Avionic Systems Design

Starts: October

Duration: 1 year full-time

Course overview:

With increasing traffic density of civil aircraft, and the need for increased military precision in conflicts around the world, safer aircraft operations require ever more sophisticated avionic systems.

Students who want to specialise in avionics can take this Avionic Systems Design option of the Aerospace Vehicle Design MSc. The course provides an understanding of avionic systems design, analysis, development, test and airframe integration.

This course is founded upon the knowledge and experience gained by the Department of Aerospace Engineering through its strong industrial links. Knowledge acquired from our extensive research and consultancy activity is constantly fed back into the Master's programme to ensure that you achieve a qualification that is valued by employers.

This course prepares graduates for careers as project design engineers, systems design, structural design or avionic engineers in aerospace or related industries, with the aim of progressing to technical management/chief engineer. Typical student destinations include BAE Systems, Airbus, Dassault and Rolls-Royce.

Structure:

The Avionics option has three components - lecture course, group design project and individual research thesis. Assessment is by examination, group design project thesis, individual research project thesis, and oral presentation.

Students follow a lecture module programme in:

• Navigation Systems
• Airborne Instrumentation and Systems Integration
• Software Engineering, Radio Systems
• The Cockpit Environment, Air Traffic Control
• Fault Tolerant Avionics Design
• System Development and Life Cycle Model
• Reliability, Safety Assessment and Certification.

Group design project:

The Avionics students also participate in the same Group Design Project, enabling them to benefit from extensive application of Avionic Systems Design theory and integration onto the Project Aircraft. This teamwork exercise, with specific individual tasks, recreates a virtual industrial environment.

The international student design team is representative of design teams in the aerospace industry today. Students testify that working as an integrated team on real problems is invaluable and prepares them well for careers in a highly competitive industry.

Individual research project:

Students choose a topic early in the course. This can be selected from a portfolio of subjects proposed by staff, or developed from the student's own particular interest. Some topics may offer collaboration with industry.

Entry requirements:

1st or 2nd class UK honours degree (or equivalent) in an engineering discipline. Applicants who do not fulfil the standard entry requirements can apply for the Pre-Master's Course in Engineering, successful completion of which will qualify them for entry to this course for a second year of study.

English Language Requirements:

Our normal minimum requirement is a TOEFL score of 580 (paper test) or 237 (computer test), essay rating 4.5 or 92 (Internet test), all skills 19 or an IELTS 6.5 with 6.0 for writing, a TOEIC overall score of 830, or a Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English grade C or Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English grade C, although a number of our programmes require higher scores.

Funding:

Limited, please e-mail for details. Well-qualified UK applicants may be eligible to apply for the EADS Technology Masters Training Award.

Want to know more?

Contact our Enquiries Office for further details, E: enquiries@cranfield.ac.uk, T: +44 (0)1234 758008

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