- Young engineers to master
battlefield-proven technology at Hereford university from
September 2026
- Army-backed Masters-level
qualification will provide students with a qualification one year
faster than traditional degrees
- Backs SDR ambitions and complements
Armed Forces Bill measures to strengthen UK drone capabilities
and national security
Aspiring Defence engineers will be fast-tracked to careers
in cutting-edge military technology through a new
defence-focused undergraduate drone degree.
The new course will open for enrolment at the New Model Institute
for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) in Hereford from September
2026. The Minister for the Armed Forces, MP visited the site today, seeing first-hand
how the £240,000 investment from the British Army will deliver
the three-year course to train 15 civilian students – and up to
five soldiers each year – as drone technology specialists.
The conflict in Ukraine has highlighted the growing threat posed
by uncrewed devices, and it is critical that the UK has both the
specialist capability to meet that demand but also the power and
authority to protect military sites from such threats.
This new degree complements powers introduced through the
Armed Forces Bill last week to strengthen Defence's
ability to tackle drone threats and ensure Defence
personnel can better deter, detect and defeat drone
incursions over the Defence Estate.
This degree forms part of a broader effort to deliver the
Strategic Defence Review's ambition to make the British Army ten
times more lethal through AI, drones and autonomous systems. By
building a pipeline of homegrown talent with specialist STEM
skills, Defence is addressing critical workforce gaps while
positioning the UK at the forefront of next-generation military
capability.
Based on lessons learnt from Ukraine, the UK will develop a
world-leading innovation sector in autonomy, doubling investment
in autonomous systems this Parliament.
Minister for the Armed Forces, MP said:
"In Ukraine, drones are causing more casualties than artillery -
that's the reality of modern warfare. This degree gives young
engineers a fast track to careers at the cutting edge, protecting
Britain and powering growth in places like Hereford.
“These graduates will strengthen our Armed Forces and help push
forward advances in civilian and commercial drone technology,
developing homegrown talent, building British capabilities, from
battlefield to business.”
Students on the Master of Engineering Course will
complete the qualification one year faster than traditional
university courses, offering quicker access to specialist and
novel careers.
This helps to work towards the Prime Minister's ambitious target
for two-thirds of young people studying degrees or gold-standard
apprenticeships by the age of 25. The government is supporting
young people to gain the skills needed to thrive in jobs in
defence, including by establishing five Technical
Excellence Colleges specifically for defence
Based in Hereford, the course also anchors significant investment
in a region that is rapidly establishing itself as Britain's
‘military Silicon Valley'.
Minister for Skills, MP said:
"This groundbreaking degree is exactly the kind of innovative
skills provision our country needs – providing pioneering
training for ambitious young people, while boosting jobs in
defence.
“It helps to work towards the Prime Minister's target for
two-thirds of young people studying degrees or gold-standard
apprenticeships by the age of 25 through our Plan for
Change.”
CEO of NMITE, James Newby said:
“This degree reflects the scale of the opportunity in front of us
- to equip the next generation of engineers with skills that
matter now, and to quickly deliver positive impacts in terms of
skills, defence and a security capability and regional growth.
The fact that we expect many local young people to take on the
degree and build their futures with us, is incredibly
exciting”
Expressions of interest are now open for the course starting in
September 2026, and those interested can register for
updates here.
Notes to editors:
- The MEng Drone Technologies course covers design, build and
testing of drone systems, regulatory frameworks, and autonomy
principles, preparing graduates for roles across defence,
security, industrial and civil engineering.
- NMITE is the UK's first new specialist engineering
university in over a century, delivering hands-on, accelerated
degrees embedded in industry. It holds Armed Forces Covenant Gold
status.
- This degree supports the Strategic Defence Review ambition to
enhance Armed Forces capability through AI, drones and
autonomous systems.
- The government's £182 million defence skills package includes
five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges and regional STEM
initiatives engaging thousands of school-age students.
- Defence supports 463,000 jobs across the UK – one in every 60
– and over 24,000 apprenticeships annually, making the Armed
Forces the country's largest apprenticeship provider.
