MEng Aerospace Engineering
01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2028
| Course Leader | Darren Williams |
|---|---|
| Course Team | |
| Awarding Body | University of South Wales |
| Teaching Institutions | University of South Wales |
| Modes of Study | Full Time Sandwich, Full Time |
Document Version
| Version | 2 |
|---|---|
| Valid From | 01 Sep 2026 |
| Valid To | 31 Aug 2028 |
QAA Benchmarks
Educational Aim
The global aerospace market reached a value of nearly $298.0 billion in 2020, having decreased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -0.3% since 2015. The market is expected to grow from $298.0 billion in 2020 to $430.9 billion in 2025 at a rate of 7.7%. The market is then expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2025 and reach $573.6 billion in 2030.
Employment in the aerospace industry is expected to be average to faster than average compared to all other occupations between 2019 to 2029. This is due mainly to the use of more efficient air and spacecraft, the streamlining of airplane routes and improving technologies. Employment outlook does vary by individual role, however, and tends to be better for those with more experience and/or higher education.
The overall aim of this course is to produce an engineer with a specialist education related to aerospace engineering who also has the versatility and depth of understanding necessary to deal with new and unusual problems of the aerospace industry. They should be imaginative, creative, and able to implement change as well as providing technical leadership. Graduates from the MEng programme in particular are also expected to be capable of demonstrating managerial and team leadership qualities. The awards contained within the scheme should produce high calibre engineering graduates capable of achieving Chartered Engineering status with a few years industrial experience.
Learning Outcomes
| A1 | A comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the scientific principles and methodology necessary to underpin their education in their engineering discipline, and an understanding and know-how of the scientific principles of related disciplines, to enable appreciation of the scientific and engineering context, and to support their understanding of relevant historical, current and future developments and technologies |
| A2 | Knowledge and understanding of mathematical and statistical methods necessary to underpin their education in their engineering discipline and to enable them to apply mathematical and statistical methods, tools and notations proficiently in the analysis and solution of engineering problems |
| A3 | Awareness of developing technologies related to own specialisation |
| A4 | A comprehensive knowledge and understanding of mathematical and computational models relevant to the engineering discipline, and an appreciation of their limitations |
| A5 | Understanding of the need for a high level of professional and ethical conduct in engineering, a knowledge of professional codes of conduct and how ethical dilemmas can arise |
| A6 | Knowledge and understanding of the commercial, economic and social context of engineering processes |
| A7 | Knowledge and understanding of management techniques, including project and change management, that may be used to achieve engineering objectives, their limitations, and how they may be applied appropriately |
| A8 | Awareness of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health & safety, contracts, intellectual property rights, product safety and liability issues, and an awareness that these may differ internationally |
| A9 | Knowledge and understanding of risk issues, including health and safety, environmental and commercial risk, risk assessment and risk management techniques and an ability to evaluate commercial risk |
| A10 | Understanding of the key drivers for business success, including innovation, calculated commercial risks and customer satisfaction |
| A11 | Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (for example operations and management, application and development of technology, etc.) |
| A12 | Knowledge of characteristics of particular equipment, processes or products, with extensive knowledge and understanding of a wide range of engineering materials and components |
| A13 | Understanding of the use of technical literature and other information sources |
| A14 | Knowledge of relevant legal and contractual issues |
| A15 | Understanding of appropriate codes of practice and industry standards |
| A16 | Awareness of quality issues and their application to continuous improvement |
| A17 | A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations, and some appreciation of likely new developments |
| B1 | Ability to apply and integrate knowledge and understanding of other engineering disciplines to support study of their own engineering discipline and the ability to evaluate them critically and to apply them effectively |
| B2 | Understanding of engineering principles and the ability to apply them to undertake critical analysis of key engineering processes |
| B3 | Ability to identify, classify and describe the performance of systems and components through the use of analytical methods and modelling techniques |
| B4 | Understanding of, and the ability to apply, an integrated or systems approach to solving engineering problems |
| B5 | Investigate and define the problem, identifying any constraints including environmental and sustainability limitations; ethical, health, safety, security and risk issues; intellectual property; codes of practice and standards |
| B6 | Apply advanced problem-solving skills, technical knowledge and understanding, to establish rigorous and creative solutions that are fit for purpose for all aspects of the problem including production, operation, maintenance and disposal |
| B7 | Demonstrate wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations |
| B8 | Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development and ability to apply quantitative techniques where appropriate |
| B9 | Ability to apply relevant practical and laboratory skills |
| B10 | Ability to work with technical uncertainty |
| B11 | Ability to apply engineering techniques taking account of a range of commercial and industrial constraints |
| C1 | Understanding of concepts from a range of areas, including some outside engineering, and the ability to evaluate them critically and to apply them effectively in engineering projects |
| C2 | Ability to apply quantitative and computational methods, using alternative approaches and understanding their limitations, in order to solve engineering problems and implement appropriate action |
| C3 | Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies |
| C4 | Ability to extract and evaluate pertinent data and to apply engineering analysis techniques in the solution of unfamiliar problems |
| C5 | Understand and evaluate business, customer and user needs, including considerations such as the wider engineering context, public perception and aesthetics |
| C6 | Work with information that may be incomplete or uncertain, quantify the effect of this on the design and, where appropriate, use theory or experimental research to mitigate deficiencies |
| C7 | A Plan and manage the design process, including cost drivers, and evaluate outcomes |
| C8 | Communicate their work to technical and non-technical audiences |
| C9 | Demonstrate the ability to generate an innovative design for products, systems, components or processes to fulfil new needs |
| C10 | Understanding of different roles within an engineering team and the ability to exercise initiative and personal responsibility, which may be as a team member or leader |
| C11 | Apply their skills in problem solving, communication, information retrieval, working with others and the effective use of general IT facilities |
| C12 | Plan self-learning and improve performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD |
| C13 | Monitor and adjust a personal programme of work on an ongoing basis |
| C14 | Exercise initiative and personal responsibility, which may be as a team member or leader |
Course Structure
Level 4 Modules
| Module Code | Module Id | Module Title | Module Status | Credit Value | Module Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM1S50 | MOD010118 | Mathematics for Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineers | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG1S206 | MOD001273 | Design and Manufacture | Running | 20 | core |
| NG1S217 | MOD008969 | Engineering Computing Applications | Running | 20 | core |
| NG1S228 | MOD001278 | Engineering Mechanics 1 | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG1S234 | MOD008968 | Electrical Science | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG1S242 | MOD008372 | Thermofluids 1 | Running | 20 | specified |
Level 5 Modules
| Module Code | Module Id | Module Title | Module Status | Credit Value | Module Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NG2S231 | MOD001298 | Control and Instrumentation | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG2S242 | MOD008373 | Thermofluids 2 | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG2S243 | MOD010042 | Engineering Materials | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG2S254 | MOD010513 | Further Engineering Mathematics | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG2S312 | MOD012976 | Rocket and Space Technology | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG2S313 | MOD012977 | Aerospace Design | Running | 20 | core |
| GEPU203 | MOD013664 | Professional Practice and Sandwich Placement | Running | 120 | specified |
Level 6 Modules
| Module Code | Module Id | Module Title | Module Status | Credit Value | Module Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NG3D362 | MOD012322 | Integrative MEng Group Project | Running | 40 | core |
| NG3S238 | MOD010121 | Engineering Computational Analysis | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG3S362 | MOD012319 | Aircraft Flight Dynamics | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG3S365 | MOD012978 | Aerospace Propulsion | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG3S366 | MOD012979 | Aerospace Structures & Materials | Running | 20 | specified |
Level 7 Modules
| Module Code | Module Id | Module Title | Module Status | Credit Value | Module Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NG4D310 | MOD008975 | Integrative MEng Group Project | Running | 40 | core |
| NG4H312 | MOD008703 | Aeroelasticity | Running | 10 | specified |
| NG4H317 | MOD012982 | Space Environmental Management | Running | 10 | specified |
| NG4S258 | MOD010514 | Professional Engineering Management | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG4S315 | MOD012980 | Aerospace Systems | Running | 20 | specified |
| NG4S316 | MOD012981 | Aerothermodynamics | Running | 20 | specified |
Teaching and Assessment
Learning and Teaching Methods
Employer Engagement
Visiting Speakers
Visiting speakers are used to introduce students to current industry practice and to bring knowledge into the course not held by current specialists. Visitors would normally be professional engineers currently engaged in industry.
Volunteering
Students are encouraged to engage with volunteering opportunities advertised by the careers team. Opportunities to volunteer through the PSRBs are also communicated to the students.
Fieldwork
Not required for course.
Fieldtrips
Field trips will be organised by the course leader in conjunction with industrial collaborators.
Work Placements
Students have the option to take a sandwich year as a placement in industry, normally after completing their second year of study.? In addition, work placement opportunities (both in-term and during holidays), where available, will be communicated to the students.
Work-based Learning
The students have the option to take an industrial based project as their final year project, subject to appropriate moderation and supervision arrangements.
Sandwich Years
Students have the option to take a sandwich year after completing L5.
Other
Students will be given the opportunity to be student members of IMechE & RAeS. Student membership does not carry fees.
Means of Assessment
Learning Support
Induction
The initial induction period is used to introduce students to their Course Leaders (CL) and peers. Activities are designed to impart key course information but also allow opportunity for social engagement with staff and peers.
Activities are designed so that students need to work together in small groups, ensuring that they have ample opportunity to get to know each other. Information sessions are recorded and made available on Course Pages. This ensures that students who are late to enrol can catch up with any information missed.
Attendance records are used, to enable CLs to identify students who missed induction and may require additional support when they arrive.
Personal Academic Coach
All students are assigned a Personal Academic Coach during induction. PACs make initial contact with new students during induction week and then arrange a series face-to-face meetings. Students will normally remain with the same PAC throughout their studies. Returning students are sent reminder emails from their PAC at the start of the academic year, to remind them that their PAC is still available to offer support.
Learner Analytics
Course Leaders use Learner Analytics to monitor engagement. Module teams will report any concerns regarding engagement to the CL, to prompt further investigation. If the CL is unable to connect with the student and support them to reengage, further support is sought from the Progression team.
Office hours
Students are provided with a document which details the arrangements for contacting staff, with particular emphasis on the Open-Door Policy, which is now available both on campus and virtually.
The communications document identifies normal office hours as Monday to Friday between the hours of 09:00 and 17:00. Whilst staff sometimes provide online support outside these hours, this is discouraged for staff well-being reasons.
Tutorials
Tutorial sessions are used where appropriate to allow students an opportunity to practice engineering methods and to ask questions to enhance their learning.
Most modules are split into lecture and tutorial time to allow students to digest material and give them an opportunity to attempt the knowledge questions prior to attending a tutorial session if required.
During tutorial peer support is strongly encouraged.
We also offer PEER support sessions for the more complex modules, where for example a 2nd student will support 1st students through their studies. This is not supported by staff.
Seminars
We do not normally conduct seminars.
Formative Assessment
All modules include tutorial examples that enable students to practice relevant skills and techniques before being required to accomplish similar tasks for an assessment.
Progress meetings
Progress meetings are used for modules where students are required to undertake independent study, either individually or in groups, such as the Individual Project and Integrated Project modules. Students have to keep a log book of activities for their final year individual dissertation.
Research Supervision
Students undertaking individual research will have a supervisor to support them throughout the module. The student will usually be able to choose their own supervisor according to the specialism under consideration.
Online Resources
All learning materials are provided on Blackboard. Lecture notes are posted in advance of the lecture so that students can download them before the session. Lectures are recorded and links are also provided on Blackboard.
We make use of online reading lists.
Advice Zone
The Advice Zone is available to support students throughout their course. The Advice Zone can be accessed in person at Treforest campus or online. Students are signposted to the Advice Zone services during induction.
Disability
The Disability Service provides information, advice and guidance to and co-ordinates support for disabled USW students. This includes students with physical, sensory, mental health or unseen disabilities, specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia) and autism.
Students are signposted to the DS services during induction and are encouraged to engage with them as early as possible if they believe they may have a Specific Learning Difficulty. Staff use Individual Learning Plan information provided on Quercus to identify students who require adjustments.
IT/Library
Our designated Librarian supports the team by providing presentations to students on the resources available and how to access them. They support staff in identifying existing and new resources required for the course. They also provide one-to-one sessions to support students with individual research, as well as offering a variety of online support materials.
Course Exit Points
| Award | Criteria | Final |
|---|---|---|
| Master of Engineering | 480 credits of which at least 100 must be at Level 7 or above, 120 at Level 6 or above, 120 at Level 5 or above, 120 at Level 4 or above | Final |
| Bachelor of Engineering (with Honours) | 360 credits of which at least 100 must be at Level 6 or above, 120 at Level 5 or above, 120 at Level 4 or above and no more than 20 at Level 3 | Exit |
| Certificate of Higher Education | 120 credits of which at least 100 must be at Level 4 or above and no more than 20 at Level 3 | Exit |
| Diploma of Higher Education | 240 credits of which at least 100 must be at Level 5 or above, 120 credits at Level 4 or above and no more than 20 credits at Level 3. | Exit |
Progression Route
The following criteria applies for a Level 5 BEng student wanting to transfer to MEng for Level 6: A 60% grade average at L5 (Average of 120 L5 credits only)If the award is a progression route for other courses, please specify which and where they are delivered:PhD or Professional Doctorate
Entry Requirements
Admission to the course is typically through the following qualifications:
A Level - BBC to include Mathematics and one other Science subject.
BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit in a relevant Maths, Science or Engineering subject which must include Maths modules.
Inclusive Curriculum Statement
The University of South Wales operates a policy of inclusive learning, teaching and assessment to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to fulfil their educational potential. Course teams will have considered ways of designing out any potentially disadvantageous element of courses during the course design process. However some specific needs may remain, details about how to apply to have your needs assessed can be found at: http://unilife.southwales.ac.uk/pages/3040-disability-and-dyslexia-service/
Addendum for Delivery at a Partner Institution
N/A
Methods Of Quality Standards
N/A
Quality Of Standards Indicators
N/A