CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY
Cranfield creates leaders and innovators in science, technology, engineering and management. As a wholly postgraduate University in the UK, our world-class teaching programmes, industrial-scale facilities, close links with business, industry and governments, plus an international outlook, attract students and teaching staff from across the globe.
STUDY AT CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY
Cranfield offers a portfolio of Master's, research, and professional development courses in diverse fields like management, sustainability, energy, defence, bioscience, technology, and engineering. What makes Cranfield University unique is that its education is fundamentally research-driven and geared toward practical application, which is facilitated by its well-established partnerships and close ties with the industrial sector.
Prospective students can find degree programmes, information on entry requirements, and application guidance on the university's website.
HISTORY OF CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY
The theme running through Cranfield’s history is a commitment to and passion for applied research which makes a difference to the world in the fields of science, technology and management.
The forerunner of Cranfield University was the College of Aeronautics, created in 1946 and based at the RAF station in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. Through the 1950s and 1960s, the development of many aspects of aircraft research and design led to considerable growth and diversification into other areas such as manufacturing and management.
The Environment and Agrifood Theme combine research groups with 50+ years of experience in contributing to societal challenges such as sustainability, enhancing natural capital and future global food systems resilience.
In 1967, the School of Management was founded.
In 1969, the College of Aeronautics became the Cranfield Institute of Technology, incorporated by Royal Charter with full degree-awarding powers.
More recently, there has been further substantial progress, including an academic partnership with the Defence Academy, UK at Shrivenham in Wiltshire.
SPECIALIST AREAS AT CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY
- Advanced manufacturing
- Aerospace
- Agrifood
- AI and Robotics
- Automotive
- Aviation
- Banking and Finance
- Business
- Clean Energy
- Computer Science
- Defence
- Design Engineering
- Entrepreneurship
- Environment
- Hydrogen
- Leadership and Skills
- Marketing and Sales
- Materials Engineering
- Safety
- Security
- Space
- Supply Chain
- Water
LIFE ON CAMPUS
Cranfield University offers a truly international community where students come from all over the world to further their studies in a rural, peaceful environment.
Both Cranfield and Shrivenham are fully self-contained centres of academic excellence, set in extensive grounds in classic English countryside, just short distances from towns, cities and many other places of interest.
Excellent transport links make it easy to get around and explore, with London, one of the world’s most global and cosmopolitan cities, just 50 miles from Cranfield and 80 miles from Shrivenham.
On campus, there is a true sense of community, helping you to forge friendships during your studies and leisure time, in a safe and peaceful environment. Whatever your recreational, social or sporting interests, there are many opportunities to make friends and have a great time.
Cranfield University welcomes students from over 100 countries every year, forming an international community where cultural diversity is valued and cherished.
There is a wide range of accommodation to meet different requirements, including family homes and single student apartment blocks.
STUDENT SUPPORT AT CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY
Cranfield’s central point of contact is the Student Wellbeing and Disability Support team which offers professional and confidential advice and guidance to help students navigate their time at Cranfield and access the right resources.
For many people, university is a place to make lifelong friends, gain a wealth of experience, strengthen your academic education and enhance your skills to take your career to the next level. It may be daunting to start with, but there is plenty of help and support available to you at Cranfield. The most important thing is to seek information, advice or support whenever you need it.
What extra support is available for international students?
International students at Cranfield can receive support through various resources, including a dedicated Student Immigration Team for visa advice, the Student Wellbeing and Disability Support team for mental and personal well-being, and numerous scholarships and bursaries for financial assistance. The university also provides academic support, access to IT services and industry-standard software, and services to help students settle into university life.
CRANFIELD FACILITIES
Cranfield is one of only a few universities in the world to own and run its own airport, maintaining an aerospace heritage stretching back to 1946. Many facilities are industry standard, used by other universities and serve as essential, front-line resources for the UK.
These include:
- The National Flying Laboratory Centre and the National Wind Tunnel facility
- Plant growth facility home to plant growth studies interfacing with the soil management facilities
- The National Reference Centre for Soils
- The Magan Centre of Applied Mycology is an interdisciplinary world-leading centre of excellence dedicated to pioneering mycological research that harnesses the transformative potential of fungi in fostering a sustainable, green economy
- Cranfield Impact Centre; one of just three FIA-approved test centres in the world, crash-testing Formula One cars
- The Wolfson laboratory, which is used for measuring soil carbon balances and fluxes under field conditions, and a pilot-scale plant phenotyping and soil health facility in a nine-metre-high glasshouse
- National Research Facility for Water and Wastewater Treatment, which provides a unique collection of at-scale testbeds to support research on pollutant removal mechanisms and resilient operation of both engineered and environmental water and wastewater systems
- Centre for Defence Engineering and Physical Science, which is used to develop and characterise explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics
- Safety and Accident Investigation Centre deliver award-winning teaching, research and consultancy in safety management, human factors, airworthiness and accident/incident investigation
- UKCRIC National Research Facility for Water and Wastewater Treatment is Cranfield’s
- Aerospace Integration Research Centre, an innovative aerospace research centre that will change the design of future aircraft
- The Cranfield Power and Propulsion Laboratory (CPPL) is used to train new talent urgently needed by industry, including those enrolled in master’s and PhD programmes at Cranfield, such as The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Net Zero Aviation
SPORTS AND SOCIETIES AT CRANFIELD
Sport facilities at the Cranfield campus include a sports centre, which incorporates a fitness centre, playing fields, sports pitches and several tennis courts. The fitness centre contains an extensive range of cardiovascular and resistance machines and free weights. A number of sports clubs also operate within the multi-purpose area of the gym and compete in inter-university and local leagues.
Cranfield Students' Association (CSA)
When you join Cranfield, you will have a wealth of opportunities to meet new people and get involved in a wide range of clubs and societies run by student volunteers.
The CSA is run by a team of elected students and supported by a small team of staff. The aim of the CSA is to support and represent Cranfield University students, promote student welfare and organise social, cultural and sporting activities. Together with support from current students, the CSA student officers and school representatives also aim to ensure all students are provided with the support and services they need.
Throughout the year, the CSA organises regular entertainment including freshers' and graduation events, live bands, discos and the President's Ball. The CSA also organises trips to places of interest around the country, according to requests from members.
ACCOMMODATION AT CRANFIELD
Cranfield offers individual rooms in halls of residence and shared houses, as well as apartments for couples and family homes. Students can choose between self-catering and catered options.
Cranfield’s campus feels like a small village, with lecture spaces, labs, shops, cafes and sports facilities all within walking distance. All the accommodation includes utility bills, wi-fi, 24/7 security and ample free parking. With safe communal areas to relax and socialise – plus no travel costs or long commutes – living on campus offers comfort, convenience, and a strong sense of community.
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
Cranfield’s master’s and research students come from all over the world, bringing diverse perspectives, as well as industrial experience in technology and management to enrich the student’s learning environment.
When you study at Cranfield you are not only choosing a UK specialist postgraduate university, but you are also choosing a university with a truly global reputation.
INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS
Cranfield prides itself on its unique and close partnerships with industries across its specialist areas, creating significant mutual benefits that directly enhance the student and alumni experience. These collaborations are integral to the university's mission, as industry insights help inform and shape course content, ensuring degrees remain current and relevant to the needs of the modern workplace.
Furthermore, these relationships provide students with real-world research challenges—often facilitated through dedicated industrial-scale facilities—and serve as vital, potential sources of student employment and career opportunities upon graduation. Through these deep ties, Cranfield ensures its graduates are equipped not just with theoretical knowledge, but with practical expertise valued by leading employers.
STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES AND INTERNSHIPS
Some Cranfield courses will provide you with the opportunity to take part in an internship placement or a study abroad option. Your placement will provide the opportunity to gain invaluable practical experience in a real working environment, deepen your knowledge, gain insight into your chosen sector, and the potential to build a network of contacts. It enables you to put the skills you learn during the course into practice. You will also undertake a practical supervised thesis based on your placement.
EMPLOYABILITY AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Cranfield supports its students through a dedicated Careers and Employability Service, which fields a team with significant real-world experience in coaching, recruitment, human resources, and business development to help students develop their personal career journey and secure meaningful employment.
This support is bolstered by the university's unrivalled links with business, industry, and government, as Cranfield's programmes are designed in close collaboration with these sectors to ensure students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the latest challenges facing both public and private sector organisations.
The university maintains mutually beneficial relationships with around 1,500 companies and organisations across over 40 countries, including major names like Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, easyJet, Coca-Cola, the UK Civil Aviation Authority, and the UK Ministry of Defence, just to name a few.
STUDY IN CRANFIELD
Located at the heart of the UK's Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford arc, Cranfield’s world-class courses, unrivalled facilities, close links with industry, and international outlook all combine to attract students and teaching staff from around the globe. Cranfield is known to be in the hub of the Silicon Valley as it’s in close proximity to Milton Keynes, which has been awarded smart city status.
WHY STUDY AT THE CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY
Cranfield’s staff-to-student ratio of 1:6, is one of the best of any university in the UK. 93% of graduates are in relevant employment or further study 15 months post completion of their course. Students tell us that the hands-on, practical approach, the specialist focus, and the depth and excellence of the education, research and industry links are what attract them to come here.
Cranfield’s programmes are structured to offer many choices from full and part-time study, including short courses. On some courses, students can choose to start studies at different times of the year. Cranfield’s taught programmes can deliver an MSc, MBA, MRes, PgDip or PgCert.
