Aerospace Engineering MSc

From your very first day, you won’t just be sitting in lectures—you’ll be rolling up your sleeves and getting hands-on experience in some of the most advanced aerospace facilities out there. Imagine testing airflow in wind tunnels, flying virtual aircraft in a flight simulator, or building UAVs in a specialist lab. Every step is about turning theory into practice.

Here’s what that looks like:

Wind tunnels, flight simulation & UAV labs – You’ll actually run wind tunnel experiments, explore flying dynamics in a simulator, and design in the autonomous UAV laboratory.

Helicopter test rigs & structural testing – Curious how helicopters really behave? These labs let you experiment with rotorcraft systems and see how structures hold up under real pressure.

Computer labs for simulation & modelling – Whether it’s aerodynamic design, CFD, or system modelling, you’ll use professional-grade tools to bring your concepts to life—from early ideas to validated designs.

Learning Through Real Projects

You won’t just learn by doing individual tasks—you’ll tackle bigger, structured projects that mirror real industry challenges.

Aerospace Systems Team Design Project (ENG5012) – Work as a team to model and design a flight control system for a tethered helicopter UAV. Along the way, you’ll practice collaboration, project planning, and system evaluation.

Aerospace Design Project (ENG5264) – In small groups, you’ll design an aircraft concept from scratch to meet set performance targets. It’s about applying analytical methods and simulation tools—while also learning risk management, reporting, and presentation skills.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) module (ENG4037) – Learn the ins and outs of CFD by setting up aerodynamic problems, running simulations, and validating your models. By the end, you’ll have genuine working knowledge of fluid simulation.

Beyond the Classroom: Internships & Placements

To make sure you graduate with both knowledge and experience, you’ll also get plenty of chances to step into real-world aerospace environments.

Summer projects or industrial placements – Spend your summer either on a focused research project or out in industry, applying your learning in real time.

Student Opportunities Hub internships – Whether on campus or with external organisations, you’ll have access to paid, supervised internships that give you practical, resume-ready experience—even outside the summer term.

✨ By blending hands-on labs, team design projects, and real industry placements, the program ensures you don’t just learn aerospace—you live it.

Glasgow gives students practical, one-to-one support from day one. The dedicated Careers & Employability team run tailored services — CV and interview coaching, mock assessments, sector-specific career clinics and regular employer networking events. MSc students also get personalised career guidance (appointments with advisers who know postgraduate paths), help accessing internships and placements, and invitations to employer-led masterclasses and recruitment fairs. These make the jump from study to work much more straightforward.

Employment statistics and salary figures

Graduates from related engineering fields at Glasgow see excellent outcomes: a professional employment rate of 92.6% (for comparable engineering programmes) highlights how well-prepared students are for the labour market. Where relevant, you can pair that figure with an indicative starting-salary range for recent MSc graduates (or a median figure, if available) to give readers a clearer sense of financial outcomes.

University–industry partnerships

The School has long-standing links with industry — these connections translate into guest lectures, collaborative research and recruitment routes for graduates. Where official MSc-level resources list specific employers, name them (for example, BAE Systems, Thales, QinetiQ) to show real-world pathways. If such named evidence isn’t available in programme materials, simply emphasise the School’s strong research and industry ties as the driver behind those opportunities.

Long-term accreditation & reputation value

The School’s reputation matters for credibility and long-term career value. Being ranked #1 in Scotland for Aeronautical & Aerospace Engineering in the Complete University Guide 2025 is a clear signal to employers that the programme meets rigorous standards — an asset on any CV and when applying for competitive roles or further study.

Graduation outcomes

Put simply: Glasgow MSc graduates move into meaningful, often technical roles across defence, aerospace, engineering consultancies and research organisations. Reinforce the earlier points by repeating key outcomes — high employability rate, employer links (BAE Systems, Thales, QinetiQ if you can cite them), and the School’s research-led teaching — to show prospective students the likely next steps after graduation.