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This MSc course seeks to prepare students to be successful senior managers and leaders in the highly competitive international air transport industry.
Year of entry
2025-26
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Part-time
Sandwich
Duration
1 year full-time
2 years part-time
2 years sandwich
Course code
EECT028
Start date
September 2025
At Coventry University, we continuously review the courses we offer to ensure we reflect industry-relevant emerging best practice and technology. As a result, this course is undergoing continuous improvement assessment and will be launched with a renewed curriculum starting in September 2025. Module content and titles will be updated. Course title, learning outcomes and assessments may also change. We expect our new curriculum to be fully updated by January 2025. Please return to this page to see the final course details.
The programme aims to foster an analytical understanding of the holistic nature of aviation management, together with a comprehensive knowledge of the functional nature of the business of air transportation, including the objectives, physical and human requirements needed to facilitate high quality and seamless transportation of people, products and services throughout the world.
This course is accredited1 and recognised by the following bodies:
This course is currently being reaccredited as part of the standard CILT review process. We expect reaccreditation to be confirmed in early 2024.
As part of this course, you will undertake a professional development module which is currently accredited by the Chartered Management Institute for the 2024-25 intake. Upon successful completion of this module, you will gain the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice at no additional cost. Further details can be found on the Professional Development module.
Coventry University’s accreditation with CMI is currently ongoing for the relevant modules and is regularly reviewed and monitored by the CMI through their quality systems.
In semester one there is a focus on the acquisition of core knowledge and understanding of how the industry operates. You will be introduced to the financial and economic concepts that underpin strategic decision making in the aviation industry alongside the policy, regulatory and marketing theory and practices within the sector.
Semester two allows you to apply the learning from semester one and develop your critical appreciation of aviation operations management, including the use of simulation as a problem-solving tool and research methods while exploring the practicalities of safety, security, business resilience and project management.
After successful completion of the taught component, you will be required to undertake an air transport focused research thesis, demonstrating the skills and knowledge you have gained during the course. Live client-based projects are encouraged. Past students have considered the future of aircraft cabin design, examined several strategy and marketing related issues and looked at human factors in relation to runway incursion among others. This course may be delivered using short blocks, where the classroom teaching for each taught module is focused over a consecutive five-day period.
The ‘With work placement’ opportunity2 enables you to apply in semester 1 for an optional work placement of up to 12 months, extending the duration of your master’s to 24 months. The placement provides an opportunity for you to develop expertise and experience in your chosen field with the aim of enhancing your employability upon graduation. The work placement would take place in semesters 3, 4 and 5.
Please note that the optional placement modules incur an additional tuition fee of £4,000. Placement opportunities may also be subject to additional costs, visa requirements being met, subject to availability and/or competitive application. Work placements are not guaranteed but you will benefit from the support of our Talent Team in trying to find and secure an opportunity. Find out more about the work placement option.
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
Teaching and learning may include:
We use several real-life case studies drawn from the current fast-moving global airline scene. For example, how Middle Eastern Carriers have challenged and changed the wider global airline operating environment or how Low-Cost Carriers are evolving to meet increasing competition and increasing customer expectations.
We aim to run an inspiring programme of guest speakers (subject to availability), which in the past has featured: an airline loyalty expert; an airline safety and emergency planning manager; a security manager; chief fire officer; highly experienced airline scheduling expert; professional and personal development expert; a vice-president of airline route development and Ryanair’s former head of new routes; and the chief operating officer at Birmingham Airport.
We may also organise an exciting programme of field trips2, which have in the past included visits to DHL Air Cargo Hub at East Midlands Airport and the British Airways Emergency Coordination Centre at Heathrow, Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 and Birmingham Airport. Where possible, you will also be given opportunities to attend industry and academic conferences2. The university also organises industry engagement events where students can meet potential employers and engage with industry practitioners (subject to availability).
This course can be studied on a full-time or part-time basis. Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary. Please request information about studying this course part-time.
The number of contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around 12 contact hours per week in the taught semesters. Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 35 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.
Your project-based semester will be supervisor-supported, self-directed study in the region of 38 hours per week as well as supervisor meetings around 1 hour per week and optional workshops supporting your project, which can add up to 10 additional hours across your project semester.
The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending upon the module. We utilise diversified assessments such as reports, essays, presentations, group work and in-class tests to provide opportunities for learners to apply skills learnt on the course to solve real-world aviation industry problems. We embed our module delivery with formative sessions so that learners can independently achieve the intended outcomes of the summative assessment.
The Coventry University assessment strategy aims to ensure that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
Air transport management is a global business and to increase your employability, the course content reflects this. We benefit from strong relationships with air transport and aviation management programmes through Europe, in the United States, the Middle East, ASEAN and East Asia, including Purdue University, Emirates Aviation University, City University of Hong Kong and University of Indonesia. There may be opportunities2 for you to complete international study or work placements as part of your course.
Typical offer for 2024/25 entry.
Student | Full-time | Part-time |
---|---|---|
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £11,200 | £4,000 (work placement option additional fee) |
Request fee information |
EU | 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £11,200 | £4,000 (work placement option additional fee) per year with EU Support Bursary** 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £18,600 | £4,000 (work placement option additional fee) per year without EU Support Bursary** |
Not available |
International | 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £18,600 | £4,000 (work placement option additional fee) |
Not available |
For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page and see the university's Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:
The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.
Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.
Our aim is to offer you sector-leading facilities4.
Our simulators create an exciting way to learn, with 61 channels of flight data which can be analysed to assess the accuracy of a students’ own design. The simulators are incorporated into an air traffic control environment.
Our Harrier T4 allows you to gain hands-on experience with the parts, tools and mechanical aspects of a real aircraft. It is used by many engineering disciplines to learn how an aircraft works and how to maintain it.
Built and tested by the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula One team, our open jet single return wind tunnel is used for teaching aerodynamics. You can also test your project work, such as wings, plane tails or full aircraft models.
On successful completion, you will be able to:
Air transport is one of the world’s growth industries and is projected to continue to experience ongoing growth until at least 2040. This growth brings significant challenges in recruitment of suitable personnel at all levels, including management.
This programme is designed with the aim of developing the strategic managerial skills necessary to meet the challenges currently facing the air transport industry today. You should also develop a wide range of transferrable professional skills during your studies, including the ability to produce written reports and deliver oral presentations, engage in self-directed study, operate as part of a team, demonstrate a critical awareness of professional, legal, social and ethical issues.
As such, it aims to equip you with the skills and expertise required to pursue a successful career in various sectors of the air transport industry, such as airlines, air navigation service providers, airport companies and authorities, civil aviation departments, air transport consultancies and aerospace companies.
Previous graduates are now following management careers with airlines and airport operators, regulatory and industry representative bodies and consultancy in the UK and around the world.