What are Aviation Management courses and their career opportunities
Want to know the different types of aviation management courses in India? Unsure of the job scope of an aviation management program? This article provides a learning insight into the various kinds of courses in India which are related to aviation management and the employment opportunities that are available after completing them.
Overview
Career opportunities with leading airline carriers are not all related to taking the controls in the cockpit or being part of the cabin crew. You can take up a career in the field of aviation which is connected to the hospitality aspect, maybe at the airport or in the travel office of the airline. Outside of the airline industry, there are openings in the hotel, fleet management, and freight forwarding sectors as well. Then there are tourism service operators who regularly recruit fresh graduates who have completed aviation management courses.
Yes, aviation management is what we will be exploring in this article. Basically, aviation management is related to airport and airlines management, but, as mentioned earlier, the actual scope of doing a course in the field can extend beyond that. There are undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma programs, and even MBA and doctoral courses in this field. Admission to these courses is generally through an initial online application followed by a selection process that may or may not include an entrance test and then a personal interview. Group discussions may also be a part of the selection process.
So let's delve right in and learn about aviation management courses in India and get a general idea of the job scope of such courses.BBA and BMS Aviation Management courses
The eligibility for these courses is 12th pass with at least 50%. Spread over multiple semesters for a duration of three years, you learn the management aspects of business, marketing, information systems, aircraft maintenance, international business, etc. There will be a bit of number-crunching learning sessions as well, meaning you will be exposed to the world of financial accounting, business statistics, macro-economics and the like. Understanding the security and safety facets of airports, including cargo operations and learning first aid measures, is an important part of the course. Communication skills and soft skills are developed, too.
On completion of the course, you can be an aviation planner, an operations analyst, an airport manager, a supervisor of airport operations, etc.Aviation Management Diploma courses
Both Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma courses in aviation management include hospitality & travel or hospitality & tourism add-ons, or even all of them combined. The goal of these courses is to develop professional skills in the students to enable them to grab multiple career opportunities in the aviation industry. A few may be inclined towards a curriculum which helps towards getting cabin crew openings as well as on the ground, while others are focused exclusively on the latter such as cargo, ticketing, logistics, customer relations, and guest services, public relations, etc.
These diploma courses in aviation management require a minimum eligibility of 50% in Class 12 and you can look for online options as well. The duration could be of six to ten months to over a year, depending on where you are pursuing it and the learning modules of the semesters. MBA and MMS Aviation Management courses
A Masters in Business Administration (MBA) is a much sought for academic qualification and this is no less a case in the aviation field as well. Generally, graduates with a minimum of 50% to 55% score in finance-related streams are preferred, such as commerce or economics or Statistics, for the two-year MBA Aviation Management course. However, science graduates too may be considered who have taken up Maths as one of the subjects at the graduation level. This will be the eligibility, as well, for a Masters in Management Studies (MMS) in Aviation Management. The learning modules are more or less similar to the ones of the MBA course, such as financial management, HR, business communication, quality management, etc. So also the career opportunities, with roles as a financial analyst, a supervisor at the airport, an information representative of an airline, a ticketing staff member, etc.
Check out Executive MBA courses in Aviation Management as well. With the same eligibility requirements and duration of two years, these are also job-oriented courses which may include online tutorial sessions. The curriculum covers airline and airport management and includes safety & security, strategic planning, aviation laws, HR and financial management, etc. On completion of the course, you can start as a management trainee and move up the ladder to managerial and supervisory positions.
Research-based Ph.D. Aviation Management programs
Those inclined towards research can pursue a Doctoral program in aviation management. One has to have a Master's Degree from a recognized institute or university to be eligible for the PhD program.
With the PhD qualification in the aviation field, you can get a lucrative government job as an eminent Advisor or in a similar role with a reputed research organization. You can even start a teaching career in the field and become a mentor yourself to budding research students. Just make sure that you get a good guide! You could check the expert advice given to a Ph.D. aspirant for selecting a guide.
Of course, unlike the other courses, the doctoral program could take up a good number of years, and basically you do need to complete your thesis within three to five years. Conclusion
As you can see, job opportunities are aplenty out there, on completing an aviation management course. Work as a customer service agent in the operations division of an airline, take up the responsibility of luggage security or ramp duties, help to ensure smooth departures and arrivals of passengers. Stay grounded if you want, no need to touch the sky with an in-flight job!