Cranfield University

What you'll study

This master's provides an integrated programme of advanced engineering and management tailored to rotating machinery. Core technical themes include rotordynamics and vibration, turbomachinery aerothermodynamics, bearings and seals, materials and fatigue, condition monitoring and diagnostic techniques, and performance and reliability of rotating plant.

• Rotordynamics & Vibration: theory and application of shaft dynamics, unbalance, critical speeds, stability, excitation mechanisms and measurement techniques.
• Turbomachinery Aerothermodynamics: flow and performance of compressors and turbines, stage matching, loss mechanisms and basic design principles.
• Bearings, Seals & Lubrication: fluid-film bearings, rolling-element bearings, labyrinth and mechanical seals, and their influence on system behaviour and life.
• Materials, Fatigue & Life Assessment: material selection for rotating components, creep, fatigue, fracture mechanics and life-prediction methods.
• Condition Monitoring & Diagnostics: vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermography, sensors, signal processing and fault diagnosis strategies.
• Controls, Instrumentation & Test Methods: control strategies for rotating plant, instrumentation, data acquisition and experimental testing on rigs and test cells.
• Management & Business Modules (Option): engineering project management, reliability-centred maintenance, asset management, finance for engineers and leadership skills for technical managers.

The course typically combines taught modules with hands-on laboratory and test-rig work and culminates in an individual research project or industrially sponsored dissertation. Students gain experience with simulation tools (for example finite element and rotor-dynamics software), experimental data acquisition and interpretation, and risk and reliability assessment methods.

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally hold a good honours degree (equivalent to a UK 2:1 or above) in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, applied mechanics, or a closely related discipline. Candidates with a UK lower second-class honours degree plus significant relevant industrial experience, or an equivalent combination of professional experience and qualifications, may also be considered.

Applicants whose first language is not English will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in English. Relevant professional experience in rotating plant, maintenance, design or condition monitoring strengthens an application, particularly for the management option.

Career prospects

Graduates typically move into technical and leadership roles in organisations that design, manufacture, operate or maintain rotating equipment. Typical job titles include turbomachinery engineer, rotordynamics specialist, reliability/asset engineer, condition monitoring engineer, maintenance engineer, design engineer and engineering manager.

Industries employing graduates include power generation (thermal and renewables), aerospace propulsion and gas turbines, oil and gas, petrochemical and process plants, marine propulsion, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and engineering consultancies. The combination of engineering and management studies also prepares graduates for roles in project management, operations management and technical consultancy.

Why study at Cranfield University

Cranfield is a specialist postgraduate university with a strong, application-focused approach to engineering education. The university emphasises practical learning: students benefit from hands-on laboratory sessions, rotating machinery test rigs and experimental facilities, as well as project work that is frequently sponsored or informed by industry partners. Small cohort sizes and an established network of industrial contacts provide opportunities for close supervision, industry-focused research projects and professional networking.

The course is designed to address real-world engineering challenges in rotating plant, combining rigorous technical depth with management and asset-lifecycle perspectives to prepare graduates for immediate impact in industry.