Mechanical Engineering/Aerospace with Industrial Placement Year

Mechanical engineering with aerospace is a degree that combines the core disciplines of mechanical engineering, from thermodynamics and fluid mechanics to materials science and structural analysis, with the specialist knowledge that aerospace demands. Aerospace engineering is concerned with designing, building, and operating aircraft, spacecraft, and the systems that keep them aloft, from wing aerodynamics and propulsion to lightweight materials and avionics. It is one of the most technically demanding branches of engineering and one of the most internationally significant.

At Southampton, which has offered aerospace engineering degrees since the 1930s and has a strong tradition of producing graduates for the aerospace, defence and space sectors, you will study this five-year programme that includes an industrial placement year. That placement gives you extended professional experience in an engineering environment before you return to complete your studies, developing practical knowledge and industry connections that are directly valuable when you graduate. Across the programme you will cover the foundational mechanical engineering curriculum before specialising in aerospace systems, including advanced modules in wing design, propulsion, manufacturing, and the engineering analysis of the aircraft as a complex integrated system.

Graduates of mechanical engineering with aerospace are highly sought after in the aerospace and defence sectors, working on commercial aircraft development, military systems, space launch vehicles, satellites, and related technologies. Southampton graduates have built successful careers across the space industry, aerospace primes, defence contractors, and the growing private space sector. The mechanical engineering foundation also opens doors in automotive, energy, marine, and general engineering.

Many graduates pursue chartered engineer status through professional engineering institutions. Postgraduate study in aerospace engineering, fluid dynamics, structural mechanics, or propulsion is a natural route for those who wish to pursue research or highly specialised roles.