As air traffic is set to triple over the next 20 years, it is expected that nearly 500,000 airline pilots will be needed by 2032. The air transport industry is striving to meet this growing demand for pilots and in parallel it is also seeking higher professional standards to further improve the excellent safety record air travel already enjoys today. In view of this, the air transport sector is recognising the value of pilots having a university level of education besides their standard pilot training.
In response to this demand, the Institute of Aerospace Technologies of the University of Malta is launching a new Higher Diploma in Aviation for pilots in October 2016. The course is intended for ab-initio and professional pilots who seek to develop or strengthen their career path by following a university programme that will provide them with an excellent balance between theoretical understanding and technical insight into the operational environment of the modern pilot.
This approach will afford students a deeper insight into their profession, allowing them to take better decisions in the field whilst also giving them a competitive edge in their career.
It will offer graduates with formal university education in the field of direct relevance to the aviator and therefore of direct benefit to the pilot’s job.
Delivered by experts in their respective fields, the course will provide an introduction to the fundamental engineering principles associated with aviation and then builds on this to address the technical aspects associated with flying.
This approach will afford students a deeper insight into their profession
Topics covered include fundamentals of electrical, mechanical and computer engineering, mathematics and statistics, theory of flight, principles of aircraft structures and design, avionics, aircraft communication systems, air traffic management, navigation and automation and human factors. The course brings together theory and practice and is intended to complement the ground instruction and flying training provided by flying schools leading to EASA Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL), Multi-crew Pilot Licence (MPL) or equivalent.
In this way, it aims to provide pilots with a more professional understanding and insight into the technical and operational matters associated with flying modern large transport aircraft.
The Higher Diploma in Aviation will contribute to greater educational value in the air transport industry and will thus afford the professional pilot a valuable addition to his or her portfolio, be it whilst seeking first employment with an airline, for job mobility or for promotion to captaincy.
The course will run on a modular, part-time day course basis over two calendar years and can be followed by student pilots in parallel with their pilot training courses, as well as by licenced pilots who are already flying operationally.
This will allow students to use the learning outcomes from the Higher Diploma in Aviation in their day-to-day flying, thus adding value to their training, operational and learning experiences.
Credit will be given to students for ground and flying training covered externally during their studies leading to EASA ATPL, MPL or equivalent.
The Institute of Aerospace Technologies is also planning a two-year part-time continuation course leading to a Bachelor’s degree in air transport, to be launched by October 2018 to allow students enrolling on the higher diploma course in October 2016 to continue their studies to Degree level seamlessly. The continuation course will focus more on topics specific to large transport aircraft and to airline operations.
Further information on the course is available at: http://www.um.edu.mt/iat/overview/UHDAVIPTD-2016-7-O or contact the Institute of Aerospace Technologies via e-mail: iat@um.edu.mt or 2340 2530.
David Zammit Mangion is the director at the Institute of Aerospace Technologies at University of Malta.