
Creating leaders in technology and management
Cranfield's distinctive expertise is in our deep understanding of technology and management and how these work together to benefit the world.
As an exclusively postgraduate university, our education portfolio is renowned for its relevance to business and industry. We are the largest UK provider of master's-level graduates in engineering and offer a flagship MBA, extensive world-class customised executive education and professional development programmes. Our work informs government policy and leads the way in producing cutting edge new technologies and products in partnership with industry.
The research and consultancy we carry out for industry, government and business provides our students with a real-world learning environment, allowing them to develop as professionals and then transfer their knowledge to the global economy.
Cranfield University at Shrivenham is home to Cranfield Defence and Security. It is a secure military site in partnership with the Defence Academy, Ministry of Defence, UK. The staff and secure facilities are at the forefront of their fields, offering diverse capabilities across defence and security science, forensics, engineering and technology.
Facts about our university:
- Our full-time MBA programme is ranked 9th in the UK, 18th in Europe and 76th in the world in the Financial Times 2019 ranking of full-time MBA programmes;
- Our Management MSc is ranked 1st in the UK and 7th in the world in The Economist Which MBA? Masters in Management (MiM) 2017 ranking;
- In the QS World Rankings 2018, we are ranked 5th in the UK, 11th in Europe and 45th in the world for mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering education;
- We’re ranked 7th in the UK for commercial research, consultancy and professional development.
- 81% of our research is classed as world-leading or internationally excellent by REF (Research Excellence Framework, 2014).
What makes Cranfield unique?
- There is one member of academic staff to every seven students, one of the best ratios for any university in the UK;
- 96% of our graduates are employed or in further study;
- Our worldwide community is a powerful professional network with students and learners from over 167 countries;
- We have mutually-beneficial relationships with around 1,500 companies and organisations;
- We are the only university in the world to own and run an airport and to have airline status;
Open Days
Choosing where to study for your postgraduate degree requires a commitment in terms of both time and money. We realise the importance of not only studying a subject you are passionate about but also completing a course that will give you a head start in terms of future employment. That's why we encourage you to come and visit us.
To find out when the next Open Day is, take a look at the Open Day calendar here.
Current Open Day dates:
- 23/11/2019
- 14/03/2020
- 03/06/2020
- 02/09/2020
- 21/11/2020
Student Life in Cranfield
Student Life at Cranfield University
Cranfield campus is set in extensive grounds with amenities including: bars, shops, a post office, sports hall and bank. Excellent leisure and shopping facilities can be found in Milton Keynes and the historic town of Bedford, just a short drive away.
Our campus has:
- its own airport,
- two hotels with full accommodation and conference and banqueting facilities,
- sports and recreation facilities,
- student accommodation options comprising family homes and single student apartment blocks,
- an on-campus nursery and pre-school which offers the very best for young minds - both have been rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.
Travel Information
Situated close to Milton Keynes and Bedford, the Cranfield campus is situated in Wharley End, very close to Cranfield village, and is about 10 minutes from the M1 motorway. There is rail and road access to most major airports as well as coach and train stations. Cranfield campus also has its own airport for private executive business travel.
Featured Programmes

Management MSc (MiM)
In The Economist Which MBA? Masters in Management (MiM) 2019 ranking Cranfield School of Management’s Management MSc achieved the following rankings: 3rd in the UK and 30th in the world and 1st in the UK and 9th in the world for percentage of job-seeking graduates with a job offer 3 months after graduation.
In the Financial Times Masters in Management 2018 ranking we were ranked 5th in the UK and 55th in the world.
In the QS World University Rankings: Management Masters Ranking 2020 Cranfield School of Management's full-time Management MSc achieved the following rankings: 6th in the UK, 28th in the world overall, 12th in the world for employability.
The Management MSc will equip you with the knowledge and practical skills you need to tackle complex business challenges and to prepare you for demanding managerial roles in the future. It includes a distinctive blend of theory with practical application through highly experiential simulations, consulting, competitions and project work. It also offers you the opportunity to gain invaluable work experience at a company during a three-month in-company internship project.
This course will:
Introduce you to managerial economics and enable you to use economic reasoning in managerial decision making, and understand how external environment and internal capabilities shape a firm’s competitive position.
Develop your knowledge and understanding of a range of management science techniques and tools to support management decisions.
Develop your management consultancy skills, and enable you apply them while role-playing a management consulting team working on a genuine business issue, competing against other teams.
Engage you in gaining a better understanding of how corporate action can be best configured to promote responsible and sustainable business strategies.
Gain an understanding of operations management and its contribution to organisational competitiveness, the ‘human factor’ element and how people behave within organisations, together with strategic marketing and management.
The internship provides invaluable practical work experience, and many of our graduates have been offered positions within the companies they completed their internship with.

Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology MSc
The course is designed to provide students with an understanding of how traditional and advanced techniques from archaeology and physical anthropology can be applied in the forensic context.
The course offers a wide range of different experiences with unique facilities available to no other university in the UK. The course is highly practical and hands-on, aiming to produce forensic experts with a strong background to later enter the field and be capable of giving expert witness testimonies in a courtroom situation and elsewhere.
Students have access to our purpose-built outdoor research facility - the Forensic Fieldwork Facility one of only two in the country. The facility has been specifically designed to enable research into animal decomposition, taphonomy, search, location and excavation of buried remains.

Advanced Mechanical Engineering MSc
A general advanced mechanical engineering course particularly relevant to the energy and transport sectors, including mechanical engineering design and assessment. Students will learn project management, design, computer-aided engineering, operation and optimisation of machinery, structural mechanics and integrity making them suited to a future career in industry, government or research.

Thermal Power MSc (March Intake)
This MSc course provides both fundamental and applied knowledge applicable to the understanding of the design and operation of different types of gas turbines for all applications. Suitable for graduates seeking a challenging and rewarding career in an established international industry. You have the choice of four specialist options.

Environmental Management for Business MSc
Management of the natural environment is increasingly important in all sectors from business to public policy. This course will equip you to critically evaluate environmental issues and contribute to the economic and policy decision making process in organisations of any size. Cranfield's reputation and links with employers create outstanding opportunities to secure career progression in this sector.

Aerospace Vehicle Design MSc (March Intake)
This MSc course provides a taught engineering programme with a focus on the technical, business and management aspects that encompass aircraft design in the civil and military aerospace sectors. Teaching integrates a range of disciplines required for modern aircraft design. You have the choice of three specialist options.

Finance & Management MSc
This course is recognised in International Business Rankings, consistently ranking top 10 in the UK and top 40 in the world across them all. These include:
* 6th in the UK and 32nd in the world: The Financial Times Master’s in Finance Pre-experience ranking 2018
* 2nd in the UK and 6th in the world: The Times Higher Education/Wall Street Journal World University Rankings 2019 – Master’s in Finance
* In the QS World University Rankings: Masters in Finance Rankings 2020 Cranfield School of Management's full-time Finance and Management MSc achieved the following rankings: 9th in the UK, 35th in the world overall, 20th in the world for diversity
It provides a solid grounding in finance and management principles, rigorous training in relevant tools and techniques, and demonstrates how to apply them practically in the global workplace.
The programme of study is distinct and unique in the way that it provides a link between the School and the business community. You will be taught by faculty with experience of the real world of finance and business, together with practitioners from different areas of finance.
Modules focus on real-world challenges, and include a combination of case studies, participative exercises, interactive lectures and group projects. In addition, you will also have the opportunity to expand your knowledge and get ready to face the professional world, through attendance at regular seminars and speeches.
Our classes are small and each academic tutor has no more than five students in any one cohort, ensuring close contact continuous interaction.
Studying this course will enable you to work in a range of financial roles across a variety of organisations worldwide.

Defence and Security Export PgCert
This unique course offers economic, political and legal contextual insights into the export of sophisticated and sensitive defence, aerospace and security systems.
This course is aimed at those working within the defence and security sector who are looking to expand their knowledge in defence and security marketing.
Explore key aspects of defence exports, spanning strategic trade controls, compliance, offset and negotiation.
Learn about strategic export trade and control compliance and defence offset.
Other Contact Details
Cranfield Campus
College Road
Cranfield
MK43 0AL
Bedfordshire
Enquiries:
Telephone: +44 (0)1234 758008