Aerospace Systems Engineering (BEng) (with Placement Year)

• Our Mechanical Engineering courses ranked 3rd in the UK (Guardian University Guide, 2020).
• The BEng (Hons) Aerospace Systems Engineering degree is currently accredited by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) as partially satisfying the requirements for Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration.
• Expert guest lectures, which previously have covered topics such as green landing systems, airship developments, aircraft design and training, and non-destructive testing in aircraft braking systems (.subject to availability).
• On and off site access to commercial engineering software, including 3D CAD, Finite Element Analysis, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Multibody Systems for design and simulation, as well as training in industry standard Catia, HyperWorks, STAR-CCM+, SIMPACK and Matlab/Simulink software. (Limitations to off-site access may apply)
• Our excellent facilities include a full-size Harrier Jet (used for teaching), 3 full scale flight simulators, wind tunnel, composites lab, metrology lab, environmental test lab, flow lab, AVL engine test cell, automotive workshop, fatigue and tensile testing (Instron), civil engineering specialist testing equipment, a range of CNC machinery and a laser workshop.
• Free student membership of WES, the Women’s Engineering Society, which is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity society open to all regardless of gender identity.
• This course is currently accredited by RAeS for the [2021/22] intake. If the accreditation of this course changes, we would seek to notify applicants and students as soon as possible.

The first year aims to build on your established skills to provide a foundation of key engineering subjects and an essential grounding in the key aeronautical principles. You will be provided with an introduction to aerospace topics including aerodynamics, power plants, aircraft systems and structures.

This is reinforced with the use of practical laboratory sessions using our full-sized aircraft, wind tunnel and flight simulator hardware. For example, you will have the opportunity to remove, inspect, overhaul and reinstate critical aircraft components like the aircraft braking system, aileron or rudder.

You will also have the chance to perform a series of aircraft manoeuvres in the Merlin flight simulator to collect data to analyse the flying characteristic of the aircraft and design, develop and manufacture crashworthy landing gears for quadcopter using 3D printers.

The second year builds on the foundations of Year 1 to enhance your specialist knowledge and analysis in the key aerospace systems themes of the programme. The majority of the modules include teaching of industry standard specialist computer aided analysis tools to support your study and enhance your employability.

Following your second year, there is an option to apply for a one-year professional work placement or study abroad* in a partner institution.

Past students have undertaken placements working for Aero Engine Controls, GE Aviation, UTC Actuation Systems, HS Marston, Rolls-Royce, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Airbus Bertrandt, Meggitt, Tata Technologies, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, JCB, BMW, Morgan Materials, GKN Aerospace and Arrowsmith.

If you wish to undertake the optional study abroad/placement year, you will take either the Placement Year module or the Study Abroad Year module which both typically run for a full academic year between levels 5 and 6 of your course. You are normally able to progress onto the relevant module if you have successfully completed the first two years of the course (i.e. having accumulated 240 credits) and have a confirmed opportunity two weeks prior to the start of the academic year, however we encourage international students to confirm their placements earlier to ensure they are able to meet any applicable visa requirements.

Students opting for either the work placement or study abroad module will be registered on a non-credit bearing module and therefore no additional tuition fees apply. While the modules do not bear credits, they do require completion of a marked activities reflecting on your placement/study abroad or work placement experience. Following successful completion of the activities, the module selected will appear on your final academic transcript. Students will thus graduate with 360 credits in total, assuming successful completion of their final year.

The final year of the BEng programme covers propulsion systems design, supersonic aerodynamics, your individual project and a variety of group design work. In this group work, you will have the chance to compete as part of a team to produce a demanding system design, which has previously included the design of an aircraft landing system and the design then construction of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or drone. In 2019, the Coventry University aircraft was best UK entrant in the BFMA heavy lift challenge.

The course culminates with your individual research project. Past students have examined flight data analysis for Red Bull Air Racing, aerodynamic noise reduction of van roof racks, diesel engine duty cycle optimisation and heat exchanger optimisation for local companies. Other projects include real-time control of Segway type rig, winglet design and testing.

MEng students will study this same programme but are streamed in their group projects (Aerospace Systems Design and Aerospace System Prototype and Validation) to ensure that their built aircraft provides the platform for the systems integration module of their final MEng year.

Previous graduates have obtained jobs in the military as:

• pilots and engineers
• systems design engineers for Marshalls of Cambridge and Rolls Royce in Derby
• engineers in various aspects of the aerospace industry, with companies such as Meggitt, Goodrich, Moog and HS Marstons

We have graduates currently working overseas at Airbus in France and Berntrandt in Germany.