Aviation Pilot Degrees At University

Currently doing my GCSEs Year 11.
A* Core science and well on my way to Bs and As in the rest of my subjects. Picked Maths, Physics and Economics for ALevels.

I know it's a bit early to think about uni but I was wondering, what courses could I do if I wanted to become a Pilot and if it's better to go straight into flight school.

Reply 1

Bucks New University

Original post by CMabalot

Hi CMabalot

At Bucks New University we offer a number of degree courses that incorporate flight training. Depending on the route you may be looking to go down,we offer a BSc (Hons) Air Transport with Private Pilot Training, where you can also gain your PPL, a BSc (Hons) Air Transport with Commercial Pilot Training, where you will gain your PPL and frozen ATPL, and also a BSc (Hons) Air Transport with Helicopter Pilot Training, where again you can gain your pilots licences but specific to a helicopter.

At Bucks we ask for a UCAS tariff score of 96-112 points from your A Levels, as well as GCSE Maths and English at grade C or above. We don't specify particular A Levels that you need to take, however maths or physics would be beneficial, so it sounds like you would meet this requirement.

Of course there is the option for you to go straight to flight school, but taking a degree at the same time as your flight training will mean that you also have this foundation and background knowledge of the aviation industry as a whole.

As with any flight training, there are significant additional costs involved which need to be taken into consideration. Because our pilot training courses are quite niche, we'd definitely recommend coming along to one of our open days. The next event we have is coming up on Saturday 3 June, and runs from 10am - 3pm. You can book your place at this event online. There will be a specific pilot training presentation, and also the opportunity to meet course leaders and current students, and ask any questions you may have! We have a flight simulator at our High Wycombe Campus, so you can also test your take off and landing skills during our open day!

It's never too early to start thinking about your next steps, so if you have any questions do let me know!

Laura
Bucks New University TSR rep

Reply 2

AYRnet

Hi CMabalot,
You're thinking about your courses at just the right time! Just to give you my point of view, I'm a commercial pilot -- I went straight to flight school a couple months after finishing year 12. I'm currently working at an airline in the UK and loving it. Most (over 90%) of the people at my school went to uni, that's the way it's structured, so it was a difficult decision to make, but it's the best decision I've ever made.

Your call whether you want to go to uni first or not. In terms of aviation, most if not all European airlines aren't interested in degrees, they look for your licence and your aptitude, so whether you go to uni or not, or what courses you study if you do go, most likely won't matter to them. You'll no doubt have some personal gain in terms of study habits and knowledge, but pilot courses are extremely specific so don't expect to carry much of your uni knowledge into flight school if you decide to do uni first. It's more of a personal decision -- if you feel you want a degree or not (remember you could always study it later in life if you want, or do part time study), or, perhaps more importantly, to have a potential fallback if for some reason flying doesn't work out. It might be worth getting a Class 1 medical soon -- it costs some £s but there's no better time than now to make sure you are fit to fly before committing (I'm sure you'll be fine, but it's worth a check). There's the obvious cost consideration, flight school is very expensive on its own, so you'd need to make sure you can fund that (and potentially the Type Rating afterwards). If you add a few years of university to that it could put some serious financial strain on your family, so be sure to have a chat with them about what is feasible. The courses you're doing now and the grades you mention are more than enough to get you into a flight school so don't worry about that.

What would you miss if you don't go to uni? I'm a quieter person so I never craved the stereotypical "uni lifestyle," perhaps the most difficult thing about my decision is that it means it can be hard to meet people my age since what I do is very different (and I mostly work with people older than me), but I'm a quiet person so that doesn't bother me much, and I meet lots of people when I'm working anyway. I don't have a fallback since I don't have a degree, but that doesn't bother me to be honest, if you want that though that's perfectly reasonable. I'm lucky to work at a great company and earn good money, so provided you do well in flight school and score a good job you'll be financially independent before you know it, probably before any of your peers. (BTW an "integrated" flying course, which I'd recommend, takes about a year and two months start to finish. "Modular" can be cheaper but do not approach flying as a part time course unless you really have to (i.e. for financial reasons), I doubt it would work.)

Some universities offer some kind of flying courses together with degree programmes. It might be worth a look into, but except for Florida's Embry Riddle I haven't heard of a decent one in Europe, most are more private pilot flying clubs than commercial flight schools -- going to a good school if key to getting a solid job afterwards and a part-time semi-dedicated course won't impress the airlines much. That said, it's an option open to you if you want to try out flying if you're not completely set on it yet.

Of course, make sure you're fully into flying: it's a job you will either love with all your heart or completely hate, so make sure you have it in you to stick through flight school. It's not a job you can stick to if you 'just kind of like it,' it takes a lot of dedication. If you are really into it, there's nothing better. The flight school experience is incredible, you'll make amazing friends, gain a very wide knowledge of the randomest things that turn out to be relevant to flying, and, you'll get to fly for a living!

I've tried to make my reply somewhat structured but apologies if it's just a collection of thoughts. Anyway, feel free to contact me if you want more into on flight school/flying as a job, I'd be glad to help 😊 Best of luck with your decision! (And kudos on thinking about this now and not at the last minute!

Reply 3

EhssanElmansouri

This was a useful response for me, just wondering which flight school you attended?

Reply 4

AYRnet

Glad it helped, I went to FTEJerez

Original post by EhssanElmansouri

This was a useful response for me, just wondering which flight school you attended?

Reply 5

Peppe23

Hi guys, nice to meet you just wondering because I am an aviation's enthusiast, I got a question, there is any chance to get the full loan to achieve the entire atpl H degree? I mean without spend nothing?, I am european, italian, and where I live there is no chance to become pilot unless you are rich... it is so expensive here.. but I know my attitude and I already know that without economic limitations I can stick it just focusing well on studying, I hope somebody can help me.

Reply 6

AYRnet

Ciao Peppe23,I don't know what the financial situation in Italy is but unfortunately in the UK the only funding for flying courses is through a regular bank loan. Some flight schools might be able to help by providing some sort of letter confirming you will be a student there, etc., but it's basically a regular loan. Have a look at cadet schemes that may cover part of the cost, as well as a modular route which may take longer but allows you to fly when you can afford it and work in the mean time, and they generally cost less. Also check with people in Italy or on Italian aviation forums -- I'm sure there are some around, and they might be able to offer you more country-relevant advice as things might be different there.Best of luck!

Reply 7

username4791942

What are the additional costs of doing the atpl course at bucks? I just applied but I haven’t found any info on what the extra costs are and whether the costs of getting your atpl are included or a separate fee?