Top 10 Best UK Universities for UAV & Drone Engineering Degrees (2025 Guide)

1. Cranfield University

Department overview – Cranfield’s School of Aerospace, Transport & Manufacturing runs an MSc Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technology and a short-course Remote-Pilot Licence syllabus, taught on the university’s own airport.
Cranfield University

Sample modules
• UAV Flight Dynamics & Control
• Mission Planning & Autonomy
• Sense-and-Avoid Systems

Research environment – A 2 km runway, dedicated BVLOS corridor and a 180-degree motion simulator let students flight-test fixed-wing, rotary and hybrid UAVs.

Careers & links – Defence primes (BAE Systems, QinetiQ), DJI Europe and AgEagle recruit directly; graduates also join the UK Civil Aviation Authority as UAS regulators.

Admissions – 2:1 in aerospace, mechanical or electrical engineering; commercial pilot or model-aircraft experience strengthens an application.

2. University of Southampton

Department overview – The Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences hosts the UAV Design Group and an MEng/MSc Aeronautics & Astronautics track in Unmanned Vehicle Design.
University of Southampton

Sample modules
• Composite Airframe Structures
• Embedded Autopilots (PX4 & ArduPilot)
• Regulation & Airspace Integration

Research environment – The Boldrewood wind-tunnel complex, fully instrumented UAV range at Chilbolton Observatory and access to 3-D-printed airframe facilities.

Careers & links – Projects with the Royal Navy’s Maritime Autonomy Unit and Hampshire Police drone squad; graduates join Amazon Prime Air or UK start-ups in maritime-surveillance UAVs.

Admissions – AAA (undergrad) or 2:1 (postgrad) with strong aerodynamics and programming evidence.

3. Imperial College London

Department overview – The Department of Aeronautics offers an MEng with an Unmanned Aerial Systems option and hosts the Aerial Robotics Lab.
Imperial College London

Sample modules
• Bio-Inspired Flight Mechanisms
• Swarm Coordination & Planning
• Electric Propulsion Systems

Research environment – A netted drone arena with 60 Vicon cameras, rooftop test pad and shared GPU clusters for reinforcement-learning flight control.

Careers & links – Wayve, Ocado Technology and Airbus UpNext sponsor projects; spin-outs include aerial-inspection firm Skydio UK.

Admissions – AAA with Maths and Physics for the MEng; MSc entrants need a first/strong 2:1 plus evidence of C++ or Python autonomy projects.

4. University of Bristol

Department overview – The Faculty of Engineering runs an MSc Robotics & Autonomous Systems with a dedicated Aerial Robotics stream; undergraduate aerospace degrees include UAV capstones.
University of Bristol

Sample modules
• Vision-Based Navigation
• Resilient Communications for UAVs
• Safe AI & Certification

Research environment – Bristol Robotics Laboratory’s 15 m drone cage, nearby proving ground at Filton Airfield and joint projects with the city’s 5G testbed for urban drone trials.

Careers & links – Dyson Drones, Rolls-Royce Electrical and National Grid inspection teams hire interns; many students compete in the yearly IMechE UAS Challenge.

Admissions – 2:1 plus Matlab/Python proficiency; portfolio pieces using ROS-2 are advantageous.

5. University of Sheffield

Department overview – The Department of Automatic Control & Systems Engineering and the AMRC Integrated Manufacturing Group run an MSc Autonomous Systems & Robotics with UAV electives.
University of Sheffield

Sample modules
• Sensor Fusion & SLAM for Flight
• Fault-Tolerant Guidance
• Additive Manufacturing for Airframes

Research environment – Factory 2050’s indoor GPS-denied arena, a fleet of heavy-lift multirotors for wind-turbine inspection and a university glider converted to Optionally Piloted? configuration.

Careers & links – Network Rail drone division, BT Drone Command and Boeing Sheffield recruit graduates; KTPs fund many MSc projects.

Admissions – 2:1 with embedded-systems coursework; C programming for microcontrollers expected.

6. University of Glasgow

Department overview – The James Watt School of Engineering offers an MSc Aerospace Engineering & Management with an Unmanned Systems pathway.
University of Glasgow

Sample modules
• Model-Based Flight Control
• Satellite-UAV Relay Networks
• Environmental Monitoring by Drones

Research environment – A coastal UAV runway at Machrihanish, LiDAR-equipped fixed-wing platforms and on-campus composite-lab autoclaves.

Careers & links – Leonardo UK, Spirit AeroSystems and Scottish Power Renewables sponsor dissertation topics.

Admissions – 2:1 in aero/mech/EEE; statement should mention MATLAB/Simulink flight-model projects.

7. University of Leeds

Department overview – The Institute of Robotics, Autonomous Systems & Sensing runs an MSc Mechatronics & Robotics with an aerial-inspection specialism.
University of Leeds

Sample modules
• Aerial Manipulation
• Energy-Efficient Propulsion
• AI-Based Fault Detection

Research environment – Pipe-inspection drone labs, a climatic wind-tunnel for storm-flight research and collaborative tests with Yorkshire Water.

Careers & links – Graduates join Inspect-Tech start-ups, National Highways bridge-inspection teams and offshore wind-farm operators.

Admissions – AAB (undergrad) or 2:1 (postgrad); demonstrate ROS or PX4 work in your portfolio.

8. University of Nottingham

Department overview – The Faculty of Engineering offers an MSc Aerospace Technologies with UAV options and runs the Geospatial Institute’s drone-mapping programmes.
University of Nottingham

Sample modules
• GNSS & Real-Time Kinematics
• Composite Wing Design
• Autonomous Survey Workflows

Research environment – A 10 ha test airfield, rapid-prototyping labs for composite wings and direct links to the UK Satellite Applications Catapult.

Careers & links – Ordnance Survey, Esri UK and Topcon hire surveying-UAV specialists; many students continue into the CDT in Geospatial Systems.

Admissions – 2:1 plus GIS or aero-design coursework; industry applicants welcomed.

9. Coventry University

Department overview – The School of Future Transport Engineering runs a BSc/MSc Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Design & Operations, one of the UK’s few named UAV degrees.
Coventry University

Sample modules
• Ground Control Station Software
• UAV Systems Safety & Air Law
• Payload Integration

Research environment – A NetZero-ready unmanned-aviation hangar at Coventry Airport and collaboration with the city’s Urban-Air Mobility corridor.

Careers & links – West Midlands Police drones, Skyports and DHL parcel-delivery trials recruit graduates; the course includes a mandatory remote-pilot licence.

Admissions – BBB (undergrad) or 2:2 + experience (postgrad); evidence of CAD and flight-controller tuning is beneficial.

10. Queen’s University Belfast

Department overview – The School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering hosts an MSc Advanced Aerospace Engineering with UAV research projects, supported by the Centre for Intelligent Autonomous Manufacturing.
Queen’s University Belfast

Sample modules
• Distributed UAV Swarms
• Lightweight Composite Structures
• Embedded Real-Time Systems

Research environment – Indoor motion-capture hall, 7 m wind tunnel and partnerships with NI’s drone-delivery corridor trials.

Careers & links – Thales UK Belfast, Spirit AeroSystems and Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Air Support Unit hire Queen’s graduates.

Admissions – 2:1 in aeronautical, mechanical or electronic engineering; strong C/C++ embedded-systems background advised.

Final tips

• Match your focus – Beyond-visual-line-of-sight ops? Cranfield or Coventry. Maritime drones? Southampton. Urban delivery? Bristol and Imperial. Inspection & survey? Leeds or Nottingham.

• Check flight access – A dedicated runway or drone cage speeds up your final project.

• Licensing – Many programmes embed the UK GVC or equivalent remote-pilot qualification—worth confirming before applying.

• Software counts – PX4, ArduPilot, ROS 2 and MATLAB/Simulink skills are often entry requirements.

• Apply early – Popular MScs (Cranfield, Imperial) close by January 2025; undergraduate UCAS equal-consideration ends 29 January 2025.

Choose the pathway that aligns with your aero passions, and you’ll graduate ready to pilot the UK’s drone revolution—safe flights and tailwinds ahead!