Aviation MBA o MSc

[salmanrushdie]

Could someone tell me which aviation MBA (or MSc) is currently the best?
In terms of relevance of the course and networking.

I have not found any list of ranking for the best schools and universities in aviation MBA.

[mad_jock]

Opps

Just read the question properly

Cranfield seems to be the favourite for that type of thing.

There isn't really any professional body which oversee's this type of course so nobody really holds league tables.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I don't think any league table exists.

But I agree with Jock. Cranfield is top of the heap, then probably City.

As a working rule, look at their entry requirements The best are probably the hardest to get into.

[Groundloop]

There isn't really any professional body which oversee's this type of course

Not really "accreditation" as such, but City's MSc courses were set-up with, and run in conjunction, with GAPAN. All dissertations have a GAPAN examiner.

[salmanrushdie]

Thks for the info!

I am currently working in a regional airline company (50 pilots). My experience in 15 years in commercial aviation? pilot, chief pilot, TRE, head of training and now head of flight operations.

The reason for me to do the MBA is to complete another management area in aviation, the financial area. And trying to get into another positions in another airline.

So far I have found:
- Coventry University London Campus (MBA)
- Brunel University London (MBA)
- City University London (MSc)

And on Cranfield University I have not found any aviation MBA.

[Genghis the Engineer]

There are no jobs that I am aware of in the aviation business that require a particular degree (at any level)

You'd struggle to get many jobs in aviation without an appropriate degree. Presumably however you believe that aeroplanes magic themselves into existence without needing to be designed, company accounts sort themselves out without qualified accountants, sort all the contractual issues without people that hold law degrees....

It's just that pilots only need pilots licences to work - an important but minority job in aviation.


Back to the masters degree. The majority of senior managers in aviation, don't have an MSc or MBA, but that doesn't make it a bad thing. Particularly if you've spent your life on the flight deck, your management training and experience will have almost entirely been limited to man-management, and that of people within a relatively limited skillset. There's much that you need for senior management roles that you need to get from somewhere, and an appropriate masters is a good place to get that.

Don't get too carried away with thinking that an aerospace MBA is much more than a standard MBA with a bit of an aviation flavour. So, given that, don't be put off the majority of other MBAs - which contain the same material.

The MSc-s in Air Transport Management at City, Cranfield and a few other places are different, and do have much more of an aviation specific content. That may or may not be a good thing, depending upon your long term career aspirations. If the aspiration is as a company management pilot, then both are good, but the specialist MSc might be a bit better, whilst if you may go outside of aviation, then an MBA is better. Also look, incidentally, at the Open University MBA, which is a very highly regarded distance learning product.

Incidentally - link to the Cranfield course you couldn't find: Postgraduate MSc in Air Transport Management - Cranfield University, UK (http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/courses/masters/air-transport-management.html)

I know Brunel and Cranfield Universities well fairly well, and would certainly recommend Cranfield as superb. Brunel is very good for engineering, with a reasonable aerospace engineering presence, but the Aviation MBA people seem pretty much invisible to the general aviation community or even to Brunel's aerospace engineering people, which makes me a bit suspicious of the quality of that product.

Incidentally, you should be aware that working at a senior level, particularly in flying, requires quite different skills of scholarship to those for study at Masters level. It will be a big step intellectually, especially if you're somebody who didn't do an undergraduate degree. If that's you, then there's a lot of sense in doing something - for example a couple of OU modules that interest you - to get the study skills up to scratch before commencing.


(Senior aviation manager, no MBA, but married to somebody with one, and both Mrs.G and I teach on a variety of postgraduate courses, mainly MScs.)

[Genghis the Engineer]

There isn't really any professional body which oversee's this type of course

Not really "accreditation" as such, but City's MSc courses were set-up with, and run in conjunction, with GAPAN. All dissertations have a GAPAN examiner.

There's this professional body. AMBA - Association of MBAs (http://www.mbaworld.com/)

[mad_jock]

To be honest I wouldn't get something with links to aviation.

If your going to do the MBA go for one of the general business MBA's which will give you a bit of latitude if every thing goes tits up for you.

From the people I have helped on them a lot of the stuff is teaching none pilots performance related stuff such as payload range concepts which in your current situation you will already be doing anyway.

Do A Business school MBA and then relate all course work back to aviation.

Just had a look at some of the prices. Eye watering!!!!

[Groundloop]

Incidentally, you should be aware that working at a senior level, particularly in flying, requires quite different skills of scholarship to those for study at Masters level. It will be a big step intellectually, especially if you're somebody who didn't do an undergraduate degree. If that's you, then there's a lot of sense in doing something - for example a couple of OU modules that interest you - to get the study skills up to scratch before commencing.

When you apply to City's MSc courses you take the first module for free. You can then see if you can handle the workload and have the study skills required and City can assess your ability to do the whole course. You have to pass the assessment for the module but this module does not count in your final result.

[Genghis the Engineer]

When you apply to City's MSc courses you take the first module for free. You can then see if you can handle the workload and have the study skills required and City can assess your ability to do the whole course. You have to pass the assessment for the module but this module does not count in your final result.

How incredibly sensible.

[salmanrushdie]

Guys, thank you very much for your help and advices (especially genghis)

I would like to indicate that the reason I want to do a MBA specialized in aviation is to take advantage of my operational knowledge and to apply for management positions in larger airlines. In my current company I've been through almost all operational positions and I want to develop myself in other areas (flying does not motivate me as much as the challenges of management, perhaps because of the messes I've experienced myself in my current company)

I do agree that making a general MBA give me more options to get other jobs, but I love aviation. I know, I'm screwed... ;)

- Cransfield Univ 12 months MSc
- Brunel Univ 12months MBA
- Coventry Univ 18months MBA
- City Univ 3years MSc

[salmanrushdie]

Thks Roger-04, but that those courses are for pilots to gain their professional pilots licence (alongside a full university degree).

But thank you again!

[Roger10-4]

Oops! Should have read the full thread! Apologies!

[Genghis the Engineer]

My experience in 15 years in commercial aviation? pilot, chief pilot, TRE, head of training and now head of flight operations.

I suspect he's a little beyond CPL/IR !

[salmanrushdie]

Just a liiiittle bit of a few thousands hours . ;)
But thks anyway. (Genghis be good...)

Btw, Im going to visit Cransfield, Brunel, Coventry and City Univ next week. I will tell you my impressions about it.

[salmanrushdie]

After analyzing several universities and talk to them, this week I went to London (I live and work in Spain) to have interviews with 4 universities that I liked. And, in a few words:

- Brunel University, aviation MBA, 12 months (full time), starts in January. In Uxbridge in a huge campus (10K total students and 2K MBA students), belongs to AMBA (association of MBAs) and has career coaching. £18,500
- Coventry University, aviation MBA, 18 months (part time), starts in April. In the City (1K students and mostly for MBAs) and collaborates strongly with Emirates Aviation Collegue. £16,750
- Cransfield University, Air Transport Mmgt MSc, 1 year (full time), starts in October. In Bedfordshire (big campus). £7,000 for UK/EU or £16,000 for INT
- City University London, Air Transport Mmgt MSc, 3 years (part time), any time - modular. In the City. £11,400

I'm definitely going to apply for the MBA, instead of the MSc. The MSc is very specify and more convenient if you want to continue studying, while the MBA is more global and focused on the role of business management.

Now I have to decide full time or part time: Income+expenses versus only expenses (ouch!).

[Genghis the Engineer]

Correcting a couple of trivial points in your post.

Cranfield, not Cransfield.

Brunel has something in excess of 2000 postgraduate students, but they're not all on MBA programmes.

Incidentally I am aware of the new Coventry / Emirates MScs in Aviation Safety and Aviation security, and the existing MBA - most of that is delivered in Dubai for Emirati students but with Coventry support - so far as I know it's fairly irrelevant to the Coventry delivery. (Mind you, as you're in the airlines you could do worse than talk to Emirates college in Dubai as well, they're well resourced).

[salmanrushdie]

Genghis, thanks you for your corrections and the remark about Coventry/Emirates.



I must write Cranfield right. I must write Cranfield right.
I must write Cranfield right. I must write Cranfield right.
I must write Cranfield right. I must write Cranfield right.
I must write Cranfield right. I must write Cranfield right.
I must write Cranfield right. I must write Cranfield right.
I must write Cranfield right. I must write Cranfield right.
.....

http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/icons/laugh.gif

[Genghis the Engineer]

:E :8 :ok: