This course can be taken as a Short Course for Credit or a Standalone Short Course.

Please go to the 'Upgrade to a professional qualification' section for more information.

The aim of this course is to allow those who have completed the pre-requisite Networked and Distributed Simulation course to work as a group to design, setup and operate a basic battlespace Synthetic Environment (SE) exercise employing LAN and WAN distributed simulation technology.

At a glance

  • Dates
    • 31 Mar - 11 Apr 2025
  • Duration10 Days
  • LocationÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ at Shrivenham
  • Cost£4,450 - Short Course for Credit fee 

    £4,200 - Standalone Short Course fee  Concessions available

What you will learn

On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

  • Work as a member of a group,
  • Apply the principles of modelling and simulation and the technologies and processes of NDS in the context of a specific project,
  • Design, setup and conduct a basic battlespace exercise using a DIS/HLA based Synthetic Environment,
  • Collect and extract relevant data from a distributed simulation activity in order to provide a basis for post-exercise analysis,
  • Communicate and discuss the results of their experimentation orally and in writing.

Core content

A collective group project to:

  • Design, build, test and operate a basic distributed battlespace exercise composed of a heterogeneous mix of simulation systems, in order to conduct a series of experimental runs to generate and collect data relevant to a given study problem.
  • Conduct post-exercise analysis and review of the data collected in the experiments, describing the results obtained and delivering a critical technical appraisal of the project and lessons learned.

Note that the Networked and Distributed Simulation Exercise typically requires physical attendance at Shrivenham for two weeks.

Upgrade to a professional qualification

When taken as a Short Course for Credit, 10 credit points can be put towards the Defence Simulation and Modelling MSc.

Find out more about short course credit points.


Who should attend

Students must have successfully completed either Networked and Distributed Simulation or Simulation Employment Training in order to take this as a Short Course for Credit. There are no prerequisites if taken as a Standalone Short Course.

Location and travel

Cranfield Defence and Security (CDS) is a Cranfield School based at the Ministry of Defence establishment on the Oxfordshire/Wiltshire borders.

Shrivenham itself lies in the picturesque Vale of the White Horse, close to the M4 motorway which links London and South Wales. It is 7 miles from Swindon, the nearest town, which lies off the M4 at the hub of Britain’s motorway network.

Bath, Cheltenham, Bristol and Oxford are all within an hour’s drive and London less than two hours away by car.

All visitors must be pre-booked in at reception by the person they are visiting on the campus.

For further location and travel details

How to apply

To apply for this course please use the online application form.

Read our Professional development (CPD) booking conditions.