Overview

This is a highly focused business management degree, designed to develop resilient professionals able to proactively apply specialist knowledge, skills and capabilities in a diverse, global aviation industry.

The course focuses on management of the multifaceted aviation industry from day one. You will be encouraged to explore the complex inter-relationships that exist between various stakeholders, such as airlines, airport operators, regulators, representative bodies and industry suppliers, in what is a dynamic and challenging environment.

The course encourages individuals with an enthusiasm for commercial aviation to develop and expand their understanding and engagement of the sector. Our aim is to raise your aspirations for management and positions of leadership that could help shape the future of the industry. The course offers an opportunity for individuals from a broad range of subject interests, experiences and backgrounds to develop the knowledge, skills and capabilities commonly required to chart a successful career within the aviation industry.

The course brings together management and transport systems theory, economics, aerospace engineering, logistics, transport geography, regulation and safety. It aims to provide a progressive learning journey, culminating in a holistic appreciation of the complexities of the global aviation ecosystem. Our current expert course team offer academic expertise and practical industry experience with an aim to immerse you in applied learning; utilising simulation, practical activities and exposure to industry.

The course threads together the aviation ecosystem with business awareness, strategic thinking, technical understanding, and operational application by embedding research-active teaching and industrial engagement. You will be guided through the foundations of aviation management towards a focused and applied business and operational appreciation. In your final year (level 6), you will be encouraged to demonstrate a strategic, independent and critical approach to problem identification and resolution which culminates in the submission of your dissertation.

The course is actively supported by guest lectures from expert industry practitioners and leaders (subject to availability). Visits to airports and airlines operations in the UK and overseas provide opportunities for students to bring their learning to life*. Students are encouraged to seek industrial placement and international study opportunities at the end of Year 2.*

**Please note that we are unable to guarantee any field trip, placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.

Course information

Aviation Management has been an established subject within Coventry University for over ten years. The current core teaching team consists of an internationally diverse and experienced team of industry practitioners and academics who seek to reflect the global context of the industry.

The course is aimed at students who are driven by the desire to work as managers within the aviation industry to support the current and anticipated ongoing global growth in demand for air transportation. It is hoped that many of these graduates will proceed to positions of influence and leadership.

Historically, the aviation industry has been resistant to specialist managers. However, growth and an inability to recruit appropriately qualified and experienced people means the industry is starting to look to specific aviation management degrees such as this in order to fill this gap. This course has successfully placed significant numbers of students in industry and the final destinations of graduates reflects an industry wide portfolio of airlines, airports, service providers, consultancies and regulatory bodies.

Having achieved its tenth anniversary in 2018, early graduates of this course are starting to achieve senior positions with considerable influence. These alumni, along with insights from our wider industry advisory board and market research, have identified current and emerging skills and capabilities that have influenced the shape and direction of this current programme.

This course seeks to provide a range of learning experiences and opportunities to form capable graduates within the field of aviation management; grounded in specialist business and management theory and practice, combined with fundamental knowledge of aeronautical engineering and transportations systems design, informatics and operational research methods. The course has been designed to prepare graduates for current industry requirements, whilst acknowledging its dynamic nature. As such, the course aims to address future trends such as the increasing reliance on data analytics as well as alternative methods to conventional flight.

The course starts with aiming to develop your understanding of the diverse theoretical foundations that underpin the industry, as well as the concept of the industry as an ecosystem. You will be introduced to the complex nature of the interdependencies of the myriad of stakeholders.

The course also seeks to prepare you for lifelong learning and professional development from day one. This will be supported by the development of soft skills such as communication, decision making and personal resilience, essential for the modern workplace and particularly in the unpredictable and risk intensive aviation industry.

To support this, a set of course level outcomes have been developed that aim to prepare you for industry. These are reflected in the module learning outcomes and their methods of assessment.

The course has been developed with the aim to provide a clear path with logical progression throughout the 3 levels of the degree. A course team approach to delivery is anticipated, using the specific strengths of the team where appropriate to support teaching and learning.

Modules have been written to be delivered by the current aviation management teaching team who are all specialists in the field but, supported where necessary by industry guest speakers and external visits*. Assessments seek to compliment the learning process and focuses on the skills and capabilities identified in the course level outcomes. A variety of methods are deployed and should continue to evolve through the course evaluation and improvement processes, considering feedback and developments in pedagogy and industry practice. Examinations have been minimised and students will have opportunities to be assessed using appropriately contextualised examples and case studies. Group work forms an important learning and assessment method and students will be encouraged to develop professional dialogues with peers and gain experience of receiving and giving feedback.

The course is delivered mainly in the Faculty of Engineering, Environment and Computing buildings in Coventry and can be studied full-time over three years, four years with an optional sandwich year or six years part-time.

*Please note that we are unable to guarantee any field trip, placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.