Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United Kingdom for having its own operational airport (Cranfield Airport) next to the main campus. The facilities at the airport are used by Cranfield University's own aircraft in the course of aerospace teaching and research. The university also has connections in India and Australia
The University was formed in 1946 as the College of Aeronautics on the former Royal Air Force base of RAF Cranfield
In 1993 a Royal Charter changed the institution's name to Cranfield University
As the university is postgraduate, direct comparison with undergraduate institutions is difficult. Some key facts and figures are
- Cranfield's staff - student ratio is second among UK universities
- Cranfield is the only university in the UK to have its own airfield
- Cranfield's commercial clients include airports and airlines, Formula 1 teams, banks and financial institutions, commercial and not-for-profit organisations. They have strategic relationships with household names such as Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Boeing, Shell and Nissan
- Cranfield School of Management is ranked 3rd best European Business School within the UK and 13th within Europe
- Cranfield's MBA is ranked 18th in the world according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (2009). The Financial Times ranked Cranfield's MBA 26th best in the world in 2010
- 54% of all aerospace Engineering postgraduates and 25% of all agricultural and environmental sciences postgraduates in the UK graduate at Cranfield
- over 10% of the UK's engineering and sciences PhDs are awarded by Cranfield
- Cranfield was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2005 for Further and Higher Education for its Fellowship in Manufacturing Management (FMM) programme. It was awarded the prize in 2007 for its role in humanitarian demining
- Students on the Cranfield Global Security programme were awarded the Imbert Prize in 2006, 2008 and 2009 for the development of ideas for the advancement of risk and security management in the UK
There are a number of companies located on the Cranfield University Technology Park ranging from large international companies to small start-ups
Major companies on the park include
- The Nissan Technical Centre Europe, which designs and develops cars for the European market. The NTC Europe facility occupies 19,700 square metres (212,050 sq ft) of the Technology Park, representing an investment of 46m pound by Nissan
- Invar Systems Limited, a major supplier of Warehouse Control Systems and Warehouse Management Systems to clients in the UK, Europe and USA. The company occupies modern air-conditioned offices with excellent facilities for clients and staff
- Trafficmaster plc occupies a 10-acre (40,000 m2) site for its European Headquarters. A leading company in telematics, Trafficmaster's advanced technology enables cars and roads to be used more efficiently
- Innovation Centre: the Technology Park is also the location for a large number of smaller companies
An extension to the Technology Park was currently completed in 2008. A new Aerospace Park on the northeastern part of the campus is projected as at 2009
Location & Facilities
Cranfield campus is approximately 50miles (80km) north of central London and adjacent to the village of Cranfield,Bedfordshire. The nearest main towns are Milton Keynes and Bedford, the centres of which are both about 8miles (13km) away. Cambridge is about 30miles (48km) east.Bedford, Milton Keynes, Oxford and Swindon all have fast rail services to central London termini, good access to the main Motorway network and London Heathrow airport