BEng(Hons) Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies (with Foundation Year)
This course is open for applications
Introduction
Get on track for our BEng(Hons) Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies degree by completing a foundation year. If you're committed to an engineering future and have a less conventional background, this is the course for you.
Accreditations and partnerships:
Why study Aerospace Engineering with Pilot studies?
BEng(Hons) Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies offers an Aerospace Engineering degree with aviation industry-focused insight and skills development, allowing graduates to become more informed engineers or pilots depending on their future career interest and training.
If you're fascinated by the history, technology and progress of aircraft and aviation, we'll take your passion and transform it into career-shaping skills and experience.
Why UWE Bristol?
Our new inclusive, problem-based curriculum will broaden our engineering audience, enabling students from a wider range of backgrounds to pursue a career in engineering. To date, we're the first university in the UK to transform our curriculum alongside constructing a new engineering building.
You'll explore aerospace engineering alongside the competencies required of a Private Pilot Licence. The Pilot Study modules are based on real-world pilot training material (but not approved/certified training assessments) with a focus on providing knowledge in areas such as navigation, aviation safety, aircraft instrument systems and regulations at a practical level. The Aerospace Engineering modules provide skills and capabilities in disciplines such as materials and structures; aerodynamics, propulsion and manufacturing. Additional modules provide tutoring towards professional practice, such as project work, communication, and presentation skills.
This course will give you a good grounding towards a Private Pilot Licence (PPL) but completion of the degree does not lead to a full PPL and does not assure being granted a flying licence of any sort.
See the Structure section below for more details.
The course has been accredited for the intakes from 2023-2024 by the Royal Aeronautical Society on behalf of the Engineering Council and re-accreditation is currently being sought for the intakes from 2025 onwards.
Where can it take me?
You'll be able to work as a graduate aerospace engineer across the engineering sector as an effective member of a multidisciplinary team or further develop your pilot training and skills to pursue a career as, for example, a first officer with a major airline.
The course will provide you with the requisite knowledge, skills and preparation for progression to study for higher degrees in appropriate engineering disciplines.
Take a look at the Engineering building
Step inside our new School of Engineering building at UWE Bristol
Structure
Content
The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.
Year zero (foundation year)
You'll study:
- Engineering Experimentation
- Foundation Group Project
- Foundation Mathematics: Algebra and Calculus
- Foundation Mechanics
- Introduction to Mechatronics.
You normally need to pass your foundation year before going into year one.
Year one
You'll study:
- Aerospace Thermofluids
- Dynamics Modelling and Simulation
- Engineering Practice 1
- Introduction to Pilot Studies
- Solid Mechanics, Materials and Manufacturing.
Year two
You'll study:
- Engineering Practice 2
- Engineering Research
- Structural Mechanics
- Fundamental Aerodynamics
- Flight
- Aerospace Systems Design
- Fundamental Aero-Propulsion.
Placement year (if applicable)
If you study on the five-year sandwich course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work placement after year two.
You'll complete a placement learning module.
See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.
Year three
You'll study:
- Engineering Project
- Aerospace Group Design Project
- Pilot and Airline Operations
- Professionalism for Engineers.
Plus, two optional modules from:
- Aero Structures
- Avionics
- Composite Engineering
- Control Engineering
- Further Aero-Propulsion
- Further Aerodynamics
- Spaceflight
- Space Engineering
- Digital Manufacturing in Aerospace
- Integrated Electro-Mechanical Systems.
To achieve the award of BEng(Hons) Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies you must complete (and evidence by logbook) a minimum of 20 hours flying training in a powered aircraft with a licenced trainer to combine practical experience with the theoretical knowledge. This practical flying training will incur an additional cost on top of the course tuition fees. These additional costs will vary depending on the number of hours in training and the location of the training.
We'll facilitate finding the best training options for the practical flying required to achieve the programme's learning outcomes. Two recommended options for flight training are through our current partnerships:
- Wings Alliance (flying with one of the training schools in the local Bristol area)
- Northwestern Michigan College (participating in a short course in the USA).
An aerospace engineer who holds a pilot licence usually presents a broader understanding of the practical aspects of flight and aircraft performance. Whilst we encourage students to build on their learning as part of the course to gain their full licence, there is a need to complete training in your own time at your own expense that is not included as part of the course or the tuition fee.
If you don't complete the required minimum of 20 hours flying training you'll not be able to graduate with the award of BEng(Hons) Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies. You'll be eligible to transfer to and graduate with the award of BEng(Hons) Aerospace Engineering, provided you achieve all the requirements of that award.
For more details on this course, please contact the programme leader.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.
Learning and Teaching
Learn through lectures, tutorials and seminars with a programme of laboratory, practical and project work.
You'll design, develop and optimise a model aircraft in the first year Introduction to Aeronautics module. You'll have the opportunity to undertake a flight test course in a real aircraft in your third year and you'll also work in group projects to such as the ImechE Umnanned Aerial System (UAS) Challenge.
See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Assessment
You can expect to be assessed through a mix of assignments, exams, continuous assessment and group work depending on the module. In your final year, a project report and presentation will form part of the assessment.
We encourage you to exhibit your final year work at our annual degree show, where you can discuss your work and celebrate your achievements with family, friends and potential employers.
Learn more about assessments at UWE Bristol.
Features
Professional accreditation
The course has been accredited for the intakes from 2023-2024 by the Royal Aeronautical Society on behalf of the Engineering Council and re-accreditation is currently being sought for the intakes from 2025 onwards.
Placements
If you choose the five year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work placement after year two. The placement year provides an opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge in an industry setting and to start to build a professional network as part of your degree.
We work in partnership with Bristol employers like Airbus, Rolls Royce, GE Aviation and Leonardo Helicopters. We also have strong relationships with smaller companies across the UK. They provide both work placements and graduate employment opportunities for our students. Past students have worked with Airbus, GE Aviation, E-Stress, Rolls Royce, Qinetic and Lockheed Martin.
It is your responsibility to find and secure a placement. You can get help to find your placement and support throughout from the staff within the School and our award-winning careers service.
Fieldwork
Throughout the course, you'll see aerospace engineering in action at a range of facilities.
This includes visits to Airbus, GKN and the National Composites Centre and museums such as the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovil.
In your first year, you'll design and build a model glider aircraft's wings, then race it against the competition.
Study facilities
Our new engineering building is designed to inspire the engineers of the future. Built for hands-on investigation. It's an ideal environment for encouraging you to explore, take risks and discover ways to change the world for the better.
Apply what you've learned and develop vital professional skills in this and other well-equipped facilities.
Design, model and simulate new aerospace concepts using industry-standard computer-aided design (CAD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation and planning software on our extensive PC network.
Test vehicle aerodynamics in our subsonic and supersonic wind tunnels. Develop and test materials using our composite manufacturing facilities and stress and materials laboratories.
Try out designs using our industry standard flight simulator, which you can update with your prototype aircraft's model data to validate its handling qualities and performance.
A mix of traditional and hands-on learning environments helps you quickly take on essential knowledge and skills, standing you in good stead for your professional career.
Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.
Take a personalised virtual tour of the Engineering facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.
Start your dream career at UWE Bristol
Life
Accommodation
An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.
Bristol
A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.
Sports, societies and activities
There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.
Health and Wellbeing
We provide support in the way you need it.
Campus and facilities
Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.
Careers
Careers / Further study
Our BEng(Hons) Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies will equip you with industry knowledge and an in-depth understanding of the aerospace design and build process. Study materials and manufacturing, stress and dynamics, energy and thermodynamics to gain a solid grounding in aerospace engineering.
There's an increasing demand for qualified aerospace engineers in the industry, so you'll have strong employability prospects. Many of our graduates go into careers in the design and manufacture of civil and military aircraft, helicopters and jet engines.
Our course will prepare you for employment in leading aerospace companies such as Airbus UK, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo, MBDA, Boeing and GE Systems.
Graduate ready to take up your place within the exciting, fast-paced aerospace industry. You'll develop core skills that you'll take with you through your career, such as innovation, teamwork and creativity.
Get inspired
Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and help find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.
We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.
Visit our employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.
Fees*
Full-time; Sandwich course
Indicative Additional Costs
Supplementary fee information
*The UK Government recently proposed that tuition fees for Home students will increase by 3.1% to £9,535 from 1st August 2025. This increase is subject to Parliamentary approval and the vote is expected to take place later this year.
Any tuition fee which is impacted by this change will be updated following approval.
Please see GOV.UK for further information.
Your overall entitlement to funding is based on how long the course is that you're registered on. Standard funding is allocated based on the standard number of years that your course lasts, plus one additional year.
You'll apply for funding each year that you study and Student Finance will take into account how long the course is in each year that you apply. So if you register for the five year course and then transfer to the four year course, the number of years you can apply for funding will change. Student Finance will reassess your funding based on how many years you have been in study, not just those years for which you received student finance.
Always seek advice before taking any action that may have implications for your funding.
Additional costs
This refers to items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing.
For this course, the cost of the required 20 hours flying training will be an additional cost and is not covered by the tuition fee.
Entry
Typical offers
- Tariff points: 80
- Contextual tariff: See our contextual offers page.
- GCSE: Grade C/4 in English and Mathematics, or equivalent.
- English Language Requirement:
International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in English Language requirements.
- A-level subjects: No specific subjects required.
- EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: No specific subjects required.
For information on required Guided Learning Hours please see our minimum entry requirements page.
- Access: No specific subjects required.
- Baccalaureate IB: No specific subjects required.
- Irish Highers: No specific subjects required.
- T Levels: No specific subjects required.
Entry requirements
If you exceed the entry requirements you may be eligible for BEng(Hons) Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies.
International applicants
If you are an international student your recommended route of study for this degree is through our International College, which upon successful completion to the required level and with good attendance, guarantees entry to Year one of the degree.
Read more about entry requirements.
How to apply
Read more about undergraduate applications.
Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.
For further information
- Email:
UK applicants
Admissions@uwe.ac.ukInternational/EU applicants
International@uwe.ac.uk - Telephone:
UK applicants
+44 (0)117 32 83333International/EU applicants
+44 (0)117 32 86644