A young university student in a lab coat working on a satellite in a spacecraft testing facility, with mission control screens displaying orbital test data, representing the advanced technology environment of aerospace engineering study

DEGREE GUIDE

Aerospace Engineering

What do Aerospace Engineering degrees involve?

Aerospace Engineering degrees teach you how to design, develop, and maintain aircraft, spacecraft, and satellite systems. You will explore key areas such as aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, materials science, and space technology. These courses help you build strong problem-solving and technical skills while understanding how to improve flight performance, fuel efficiency, and structural integrity. You will also learn how to use advanced simulation tools, test aerospace materials, and work on real-world engineering challenges. With hands-on lab work, industry placements, and collaborative projects, you’ll gain the expertise needed for careers in aviation, space exploration, and defence technology.

Example
Modules

Aerodynamics: Explore the principles of fluid dynamics as they apply to the behaviour of air over aircraft surfaces, focusing on lift, drag, and airflow patterns.

Flight Mechanics: Study the performance, stability, and control of aircraft, analysing how forces and moments affect flight trajectories and manoeuvrability.

Aircraft Structures: Examine the design and analysis of airframe components, understanding material selection, stress distribution, and structural integrity under various loading conditions.

Common Degree Names

💼 Many Aerospace courses include a placement year in industry or at a research organisation.
🌍 Study abroad options are offered by several universities.

BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering
MEng Aerospace Engineering
BSc (Hons) Aviation Technology
BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering with Space Technology
BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering with Management

MEng is a four-year integrated Master’s degree including advanced study and design projects. This is a common route for students aiming for Chartered Engineer status.

A satellite component model on a workbench surrounded by spacecraft blueprints, circuit boards and precision tools, illustrating the hands-on technical design work in aerospace engineering

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL)/ Scottish Highers)

Aerospace Engineering covers both aircraft and spacecraft design. Like Aeronautical Engineering, it's mathematically demanding and requires strong foundations in physics.

You'll need:

Maths – essential for all Aerospace Engineering courses
Physics – key to understanding flight, propulsion, and mechanics

Subjects that could strengthen your application:

Further Maths (or IB AA HL) – valuable for competitive courses
Computer Science or Chemistry – useful additions depending on the course focus

✨ Maths and Physics together are essential for most courses. If you're missing one, look for foundation year options.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diploma in Engineering, usually alongside A-level Maths; competitive universities also require A-level Physics or strong physics content within the BTEC
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside A-levels that meet the subject requirements above
T-Level in Engineering (any of the three Engineering pathways), usually alongside A-level Maths
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with Maths and Physics at Higher Level among your IB subjects (minimum two, ideally three), alongside your Career-Related Study; an Engineering pathway would be directly relevant

Always check the entry requirements for the exact course you’re applying to on the institution’s website. Entry criteria can vary more than you might expect!

Level 2 (GCSE / MYP / National 5)

You’ll usually need:

GCSE Maths and English at grade 4/C or higher (or equivalent)
Science (Physics or Combined Science) is helpful and often expected

Some top programmes may ask for a grade 6 or higher in GCSE Maths, due to the level of maths involved in the degree.

🚀 Showing an interest in space technology, coding, or joining engineering clubs at school can really strengthen your application.

💬 Interviews

Interviews are not usually required, but some universities interview as part of the selection process. These are typically a chance to discuss your interest in the subject and how you approach problems, rather than a test of what you already know.

🔍 Work/Volunteering Experience

You don't need work experience to apply for aerospace engineering. If you have a school placement to fill, anything involving engineering, manufacturing, or design is useful. Building and launching model rockets, entering engineering or rocketry competitions, or working on design-and-build projects in your own time all help you explore whether this field suits you. Virtual work experience programmes offer a structured look at what aerospace engineers actually do.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What draws you to aerospace specifically - is it spacecraft, satellites, aircraft, or propulsion systems? Being specific helps admissions tutors see you've thought seriously about the field. If you've built model rockets, explored flight simulation, or simply found yourself researching how things escape Earth's gravity, reflect on what questions those experiences raised for you. You don't need fancy projects or work experience, but showing genuine curiosity about how things fly (or orbit) - and the maths and physics behind it - shows you've engaged seriously with the subject.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Engineering or Science

Many universities offer an engineering foundation year if you don't have the required Maths and Physics grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Engineering or Science)

Accepted by many universities. Make sure your course includes strong maths and physics content, and aim for Distinctions in your graded units — engineering courses typically expect high results.

💼 Level 3 Apprenticeships

Engineering apprenticeships such as Engineering Technician or Aerospace Manufacturing Fitter carry UCAS tariff points from 2026 and can support a university application, particularly when combined with a foundation year.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

Start Your Journey → £3 a month

Full access to all self-discovery tools and guides. Cancel anytime.

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

Context sentence

Heading 6

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Heading 6

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

custom skills note goes here

Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with an Aerospace Engineering degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Machines, Structures & How Things Are Engineered: Aerospace Engineering is about designing things that fly through the air and beyond it. You'll study how aircraft are structured, how jet engines and rockets produce thrust, how control systems keep vehicles stable, and how materials survive extreme conditions.

The Planet, the Universe & What's Out There: Space sits alongside flight as a core part of the degree. You'll look at how satellites are designed, how spacecraft operate in orbit, and how space missions are planned, giving you an engineering grounding in astronautics.

Mathematics, Patterns & Data: Pattern recognition and mathematical modelling are central to the degree. You'll work with the equations of fluid dynamics and orbital mechanics, build computational models of aircraft and spacecraft behaviour, and use data from wind tunnels, simulations, and flight testing to make engineering decisions.

Students who thrive in an Aerospace Engineering degree are often motivated by

Precision and Thoroughness

You feel satisfied when work is done accurately and completely. Whether it's getting calculations exactly right, spotting errors others miss, or making sure every detail is correct, the pursuit of precision gives you a sense of accomplishment. Sloppy or "good enough" work frustrates you, and you take pride in getting things right first time.

Practical Problem-Solving

You're energised by finding fixes to real-life issues, whether they're mechanical, technological, or social. You're motivated by problems you can see, touch, or experience directly, and you get satisfaction from solutions that work in practice, not just in theory. You'd rather build a prototype than write a report about one.

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Creativity and Innovation

You're energised by the act of creating something new or finding a fresh way to approach a problem. Whether it's designing, writing, building, or experimenting, you feel most alive when you're generating original ideas rather than following established methods. The possibility that something has never been done before excites rather than intimidates you.

Intellectual Challenge

You're energised by pushing your mind to its limits, tackling difficult questions, and wrestling with problems that don't have easy answers. You're drawn to work that requires deep concentration and rigorous thinking. The harder the problem, the more satisfying it feels to work through it, and you'd rather be stretched than comfortable. Easy work bores you rather than relaxing you.

What makes Aerospace Engineering click for the students who love it?

For them, flight is only the start of it. They want to know how rockets leave the atmosphere and how a spacecraft survives the trip, and they enjoy analysing how aerodynamics, propulsion and structures behave when the margins are tiny and an error has nowhere to hide. They don't mind that the core engineering is shared with other fields, because what draws them is flight and space.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you find yourself curious about how things fly or how spacecraft work — wanting to understand the engineering behind it, not just the idea?
Do you enjoy using computers and software to model and simulate things that would be difficult or impossible to test in real life?
Do you like working on complex problems where lots of different systems have to work together perfectly?
Do you find it exciting to think about engineering at the extremes — designing for conditions like space, high speeds, or extreme temperatures?

Careers an Aerospace Engineering degree could lead you to

Aerospace Engineering

What do Aerospace Engineering degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

Heading 6

Heading 6

Is this a good fit for you?

Careers an Aerospace Engineering degree could lead you to

Example
Modules