What does the everyday working life of an aviation engineer FH look like?

UAS aviation engineers are specialists in the complex interaction between people, technology and the environment in the aviation system. They are involved in research projects or monitor socio-political trends and developments in order to analyze their impact on aviation.

In the areaTechnics and engineeringthey can work as project managers in aircraft development or take on technical responsibility in aircraft construction or manage procurement projects or design air traffic control systems.

In the areaOperation and managementthey can take on operational management tasks in airport management, or lead safety and quality projects at aircraft manufacturers or work on economic issues in aviation. In the area of operations, they work as specialists and managers in air traffic control or at operations control centers, or they work as pilots with additional tasks in training or carry out test flights.

(Note: The distribution of tasks (weighting and frequency) may vary depending on the task profile/job profile or function and company).

Target group and skills: Who is the Bachelor of Aviation degree program at a university of applied sciences suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The University of Applied Sciences Bachelor's degree program in Aviation is suitable for the following groups of people:

• People with a keen interest in technology, engineering and aviation
• People with an apprenticeship certificate (EFZ) and a technical or commercial vocational baccalaureate
• Persons with a high school diploma
• Young professionals and/or high school graduates who wish to complete pilot training and a Bachelor's degree at the same time

The following personal qualities and skills should be possessed by prospective UAS aviators:

• Interest in the interaction between technology, people and business management
• Logic and powers of abstraction
• Solution-oriented analytical thinking
• Ability to concentrate or patience and perseverance
• Reliability and high quality awareness
• Fluency in German, English and French
• The joy of traveling

Requirements for admission to a Bachelor's degree course in Aviation at a university of applied sciences:

In general, the universities of applied sciences offer direct, i.e. examination-free admission, as well as a so-called admission procedure (e.g. entrance examination, admission "sur dossier", i.e. examination of personal documents). In addition: Depending on previous education and experience, it is sometimes possible to have credits recognized. Here too, the decision lies with the universities of applied sciences.

As a rule, you should expect the following admission requirements for a degree course in Aviation:

• Federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) and technical or commercial vocational baccalaureate

Or

• High school diploma and relevant one-year internship/work experience in the professional field of aviation (e.g. in management and support areas of airlines, work as a flight attendant, work in airport check-in or in maintenance and repair operations, etc.).

Or

• High school diploma (without professional experience) and internship contract with an aviation company (this applies to a practice-integrated Bachelor's degree program)

Or

• HF diploma from a higher technical college (HF) in the same or related subject area

Note:Some universities of applied sciences

• offer voluntary preliminary courses (e.g. mathematics, English) to prepare you ideally for your studies.
• If you opt for the part-time option, a maximum workload of 60% during the course is recommended.

*As already mentioned, the respective universities of applied sciences decide on admission to studies. They can largely design their courses themselves. Institutional accreditation in accordance with the Higher Education Funding and Coordination Act (HFKG) (Chapter 5.) of the federal government is a prerequisite for the designation right "university of applied sciences" or "university" and "university of teacher education", the granting of federal contributions and program accreditation.

Subject matter and content of the course

Each university of applied sciences is free to decide the exact structure of an aviation degree course. There may therefore be differences with regard to the course content and the defined thematic emphasis/focus.

The Bachelor's degree course in Aviation is available in Switzerlandonly at the ZHAW(Zurich University of Applied Sciences). The course is divided into modules with the following topics:

• Subject-specific basisAviation, aviation law, aerodynamics, aviation infrastructure, aircraft systems, risk management, meteorology
• Mathematical and scientific basicsPhysics, Mathematics, Computer Science/IT, Materials Technology
• LanguageEnglish for Aeronautical Communication
• Methods and processesDevelopment processes and quality assurance
• Projects and practical work

After the first year of study, students receive clear feedback on their level of education in the form of an assessment. Passing this assessment is a prerequisite for admission to the main study program. After the basic studies/assessment, students can choose one of three specializations. There is a choice of:

• Operational Engineering
• Technical Engineering
• Airline Transport Pilot (training to become an airline transport pilot takes place separately from the degree course. An aptitude test must be passed)

OneAlternative training optionThe ZHAW offers, for example, a classic mechanical engineering degree with specialization in aviation issues or research projects or a subsequent further education in aviation.

Costs and financing of further training

The costs vary depending on the provider, training location and training model. In general, the following costs can be expected for the 6 to 8 semester aviation course:

• Course feesCourse fees: between CHF 700 and CHF 900 per semester for Swiss residents. Students from abroad must expect higher course fees.
• Application/registration feebetween CHF 200.- and 300.-
• Examination fees(per semester): are normally included in the course fees
• Additional costsSome providers charge extra costs for teaching materials, training documents, copies/printouts, student ID/campus card, etc.

Duration of study, number of lessons, training model and learning effort

• Duration of studies and training modelThe Bachelor's degree in Aviation at university level has a modular structure and lasts 6 semesters in the full-time model or 8 semesters in the practice-integrated / part-time model.
• Number of lessonsStudy achievements are expressed in so-called ECTS points (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System Points), a kind of tool for the standardized study structure of Bachelor's and Master's degree courses at universities. As a rule, 180 ECTS points are required for a Bachelor's degree, which corresponds to 4,500-5,400 hours of work. (One ECTS point corresponds to a student workload of 25 to 30 working hours). This includes all study units such as lectures, tutorials, exercises, coursework, semester examinations, etc.
• Teaching formatTeaching is mainly carried out in lectures, group lessons, exercises and laboratory practicals. In addition to traditional classroom teaching, many universities of applied sciences now also offer online courses and forms of learning.
• Learning effort: You should allow sufficient time for preparation and follow-up of the lessons as well as for self-study - how much depends on your previous knowledge, working style, learning speed and chosen training model.

Degree, diploma and title

The modules of an Aviation Studies UAS at Bachelor level all conclude with a performance assessment. These qualifications take place throughout the course. These can be semester or module examinations, project or seminar work, presentations, discussions and case studies.

The Bachelor's degree in Aviation at a university of applied sciences is completed with a Bachelor's thesis, often in the form of a project.

In this part of the qualification procedure, the respective universities of applied sciences are also responsible for carrying out the performance assessments of modules.

At some schools, for example, the Bachelor's thesis is planned to be written after the subject lessons in the last semester, while at others it is possible to write it during the subject lessons. There are universities of applied sciences where the written Bachelor's thesis must also be presented orally.

In the Bachelor's thesis, students have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and creative, interdisciplinary, networked and practical thinking. They write their thesis in individual or group work on a topic relevant to aviation.

Diploma and title

Graduates of the Aviation Bachelor's degree program receive a Bachelor's degree from a federally accredited university of applied sciences and are entitled to use the title "Bachelor of Science [FH] in Aviation with specialization in Operational Engineering or Technical Engineering".