BSc (Hons) Aviation Management with Commercial Pilot Training in Helicopters at Buckinghamshire New University

Programme overview

With over 20 years of experience, we specialise in preparing you for a dynamic career in aviation. In just three years, you will earn a full honours degree while completing your flight training and the ground exams required for your ‘frozen’ Air Transport Pilot Licence – Helicopters (ATPL(H)). Led by seasoned lecturers who were former airline pilots with major airlines, you will benefit from real-world insights and professional connections.

Faculty: Aviation Transport and Travel | Duration: Three Years | Study mode: full-time | Intake: September 2027 | Location: High Wycombe, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

On the management side of this degree, you’ll learn how airlines and airports operate, covering topics like airline operations, airport management, aviation safety, and security. You’ll also study aviation law and regulations, along with the economics of the industry, gaining insight into the financial and legal challenges faced by airlines. Core modules include Aviation Operations, Academic and Professional Skills, PPL Theory, Aviation Marketing, People and Behaviour in Aviation, PPL Flying Helicopters, Research Methods, ATPL Theory 1 (Helicopter) – Instrumentation and General Navigation, ATPL Theory 2 – Meteorology, Human Performance and Limitations and Mass and Balance, ATPL Theory 3 – Radio Navigation, Air Law and Communications, ATPL Theory 4 (Helicopter) – Aircraft General Knowledge and Flight Planning and Flight Monitoring, ATPL Theory 5 (Helicopter) – Operational Procedures, Principles of Flight and Performance, Sustainability and Ethics in Aviation, Extended Independent Work. Optional modules include Airline Assessment Preparation Course OR, Management, Strategy and Leadership.

Career pathways

On successful completion of our commercial pilot training in helicopters degree you’ll be the proud owner of a Commercial Pilot Licence - Helicopters (CPL(H)) with instrument rating and a ‘frozen’ ATPL(H) – this allows you to apply for positions as a professional helicopter pilot. Your ATPL will remain frozen until you meet the relevant professional experience, at which point the ‘frozen’ prefix will be dropped.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

A typical offer will require a UCAS tariff score of: 104 - 128 UCAS points can be obtained through qualifications such as A levels, T levels, BTEC or an Access to Higher Education course in a relevant subject. Please list all your qualifications on the application form as you will be asked to provide copies when we receive your application. You also need at least two A-levels or equivalent and GCSE Maths and English at grade C/4. Additionally, some knowledge of science subjects would be an advantage. Mature students with non-standard qualifications will be considered on an individual basis. All students will require at a minimum a Class II Medical in order to undertake their PPL solo, those students wishing to undertake Commercial training will need to gain a Class I Medical prior to enrolling with their selected Approved Training Organisation (ATO). Further information on the requirements of Class I and II Medicals, including approved AME's, can be found on the CAA website. Students requiring a visa to study in the UK are not eligible to apply for this course. UCAS code N850.

Domestic applicants: GBP 9,790 a year (2026/27). UK students with Student Finance; Year 2 includes a £2,000 placement fee (bursary of £7,790); flight training costs paid separately to the training organisation Source

Intake: September 2027

Duration: Three Years

Explore more study programmes

Business