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The space industry employs graduates from many disciplines - visit the European Space Agency (ESA) website and you will find degrees in Law, Economics, Business and Mathematics listed amongst the required qualifications for its current job vacancies.

 

Space missions require specialists from all scientific fields; for example a mission to Mars to search for life would require people with backgrounds in geology and biology, so you don't have to study engineering in order to get into space science. However, if you would like to help create the launch technology and spacecraft of the future, you will need a technical qualification, such as a Physics or an Engineering degree.

 

An Engineering degree will cover core Engineering subjects, and any space topics will be geared towards design and manufacture of spacecraft. Related Physics degrees will have a core of Physics, and the space related subjects will be more theoretical, detailing the science conducted in space (astronomy, remote sensing of the Earth) as well as the theory behind rocketry and satellite design.

 

British Degrees

The benefits of studying such a degree in Britain vary depending on your own country of origin. Students coming from nations without any space industry will probably benefit most, though coming from any non-English speaking country to study in Britain is advantageous if you are considering working for a multinational organisation after you graduate. One example of the benefits of acquiring technical knowledge in English: ESA requires its employees to have a good level of fluency in either English and/or French. The British degree system is recognised and accepted worldwide, and the cultural benefits of studying in a foreign country cannot be overstated.

 

The length of undergraduate degrees in Britain is three, four or five years, and you can study for either a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or an undergraduate Masters degree (MPhys, MEng). A Masters will take a year longer, and is intended to give the student a broader basis in their chosen discipline. This qualification should not be confused with a postgraduate Masters (MSc or MRes), which is taken separately after an undergraduate degree - this is generally a year in length, and usually involves specialising in an area related to your undergraduate study.

 

All the university degrees listed require the equivalent of 'A' levels in order to enrol on a degree course. Contact either the university you are interested in attending or UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) in order to check what you need. You will also need to demonstrate fluency in English; its best to apply as early as possible to give yourself time to take language exams if necessary, or to find out visa requirements.

 

Space Degrees

There are several universities that offer directly space-related subjects as either undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications. Space degrees are usually combined with either Physics or Engineering, and some with Earth or Planetary Sciences. The most relevant engineering titles are Astronautics, Aerospace and Aeronautics.

 

For Physics with Space Science/Technology, there are only a handful of institutions listed in the UCAS database. The total percentage of international students is noted in brackets: University of Wales (Aberystwyth), Birmingham (11%), UKC (Kent, 23%), Leicester (7%) and again Salford, Southampton and UCL. These are the most space research-oriented universities in the UK. Most of the above universities offer related degrees in Physics with Astrophysics or Astronomy, which may also be worth consideration.

 

There are presently no undergraduate Astronautics degrees on offer in Britain. However, if you are interested in engineering, a first degree in Aerospace or Aeronautics will take you in the right direction, but will have less course material directly related to space studies.

 

There are many universities that offer undergraduate degrees in these, and related, disciplines. The institutions listed as offering Aerospace degrees are as follows: Bath (13%), University of West England (Bristol, 2%), Coventry (6%), Farnborough College of Technology (8%), Hertfordshire (15%), Imperial College London (27%), Kingston (12%), Liverpool (6%), Manchester (11%), UMIST (Manchester, 15%), Queen Mary and Westfield (London, 17%), Salford (5%), Sheffield (11%), Southampton (7%) and Surrey (19%).

The number of institutions offering degrees in Aeronautics is even longer (visit the UCAS Website for a complete listing) - for those particularly interested in studying in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland pickings are thin. UCAS lists Glasgow (5%), Strathclyde (4%), UHI (Scotland, 1%), North East Wales Institute of Technology (9%) and Queens (Belfast, 12%) as offering degrees in Aeronautics. Those universities that also list Physics with Space Science degrees are more likely to include space options in their engineering degrees.

 

Many of the previously listed institutions also offer postgraduate qualifications in space science and engineering. A notable addition to the above lists should be Cranfield University, which has a College of Aeronautics offering several space-related postgraduate degrees (and undergraduate degrees in Aeromechanical Engineering) and has a high proportion of international students (10%).

 

Before deciding where to study you should, of course, consider the finances required, factoring in possible scholarships on offer. You should also think about the location of an institution and the particular provisions made for international students. Then, most importantly, you should consider the standard of education on offer with relation to your particular needs. Has the department scored highly in a QTA (quality teaching assessment)? Do they have a history of space research? Have they been/are they currently involved in space missions? What kinds of facilities (laboratories, clean rooms) are available? Does the course under consideration cover your personal topics of interest? What do their graduate students go on to do?

 

Find Out More

To find out the answers to these questions and more, the UCAS Website (www.ucas.ac.uk) has links to all the universities listed in this article, and up-to date lists of all undergraduate courses available in the UK. For information about space related activities in the UK, visit the UKSEDS Website (www.uk.seds.org), which also has links to the strongest space-oriented institutions listed here, and provides listings of undergraduate and postgraduate space degrees. If you are interested in postgraduate courses, check internationalgraduate.net.

 

Jessica Hall is a recent graduate in Physics with Space Science and Technology from Leicester University.

 

Author: Dr Chris Welch, Course Director, MEng/BEng Aerospatial Engineering, Kingston University

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