dynamics of marine predator hotspots in the Southern Ocean
- Exploring dynamics of natural capital in coastal barrier systems
- Exploring the mechanisms of microplastics incorporation and their influence on the functioning of coral holobionts
- Exploring the potential electrical activity of gut for healthcare and wellbeing
- Exploring the trans-local nature of cultural scene
- Facilitating forest restoration sustainability of tropical swidden agriculture
- Faulting, fluids and geohazards within subduction zone forearcs
- Faulting, magmatism and fluid flow during volcanic rifting in East Africa
- Fingerprinting environmental releases from nuclear facilities
- Flexible hybrid thermoelectric materials for wearable energy harvesting
- Floating hydrokinetic power converter
- Glacial sedimentology associated subglacial hydrology
- Green and sustainable Internet of Things
- How do antimicrobial peptides alter T cell cytokine production?
- How do calcifying marine organisms grow? Determining the role of non-classical precipitation processes in biogenic marine calcite formation
- How do neutrophils alter T cell metabolism?
- How well can we predict future changes in biodiversity using machine learning?
- Hydrant dynamics for acoustic leak detection in water pipes
- If ‘Black Lives Matter’, do ‘Asian Lives Matter’ too? Impact trajectories of organisation activism on wellbeing of ethnic minority communities
- Illuminating luciferin bioluminescence in dinoflagellates
- Imaging quantum materials with an XFEL
- Impact of neuromodulating drugs on gut microbiome homeostasis
- Impact of pharmaceuticals in the marine environment in a changing world
- Impacts of environmental change on coastal habitat restoration
- Improving subsea navigation using environment observations for long term autonomy
- Information theoretic methods for sensor management
- Installation effect on the noise of small high speed fans
- Integrated earth observation mapping change land sea
- Interconnections of past greenhouse climates
- Inverse simulation: going from camera observations of a deformation to material properties using a new theoretical approach
- Investigating IgG cell depletion mechanisms
- Is ocean mixing upside down? How mixing processes drive upwelling in a deep-ocean basin
- Landing gear aerodynamics and aeroacoustics
- Lightweight gas storage: real-world strategies for the hydrogen economy
- Long-term change in the benthos – creating robust data from varying camera systems
- Machine learning for multi-robot perception
- Machine learning for multi-robot perception
- Marine ecosystem responses to past climate change and its oceanographic impacts
- Mechanical effects in the surf zone - in situ electrochemical sensing
- Microfluidic cell isolation systems for sepsis
- Migrant entrepreneurship, gender and generation: context and family dynamics in small town Britain
- Miniaturisation in fishes: evolutionary and ecological perspectives
- Modelling high-power fibre laser and amplifier stability
- Modelling soil dewatering and recharge for cost-effective and climate resilient infrastructure
- Modelling the evolution of adaptive responses to climate change across spatial landscapes
- Nanomaterials sensors for biomedicine and/or the environment
- New high-resolution observations of ocean surface current and winds from innovative airborne and satellite measurements
- New perspectives on ocean photosynthesis
- Novel methods of detecting carbon cycling pathways in lakes and their impact on ecosystem change
- Novel technologies for cyber-physical security
- Novel transparent conducting films with unusual optoelectronic properties
- Novel wavelength fibre lasers for industrial applications
- Ocean circulation and the Southern Ocean carbon sink
- Ocean influence on recent climate extremes
- Ocean methane sensing using novel surface plasmon resonance technology
- Ocean physics and ecology: can robots disentangle the mix?
- Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal: Assessing the utility of coastal enhanced weathering
- Offshore renewable energy (ORE) foundations on rock seabeds: advancing design through analogue testing and modelling
- Optical fibre sensing for acoustic leak detection in buried pipelines
- Optimal energy transfer in nonlinear systems
- Optimal energy transfer in nonlinear systems
- Optimizing machine learning for embedded systems
- Oxidation of fossil organic matter as a source of atmospheric CO2
- Partnership dissolution and re-formation in later life among individuals from minority ethnic communities in the UK
- Personalized multimodal human-robot interactions
- Preventing disease by enhancing the cleaning power of domestic water taps using sound
- Quantifying riparian vegetation dynamics and flow interactions for Nature Based Solutions using novel environmental sensing techniques
- Quantifying the response and sensitivity of tropical forest carbon sinks to various drivers
- Quantifying variability in phytoplankton electron requirements for carbon fixation
- Resilient and sustainable steel-framed building structures
- Resolving Antarctic meltwater events in Southern Ocean marine sediments and exploring their significance using climate models
- Robust acoustic leak detection in water pipes using contact sound guides
- Silicon synapses for artificial intelligence hardware
- Smart photon delivery via reconfigurable optical fibres
- The Gulf Stream control of the North Atlantic carbon sink
- The Mayflower Studentship: a prestigious fully funded PhD studentship in bioscience
- The calming effect of group living in social fishes
- The duration of ridge flank hydrothermal exchange and its role in global biogeochemical cycles
- The evolution of symmetry in echinoderms
- The impact of early life stress on neuronal enhancer function
- The oceanic fingerprints on changing monsoons over South and Southeast Asia
- The role of iron in nitrogen fixation and photosynthesis in changing polar oceans
- The role of singlet oxygen signaling in plant responses to heat and drought stress
- Time variability on turbulent mixing of heat around melting ice in the West Antarctic
- Triggers and Feedbacks of Climate Tipping Points
- Uncovering the drivers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression using patient derived organoids
- Understanding recent land-use change in Snowdonia to plan a sustainable future for uplands: integrating palaeoecology and conservation practice
- Understanding the role of cell motility in resource acquisition by marine phytoplankton
- Understanding the structure and engagement of personal networks that support older people with complex care needs in marginalised communities and their ability to adapt to increasingly ‘digitalised’ health and social care
- Unpicking the Anthropocene in the Hawaiian Archipelago
- Unraveling oceanic multi-element cycles using single cell ionomics
- Unravelling southwest Indian Ocean biological productivity and physics: a machine learning approach
- Using acoustics to monitor how small cracks develop into bursts in pipelines
- Using machine learning to improve predictions of ocean carbon storage by marine life
- Vulnerability of low-lying coastal transportation networks to natural hazards
- Wideband fibre optical parametric amplifiers for Space Division Multiplexing technology
- Will it stick? Exploring the role of turbulence and biological glues on ocean carbon storage
- X-ray imaging and property characterisation of porous materials
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