Astronautics and Space Engineering with Foundation Year

Foundation courses
A foundation year can develop your skills and make it easier to get started at university. It is an extra year of study at the start of your course that leads in to a full degree programme. It’s a great option if:

You don’t have the grades for a full degree course
You have non-traditional qualifications or experience
You’re starting university after some time away from education
You’re looking for more support during the transition into university study.

Life as a foundation year student
During a foundation year you’ll learn about your chosen subject, develop your study skills and get used to university life. On successful completion of your foundation year, you’ll be ready to progress to the first year of your degree course.

As a foundation year student, you’ll be a full student of the University and part of our community. You’ll have access to all our campus facilities and support.

Why choose this course

• Having pioneered the small satellite industry 40 years ago, the Surrey Space Centre designs and builds innovative commercial satellites to launch into orbit.

• This means our BEng and MEng Astronautics and Space Engineering courses give you a unique opportunity to learn from inspiring academics at the forefront of space engineering.

• Take the opportunity to get industry-ready with our award-winning Professional Training placements.

• You can hone your practical, teamwork and leadership skills by joining one of our successful and dynamic student competition design groups. These include the UAS Challenge team (champions in 2021 and 2022), and our Team Peryton rocketry and satellite design teams (both category winners in 2023).

• With our strong heritage in space study, we're widely recognised as one of the best astronautical engineer universities in the UK.

What you will study
You’ll apply your knowledge through project work, giving you the opportunity to work closely with academics from Surrey Space Centre. This will enable you to gain practical experience of the technologies that go into space missions.

You can apply to study for either a BEng or MEng. The MEng builds on the BEng with a masters year and is a direct route to a masters qualification, known as an integrated masters. Depending on your progress, you may have the option to switch to a BEng or MEng during your studies.