Cranfield University

About

Cranfield University is a specialist postgraduate university. Their distinctive expertise is in their deep understanding of technology and management and how these work together to benefit the world.

Cranfield’s education portfolio is renowned for its relevance to business and industry. They 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. Their work informs government policy and leads the way in producing cutting edge new technologies and products in partnership with industry.

The research and consultancy Cranfield carries out for industry, government and business provides their students with a real-world learning environment, allowing them to develop as professionals and then transfer their knowledge to the global economy.

Rankings and awards

Cranfield University is a specialist postgraduate university with world-class, large-scale facilities and a staff-to-student ratio that is one of the best for any university in the UK. Cranfield’s global success is reflected in their rankings and awards:

• They have the largest number of postgraduate engineering students in the UK (HESA 2019/20);
• 48% of all aeronautical and aerospace postgraduate students in the UK study at Cranfield each year, the most of any UK university (HESA 2019/20);
• They offer more master’s courses in production and manufacturing engineering than any other UK university (HESA 2019/20);
• They are ranked tenth in the UK for commercial research, consultancy and professional development (HESA 2019/20);
• Cranfield ranks fifth in the UK for Engineering – Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022.

Research

Cranfield’s research is industry-relevant and informed by their close links to business:

• 88% of the research at Cranfield is classed as world-leading or internationally excellent (Research Excellence Framework 2021). This score informs the allocation of research funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
• In 2020, Cranfield supported ZeroAvia in achieving the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered flight of a commercial-grade aircraft, with the milestone taking place at the company’s research and development facility at Cranfield Airport.
• They are number one in aeronautical and aerospace engineering PhDs (Cranfield awards 26% of UK PhDs in aeronautical and aerospaoce engineering each year) (HESA 2019/20).
• They are number one in production and manufacturing engineering PhDs (Cranfield awards more PhDs in production and manufacturing engineering than any other UK university every year) (HESA 2019/20).