Structural Design

Starts: October

Duration: 1 year full-time

Course overview:

Modern aircraft, either Civil or Military, are demanding more lightweight and more durable structures. Structural integrity is a major consideration of today's aircraft fleet. For an Aircraft to economically achieve its Design Specification, and satisfy the Airworthiness Regulations, requires a balance of many structural challenges.

The Structural Design Option of the MSc in Aerospace Vehicle Design has been developed to train engineers to meet this challenge, and to prepare them for careers in Industry, Civil Aviation, Military Aviation or Academia.

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, Rolls-Royce.

This course is taught within an aerospace environment. Cranfield operates a commercial airport and the course includes flying experience with our bulldog aircraft,  large aircraft flight simulator and Jetstream Flying Laboratory in which onboard monitors give students first-hand experience of the theory.

Structure:

The lecture module programme typically consists of about 14 modules. About one third of these are mandatory, the remainder being selected from an extensive list of optional subjects.

Visits to industry to see the application of technology to current projects are also used to enhance the knowledge. Lectures from industry specialists are also used to enhance the knowledge and application.

Typical lecture courses include:

• Computer Aided Design (CATIA)
• Stress Analysis
• Structural Stability
• Design and Analysis of Composite Structures
• Finite Element Methods (NASTRAN/PATRAN)
• Structural Dynamics
• Fatigue, Fracture Mechanics, Damage Tolerance
• Aeroelasticity
• Crashworthiness
• Design for Manufacture and Operation
• Aircraft Conceptual Design.

Individual Research Project:

This provides the student with the opportunity of completing a piece of individual research work to demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge.

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.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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