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Should I do a MSc at Cranfield University?

Hello folks,

I'm going into my final year of undergrad and my intention is to do a MSc in Air Transport Management.

My lecturer advised me that Cranfield is one of the best universities when it comes to post-graduate studies in aeronautics and aviation. Is this university well respected and worth the investment?

Thanks! :smile:
Original post by bongbingbong
Hello folks,

I'm going into my final year of undergrad and my intention is to do a MSc in Air Transport Management.

My lecturer advised me that Cranfield is one of the best universities when it comes to post-graduate studies in aeronautics and aviation. Is this university well respected and worth the investment?

Thanks! :smile:

Hi bongbingbong!

Chuffed to hear the recommendation from your current lecturer! I'm a student at Cranfield, I'm currently doing my PhD which is in Precision Engineering, but I also did an MRes here before my PhD.

We are very well known and respected within industry. We have our own airport which is unique, and as we work with lots of aerospace companies we are able to offer some really cool projects for students to undertake.

There's some useful information on our blogs, most of which are written by students: https://blogs.cranfield.ac.uk/category/aerospace

Is there anything in particular you'd like to know? Either about the Air Transport Management course or Cranfield life in general?

Katherine
Student Ambassador
Cranfield University
Cranfield
Original post by Cranfield University
Hi bongbingbong!

Chuffed to hear the recommendation from your current lecturer! I'm a student at Cranfield, I'm currently doing my PhD which is in Precision Engineering, but I also did an MRes here before my PhD.

We are very well known and respected within industry. We have our own airport which is unique, and as we work with lots of aerospace companies we are able to offer some really cool projects for students to undertake.

There's some useful information on our blogs, most of which are written by students: https://blogs.cranfield.ac.uk/category/aerospace

Is there anything in particular you'd like to know? Either about the Air Transport Management course or Cranfield life in general?

Katherine
Student Ambassador

Hi Katherine!

Thank you so much for your reply! I've been doing some research and it seems like Cranfield is the Embry-Riddle of Europe which is good to hear!

What kind of work would an Air Transport Management student undertake with an aero related company during studies? This seems really cool for a university to do.

How big are the cohorts for MSci Air Transport Management usually?

Do any airlines/airports have partnerships with the university when it comes to the corporate side of aviation (since the university is heavily engineering based, I guess the management side wouldn't be touched on much with partnerships and projects done by students at the university?).

What are the career prospects like for a Cran-grad with a Air Transport Management degree?

I saw on the university website course page that students are put in an "annual CV book" - could you give me some more information on this and any examples of students being approached by employers after viewing the CV book as a result (having done MSci Air Transport Management).

Does the masters (air transport) have any exams as part of the course?

Do you have any advice for Personal Statements and how I should structure mine? I'm currently writing mine and would love some advice on this :smile:

Sorry for the bombardment of questions!

Thank you!
Original post by bongbingbong
Hi Katherine!

Thank you so much for your reply! I've been doing some research and it seems like Cranfield is the Embry-Riddle of Europe which is good to hear!

What kind of work would an Air Transport Management student undertake with an aero related company during studies? This seems really cool for a university to do.

How big are the cohorts for MSci Air Transport Management usually?

Do any airlines/airports have partnerships with the university when it comes to the corporate side of aviation (since the university is heavily engineering based, I guess the management side wouldn't be touched on much with partnerships and projects done by students at the university?).

What are the career prospects like for a Cran-grad with a Air Transport Management degree?

I saw on the university website course page that students are put in an "annual CV book" - could you give me some more information on this and any examples of students being approached by employers after viewing the CV book as a result (having done MSci Air Transport Management).

Does the masters (air transport) have any exams as part of the course?

Do you have any advice for Personal Statements and how I should structure mine? I'm currently writing mine and would love some advice on this :smile:

Sorry for the bombardment of questions!

Thank you!


Lots of questions is good!

I have sent them to the course lead who will be able to answer in more detail, I'll post back here when I get a response.

For the personal statement, I'd say to emphasise your achievements that show your enthusiasm for the subject. For example if you've done any extra-curricular activities or learning. Any projects, group or individual. How you enjoyed these things. Cranfield students come from all different backgrounds, so it's not just what you've studied and what grades you've got, there's more to a student than that :smile:
You should also explain why you want to study the course, what your motivations are and what you'd like to do with it after.

Hope this helps :biggrin:
Hey @bongbingbong,

I've received the following in response to your questions:

What kind of work would an Air Transport Management student undertake with an aero related company during studies? This seems really cool for a university to do.

As the MSc is a full-time course of study (part-time Exec MSc students are typically already employed), it does takes up a considerable amount of time. There may be opportunities for people with specialised technical skills to work with one of a number of aeronautical companies based on campus; however, again the course is full-time, so we would not advise significant work commitments which could impact a student's ability to attend face-to-face lectures and assessments.

(I think they may have got confused here, were you asking more about the group / individual project you do as part of the course?)

Do any airlines/airports have partnerships with the university when it comes to the corporate side of aviation (since the university is heavily engineering based, I guess the management side wouldn't be touched on much with partnerships and projects done by students at the university?).

Although it is true that Cranfield has a significant, long and ongoing commitment to aerospace engineering higher education, when it comes to the MSc in Air Transport Management (ATM), along with the MSc in Airport Management (APM), there are a range of close relationships with a number of airlines, airports and aviation companies from a management perspective. With our soon to be opened Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC) (https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/centres/digital-aviation-research-and-technology-centre) we plan to conduct a range of passenger experience and other research here too, much of it in partnership with industry. Added to this, one third of the MSc is a group project whereby teams of students either create a business proposal for a new start-up airline (MSc ATM), or a new terminal or airport (MSc APM). Industry professional watch the final group project presentations and ask questions of each group, with a networking opportunity immediately afterward. Besides the initial taught modules which also equal one third of the MSc, the final third is dedicated to an individual research project (IRP) - a thesis - and this also provides a key opportunity to research and investigate more deeply a particular area of air transport management, including interviewing, surveying, collecting other data, and learning from those involved in the corporate side of aviation.

I saw on the university website course page that students are put in an "annual CV book" - could you give me some more information on this and any examples of students being approached by employers after viewing the CV book as a result (having done MSci Air Transport Management).

The annual CV book is a very effective way for us to disseminate key professional details of our students to a wide audience of people working in the industry, including alumni. This, together with a wide range of guest lecturers across all modules, the group project presentations (and associated networking), university careers fairs, individual special visits and networking (e.g. Qatar Airways Cargo), field trips (e.g. Luton Airport, and BA's headquarters), and optional site visits paid for by students (in the past Boeing in Seattle or Airbus in Toulouse), mean that employment opportunities arise throughout the programme. In this manner, it is challenging to give a specific example of a student being directly offered employment in the industry via the CV book alone, except to say that it has certainly happened.

Does the masters (air transport) have any exams as part of the course?

Several taught modules have a two or three hour final examination, including Regulatory Policy & Air Law, and Air Transport Economics and Finance. Plenty of revision is provided.

How big are the cohorts for MSci Air Transport Management usually?

For the full-time MSc cohort which runs every October, we generally have been 50-60 students. The Executive MSc intakes (July or December start) vary in size between 7-15 applicants.

What are the career prospects like for a Cran-grad with a Air Transport Management degree?

Employers consider a wide range of factors before making offers of employment to individuals, including relevant work experience, aptitude, references, and academic background. Employment is ultimately down to the student as it is he/she who applies and if selected, attends the interview. However, Cranfield undoubtedly opens doors and has led to many alumni going on to successful careers with airlines (e.g. British Airways, Air France, Virgin Atlantic), aerospace manufacturers (e.g. Airbus, Rolls-Royce), airport operators, as well as in broader fields like aviation insurance, finance, and journalism.
(edited 3 years ago)
Wow! Thank you so much for the answers back, I really appreciate them :smile:
Original post by bongbingbong
Wow! Thank you so much for the answers back, I really appreciate them :smile:

My experience with Cranfield regarding 2020 admissions has not been good.
I had an offer from Cranfield to study from Sep'20. They are least bothered to address your concerns. Average reply time from their admission team is 4-5 days & at times, you are required to send multiple reminders. If you reach out to their management, they will give generic replies. During Covid-19 time, they firstly told their incoming students in last week of June'20 that course delivery will be through both online & offline modes, and they also said that they will be accommodating individual requests from prospective students impacted due to covid-19. Post this, then sent another mail around mid July'20, saying that online option has been cancelled & made it mandatory for all students to come to their campus for on-campus studies by 23th Oct'20. If someone can't come to campus latest by 23rd Oct'20, they simply told them to defer to next year.

Moreover, students who had paid the deposit to them based on their Jun'20 communication wherein they said that they will be doing online course delivery also, university didn't bother to inform them for deposit refund. I know many of them who are now requesting university's admission team to refund their deposit.

Cranfield hasn't updated itself enough in last 4-5 years. It seems their acceptance rate is 100% as they are giving admission to almost everyone who applies. On LinkedIn, you can see many Cranfield graduates without jobs.

Please check "SCM Journal" ranking of universities based on supply chain research done in last 10 years. You will see that with each passing year from 2010 onwards, Cranfield's ranking has gone done while Warwick has maintained itself in Top 3 in UK.

Infact, FT has removed Cranfield from top 100 business school list this year.

Warwick is must stronger, globally renowned and is very selective in giving admissions. Their class profile is more experienced & most of the alumni are working in Tier 1 consulting or MNC companies.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by username5366828
My experience with Cranfield regarding 2020 admissions has not been good.
I had an offer from Cranfield to study from Sep'20. They are least bothered to address your concerns. Average reply time from their admission team is 4-5 days & at times, you are required to send multiple reminders. If you reach out to their management, they will give generic replies. During Covid-19 time, they firstly told their incoming students in last week of June'20 that course delivery will be through both online & offline modes, and they also said that they will be accommodating individual requests from prospective students impacted due to covid-19. Post this, then sent another mail around mid July'20, saying that online option has been cancelled & made it mandatory for all students to come to their campus for on-campus studies by 23th Oct'20. If someone can't come to campus latest by 23rd Oct'20, they simply told them to defer to next year.

Moreover, students who had paid the deposit to them based on their Jun'20 communication wherein they said that they will be doing online course delivery also, university didn't bother to inform them for deposit refund. I know many of them who are now requesting university's admission team to refund their deposit.

Cranfield hasn't updated itself enough in last 4-5 years. It seems their acceptance rate is 100% as they are giving admission to almost everyone who applies. On LinkedIn, you can see many Cranfield graduates without jobs.

Please check "SCM Journal" ranking of universities based on supply chain research done in last 10 years. You will see that with each passing year from 2010 onwards, Cranfield's ranking has gone done while Warwick has maintained itself in Top 3 in UK.

Infact, FT has removed Cranfield from top 100 business school list this year.

Warwick is must stronger, globally renowned and is very selective in giving admissions. Their class profile is more experienced & most of the alumni are working in Tier 1 consulting or MNC companies.

Hi username5366828,

Sorry to hear about this. I really do share your frustrations, the university is enrolled on the furlough scheme which means not all staff are working at all times, plus there are no admin staff on campus, they are all working from home, so replies are taking a little longer than usual.
It's also difficult to predict what's going to happen anywhere, government policy and advice is changing all the time, so the university has had to update its plans in line with this. Travel restrictions and social distancing rules can be enforced and lifted with just a few days' notice, so the university has at times had to change its policies at quite short notice.
It's not a fun time for anybody, I get that.

I've forwarded your post on to one of my colleges who hopefully will be able to provide you with some more answers. I'll post back here when I get a response.

Katherine
Student Ambassador
Original post by username5366828
My experience with Cranfield regarding 2020 admissions has not been good.
I had an offer from Cranfield to study from Sep'20. They are least bothered to address your concerns. Average reply time from their admission team is 4-5 days & at times, you are required to send multiple reminders. If you reach out to their management, they will give generic replies. During Covid-19 time, they firstly told their incoming students in last week of June'20 that course delivery will be through both online & offline modes, and they also said that they will be accommodating individual requests from prospective students impacted due to covid-19. Post this, then sent another mail around mid July'20, saying that online option has been cancelled & made it mandatory for all students to come to their campus for on-campus studies by 23th Oct'20. If someone can't come to campus latest by 23rd Oct'20, they simply told them to defer to next year.

Moreover, students who had paid the deposit to them based on their Jun'20 communication wherein they said that they will be doing online course delivery also, university didn't bother to inform them for deposit refund. I know many of them who are now requesting university's admission team to refund their deposit.

Cranfield hasn't updated itself enough in last 4-5 years. It seems their acceptance rate is 100% as they are giving admission to almost everyone who applies. On LinkedIn, you can see many Cranfield graduates without jobs.

Please check "SCM Journal" ranking of universities based on supply chain research done in last 10 years. You will see that with each passing year from 2010 onwards, Cranfield's ranking has gone done while Warwick has maintained itself in Top 3 in UK.

Infact, FT has removed Cranfield from top 100 business school list this year.

Warwick is must stronger, globally renowned and is very selective in giving admissions. Their class profile is more experienced & most of the alumni are working in Tier 1 consulting or MNC companies.


Hi again username5366828,

I forwarded your post on to our head of admissions and he has recommended you get in contact with them directly to discuss these issues.
So if you would like to take this further please send them an email explaining it is to do with this Student Room post and they will know the background to the complaint.

Sorry I can't be more help to you here, I hope you end up having a good experience, whatever you choose to do.

Katherine
Student Ambassador
Avoid Cranfield at all costs. Graduates from the past 3 years have been struggling due to the quality of the studies. All the information is out there. In 2020, they sent everyone home, half of the teachers were furloughed, events were cancelled BUT tuition was 100% paid. Fair, isn’t it?
Hi there, I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had this experience. I’d like to help you get some support and some feedback on your questions. I’ve asked my colleagues in the Student Experience Team and they’ve asked if you can get in touch with them via [email protected]. I hope this helps. Kind regards Jason A

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