close up of aeroplane in flight

Aerospace Engineering BEng

3-4 years

We’ve come a long way since the Wright Brothers. But in an area as innovative as aerospace engineering, the sky truly is the limit. From flight dynamics to aero-engine design, you’ll learn what it takes to make your mark in this exciting field.

Aerospace Engineering BEng, 3-4 years

We’ve come a long way since the Wright Brothers. But in an area as innovative as aerospace engineering, the sky truly is the limit. From flight dynamics to aero-engine design, you’ll learn what it takes to make your mark in this exciting field.

Start date:

2025

Course information

Typical offer ABB

UK fee £9,535

UCAS codes H400, H403, H404

International fee £24,500

Institute code L34

Taught by School of Engineering

Complete University Guide

Ranked 16th in the UK for Aerospace Engineering (Complete University Guide 2024)

Accredited by IET and IMechE

Course description

Course description

Whether you study for the BEng or the MEng, your Aerospace Engineering degree starts by providing a broad engineering foundation, which includes mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering subjects. You will then develop further specific knowledge and skills in mechanical engineering with a focus on aerospace engineering.

Engineers are innovators who bring about change through their ingenuity, experience and curiosity to improve the quality of life for people throughout the world. Their work is central to thriving economies and competitive industries. It is equally important in developing countries where engineers provide appropriate technologies during difficult times of change.

Professional engineers have a high degree of specialist knowledge but increasingly they use a broad approach to problem solving across a range of engineering disciplines. This is coupled with an awareness of environmental, social, legal, economic and regulatory aspects of the problem at hand.

Specialised lectures on topics such as flight dynamics, aircraft navigation, aero-engine design, aerospace materials and aircraft performance may be given by visiting lecturers from aerospace industry companies. You will have the opportunity to attend a practical flight test course or to use a flight simulator to enhance your knowledge and skills in aerospace engineering.

Successful engineers must be able to analyse and solve complex problems in the industrial context, communicate ideas to others and work effectively in teams and exercise leadership skills. This is why all our Engineering degrees include a selection of management content or specialised modules throughout. Topics covered include business finance, project planning and management, intellectual property, health and safety, motivation theory, marketing, total quality management, ethics and professionalism.

What's the difference?

Each of our Engineering subjects is available in six forms:

  • BEng (3 years), BEng with Industry (4 years), BEng with Year Abroad (4 years)
  • MEng (4 years), MEng with Industry (5 years), MEng with Year Abroad (5 years)

The MEng places greater emphasis on industrially-related project work, advanced technical content and leadership, and automatically meets the academic requirements for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. The MEng shares its first three years with the corresponding BEng.

Entry requirements

Fees and funding

Accreditation

Careers and employability

Related courses

Sustainable Development Goals

Testimonial

Course structure

Year 1

Year 1

All engineers require an excellent knowledge of basic engineering principles, which is why 75% of our first year is common for all our subjects.

Degrees in Aerospace, General and Mechanical Engineering share the exact same first year. This means that you can switch between any of these degrees before your second year.

Modules

This is the same as the first year of the MEng.

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 2

Year in Industry or Abroad (optional)

Final Year

Why Leicester?

All our Engineering degrees are accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Measurement and Control.

A shared first year allows you to swap between degrees in General Engineering, Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at the start of Year 2.

In Year 2 you’ll take a flight test engineering course where you’ll measure the performance of a commuter airliner.

The School of Engineering operates an Open Door policy meaning you can access support when you need it. We also keep our teaching groups small so you won't be a face in the crowd at Leicester.

Reading list

See the types of texts you might read, over the summer, to get a feel for the course and arrive prepared and ready to go.

View a reading list for Engineering degrees

Teaching and learning

Teaching

Teaching includes lectures and lab classes together with tutorials. For the practical aspects of the course you will work, with a partner or as part of a small team, in our well-equipped engineering labs. On your third year project you will work individually under the supervision of an academic member of staff.

Assessment

Continuous assessment of your experimentation, computing, design and project work will contribute about 30-50% of your overall mark, with the rest based on your performance in exams for each module. You will also be expected to give presentations about your work.

Independent learning

When not attending lectures, seminars or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. To help with your independent learning, you can access social study spaces in halls of residence.

Your contact hours will depend on the option modules you select. You can see details of the contact hours on individual module pages.

Academic support

Our Centre for Academic Achievement provides help in the following areas:

  • study and exam skills
  • academic writing
  • presentations
  • dissertations
  • numerical data skills
  • referencing sources

Our AccessAbility Centre offers support and practical help for students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties, including physical, mental health or mobility difficulties, deafness, or visual impairment.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. PhD research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Our teaching is informed by the research we do. You can learn more about our staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Apply now

Course Qualification Duration UCAS Code Availability
Course Aerospace Engineering Qualification BEng Duration 3 years full-time UCAS Code H400 Availability How to apply
Course Aerospace Engineering with Year Abroad Qualification BEng Duration 4 years full-time UCAS Code H403 Availability How to apply
Course Aerospace Engineering with Year in Industry Qualification BEng Duration 4 years full-time UCAS Code H404 Availability How to apply

Data about this course

student using a microscope in class

The Department’s close links with industry mean I can do projects relevant to the research happening in industry today.

Georgie

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