Griffith University Bachelor of Aviation

[Speedbird 9]

G'day friends, I am currently in year 11 (1st term of yr 12 to be exact) and have always wanted to be a pilot. I have been researching flight training organisations (as I currently have 0 hours) and was impressed by Griffith University. Since it is a degree I will be able to access HECS for financial support (if I am succesful). I would really appreciate some feedback on the university and also the bachelor of aviation taught there. Also if you think I am making a colossal mistake I would be interested in your opinions. Thanks.

[Speedbird 9]

Anybody care to comment?

[AlphaMale]

G'day back at ya ;)

Griffith University - I don't know much about them.

Bachelor of Aviation - Is this the best degree for a back up career?

A few people have come on here asking a similar question with regard to degrees, first of all you don't really need a degree to become a pilot so all it might do it get your foot in the door, and secondly it is a great back up should you lose your medical or fail to become a pilot.

I did my degree in IT, this gives me an income that enables me to save for my training and if I loose my medical after spending £50k on training I can always fall back onto web design / programming.

Good luck.

[Speedbird 9]

Cheers Alpha, anybody else have any suggestions? Anybody attending the uni or past students or even employers?

[WannaBeBiggles]

Speedbird,

Griffith is a good uni, though you might hear otherwise from UQ or QUT students (has been refered to as GriffTAFE :p).

I agree with Alpha, do a degree in something else, the Bachelor of Aviation won't get you anywhere and your actual flight training won't be covered by HECS (As Far As I Know).

Always have a backup plan, otherwise you might regret it when it's too late.

[MarkyT]

Mate the uni course looks spot on if your 100000000% dedicated to becoming a pilot. But if for some reason you can't be a pilot, i would say it would be worthless. i am in my last year of uni at leeds, studying aviation technology with pilot studies, we only did up to ppl. But other aviation jobs can be done with this degree. If you're like me and couldn't do any other job then go for it! Good luck geez :ok:

[AlphaMale]

If you're like me and couldn't do any other job then go for it!

"Say again s l o w l y" is/was a pilot but has lost his class 1 medical due to illness, as you can see it's not uncommon and can strike at the most healthy pilots old or young.

Thread : http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=291990

I'm not sure what use an 'aviation technology with pilot studies' degree will give you should you rule out becoming a pilot, I haven't looked into what the course is about but I guess it's all in the title.

Aviation Technology - Wouldn't be as good a degree as an Avionics degree or a Aeronautical Engineering degree should you go into that as a back up.

Pilot Studies - Apart from becoming a pilot I'm not sure what use it has? Aviation journalist/historian?

Just research the market before deciding, I think in general the odds are stacked against the average fATPL holder of landing an airline job due to supply and demand, and if you were one of the lucky ones you still have the risk of failing a medical.

At the same time choose a degree you enjoy, 3 or 4 years of studying something you really have no passion for will be hell and you might walk away with a low grade or even a fail :bored:

[MarkyT]

Don't study something just for it to be a back up, study what you would enjoy mate! But have a plan B if you can't be a pilot for some reason.

[NZScion]

Agreed with what MarkyT is saying. In NZ there are also a few aviation management degrees on offer, I'm sure there would be something similar in Aus. At least with one of these degrees you could always join the suit brigade of an airline if you lost your medical.

[MarkyT]

Alphamale missed the point i was getting at, he did 'IT'! There is no way i could have studied something i didn't find interesting, hence why i chose an aviation degree!!! But if your are interested in other things, erm.. like SOCIAL STUDIES:confused: then you could do that and fly at weekends during uni! At leeds, loads of my mates get tonnes of flying through the Uni Air Squadron! A good way to bulid hours for FREE:ok:!

[millonario]

Be very careful with the Bachelor of Aviation from Griffith University. It looks great on paper, but unfortunately the reality is not quite what you would expect. Firstly, they claim it to be a 3 year degree. Now think to yourselves how that is possible considering you are doing a full-time degree with at least 40-50cp a semester on top of completing your professional flight training. Oh, and all the airplanes are always booked out anyways and students rarely get a PPL before their 3rd year. You then won't graduate and have to enroll at your local flying school full-time and eventually obtain your degree and pilot qualifications after 5 years, spending more of your pocket money on rent/food while working at Starbucks rather than FLYING. Furthermore, it won't get you any closer into guarantying a job in an airline. All these courses that Griffith provide don't mean sh*t when getting an interview. If anything, the Bachelor of Aviation will delay your flying progress and make you do remedial flights over and over again in response to having a huge workload at uni. So, are you really saving money? Well, it is understandable that many Australians choose this method because of FEE-HELP, but remember you are taking LOANS and on top of that, you will have to work your butt off for 5 years not to get evicted from your flat. So let's summarize this in a bit more detail:

* It will take 5 years for you to be ready for a job
* By the time you reach your CPL stage of flying, you might have already been at the controls of a jet.
* You will walk away without a job guarantee and 120,000 Dollar debt in tuition fees
* Forget about having a social life as you will have to work weekends and night shifts just to get by
* The psychological pressures as a consequence of the hardships you will have to endure might have a chronic effect on your well-being.
* A high margin for giving up and walking away

The only good thing I personally have ever experienced through this degree are the fellow students I met along the way and the guest speakers who the aviation school invited from time to time. Other than that, I have nothing good to say about aviation@griffith.

I would however like to stress the importance of obtaining a degree. Your journey through university will allow you to meet all kinds of people, experience hardships that will make you stronger, and eventually obtain a university qualification that might open a lot of doors for you in case you don't make it as a pilot. However, the Bachelor of Aviation is as good as toilet paper, so maybe consider studying something that will be of more use such as business, economics or general sciences.....

Also, if you are an international student, STAY AWAY by all means as converting you license will be a nightmare and you might have problems obtaining a new visa if you don't finish within the 3 year time-frame. How fun would that be after reaching the half-way mark?

By the way, I did graduate from the Bachelor of Aviation and I am working now. However, I hope no one get's fooled and have to endure the hardships I had to go through. It is not worth it and remember that there are many better options out there!

Good luck with everything and always keep the dream alive!
(http://www.pprune.org/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=6703932)

[mysterypilot]

Hey mate.Well firstly it does look pretty good that you can get a loan for your flight training. However there is a major downfall. A few of my friends actually went through Griffith and onto AAA at Archerfield. I would recommend maybe finding another way because that school isn't good at all. The GU students at AAA and the few other students who were there would always have something to complain about. Getting your license through there will be a job in itself and not to mention you will have to pay any over flies out of your own pocket. A lot of experienced pilots out there would say the same thing and that you don't need a degree in aviation especially since most of the course at GU is pretty much what you'll do for your CPL and possibly ATPL training. Although there is a few business aspects to it. A better option might be Central Queensland Uni as they have a bachelor of Aviation Technology. You can get recognition of prior learning for your flying. And it has more IT anf business aspects to it so would be more useful. Good luck