Overview
- Start dateOctober
- DurationFull-time one year; part-time up to three years; PgCert 1 year; PgDip 2 years.
- DeliveryTaught modules 40%, group project 20% (or dissertation for part-time students), individual project 40%.
- QualificationMSc, PgDip, PgCert
- 重口味SM typeFull-time / Part-time
- Campus重口味SM campus
Who is it for?
This course is applicable to a broad range of applicants with backgrounds from aerospace, engineering, maths, physics and computing to experienced professionals looking to gain new skills in the area of digital aviation technology.
The course is also a route for non-aerospace engineering and computing graduates who aspire to enter the aviation industry. In addition, the course is a career development path for aerospace industry professionals to boost their digital and innovation skills.
Why this course?
New and emerging generations of connected aircraft are entering service at pace. Aviation digitalisation spans the aircraft, airline, airport, airspace, MRO, ground operations, lessors and the wider ecosystem. New skills in the Internet of Things, robotics, AI, machine learning, AR/VR, big data analytics, predictive maintenance, blockchain, etc. are sought by the industry. While the digital technology is similar to other industrial sectors, the safety conscious and highly-regulated aviation industry imposes technology adoption hurdles specific to the aerospace regulatory and culture.
During the course you will have access to:
- The unique 重口味SM global research airport learning environment.
- World-leading research centres. 重口味SM University IVHM Centre has been leading research in the predictive health maintenance with technology adopted by major aircraft manufacturers.
- Digital MRO and hangar laboratories together with the 重口味SM Boeing 737-400 ground demonstrator.
- HILDA digital high performance computing ecosystem with up to 10.5 PetaFlops processing power, 2.5 PB storage and 200GBits/s network.
- Industrial standard aviation IT systems.
You will gain hands-on experience via practical research projects that make up 60% of the study. The group design project (GDP) aims to develop your professional practice to work as part of a team, plan and manage projects, and communicate ideas and results. During GDP project you will design, implement, validate and test an aspect of digital aviation, applying the knowledge acquired in the taught modules and integrate the various methods learnt.
The individual research projects (IRPs) allow the students to specialise in a digital aviation topic relevant to their career development. The real-world relevance of the research project topics is an effective differentiator in the job market.
Informed by industry
The MSc in Aviation Digital Technology Management has been developed following consultation with our Industrial Advisory Board (IAB), comprising leaders from Boeing, Etihad, easyJet, Saab, STS Aviation, SITA, Thales, TUI, and others across the aviation sector. As such, the course content meets the requirements of the industry, now and in the future.Course details
The MSc course consists of three weighted components, taught modules and individual research project, and a group project.
Between October and January, students study eight taught modules. The content delivery is organised as one week contact time followed by private study time to complete the assessments. Pre-work and post-work are incorporated as appropriate. Private study weeks are spaced through the October to January period.
The learning journey support students in two complementary digital careers directions: a technical direction to add cyber-physical capability to automate aircraft and facilities operations; and an informatics direction to focus on the management and exploitation of the large volume of aviation data. The taught modules build the components for progression to the projects. The Aviation Digitalisation module establishes the foundation of the aviation industrial ecosystem. The Digital Engineering and the Data-Centric Aircraft Systems modules together build the technical basis of intelligent aviation. The Predictive Maintenance Technology and the Aerospace Inspection and Monitoring Tools modules cover the technology for digitalisation of the aviation asset operations and maintenance. The Digital Aviation Operations and Maintenance Management and the Digital Aviation Supply Chain Management modules bring together the internal and external views of aviation management. The Communications and Cybersecurity in Aviation module covers the secure communication needed in all aspects of technology and operations. The pre-requisite module path is illustrated in the diagram.
Students are supported in their learning and personal development through participation in: industry seminars, group poster session, group discussions, group presentations, video demonstrations, case studies, laboratory experiments, coursework and project work. Students will receive hands-on experience accessing equipment and facilities within our and .
Course delivery
Taught modules 40%, group project 20% (or dissertation for part-time students), individual project 40%.
Group project
The group design project is a full time challenge to tackle a real industrial problem within a fixed 12 week timescale. The group of students are expected to professionally deliver working results to the sponsor at the end of the project. This learn-by-doing approach integrates the knowledge students gained in the taught modules. The collaborative experience prepares students to work in teams with members having diverse backgrounds and expertise, project management and technical presentations.
Example projects include:
- Robotic inspection to support aircraft maintenance.
- Fusion of location and camera sensing to support maintenance personnel electronic sign-offs.
- Autonomous collision avoidance in aircraft maintenance hangar.
- Multi-person AR/wearable supported aircraft maintenance.
Individual project
The Individual Research Project prepares students for their chosen career. This is a structured programme for the student to demonstrate his/her ability to conduct original investigations, to test ideas and to obtain appropriate conclusions from the work. Our industry partners sponsor and support practical projects that meet their business needs. Research focus projects could be agreed for students seeking academic career.
For part-time students it is common that their research thesis is undertaken in collaboration with their place of work.
Example projects include:
- Monitoring robotic vehicle movements using precision location system.
- Aircraft damage detection using hangar surveillance cameras.
- Lean operations in the hangar of the future.
- Parked aircraft maintenance programme.
- UAV operations and maintenance management system.
Modules
Keeping our courses up-to-date and current requires constant innovation and change. The modules we offer reflect the needs of business and industry and the research interests of our staff and, as a result, may change or be withdrawn due to research developments, legislation changes or for a variety of other reasons. Changes may also be designed to improve the student learning experience or to respond to feedback from students, external examiners, accreditation bodies and industrial advisory panels.
To give you a taster, we have listed the compulsory and elective (where applicable) modules which are currently affiliated with this course. All modules are indicative only, and may be subject to change for your year of entry.
Course modules
Compulsory modules
All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course.
Aviation Digitalisation
| Aim |
|
|---|---|
| Syllabus |
• Fleet and operations planning. • Aircraft major structure and systems. • Aviation operations, engineering and maintenance. • E-enabled aircraft. • Aviation digital transformation case study. • Future air systems – UAV, eVTOL, integrated transport systems, commercial space operations. • Sustainable Aviation. |
| Intended learning outcomes |
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:
|
Aviation Applied Computing
| Aim |
|
|---|---|
| Syllabus |
|
| Intended learning outcomes |
On successful completion of this module you should be able to: 1. Assess the principles underpinning applied computing, recognising its applications and advantages in both product and service development for the aviation sector. 2. Formulate critical assessments regarding the choice of computational tools and methodologies for the aviation sector. 3. Demonstrate proficiency in developing computational tools and techniques applicable to the aviation sector, including vehicle health management. 4. Appraise the obstacles and code performances encountered during the implementation of computational tools within industrial settings by comparing two different implementation languages. |
Data-centric Aircraft Systems
| Aim |
|
|---|---|
| Syllabus |
• Overview of critical aircraft systems. • Data-centric engineering – principles, strategies, and methodologies. • Digital technologies and data-centricity. • Data-driven computational predictive analytics. • Sensing and instrumentation. • Data mining and visualisation. • Data-centric design. • Intelligent diagnostics and prognostics for critical aircraft systems. • Data-centric engineering for intelligent aircraft system design. • Data-centric engineering based electrification modelling: more-electric aircraft. |
| Intended learning outcomes |
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to: 1. Critically examine modern aircraft system design approaches and through-life engineering strategies. 2. Evaluate sensor technologies, instrumentation architectures, and system integration methods relevant to data acquisition in modern aircraft. 3. Apply computational analytics to aircraft system data to derive operational insights and improve system resilience. 4. Critically assess the role of digital twins, ML-enabled diagnostics in enhancing through-life support of aircraft systems. 5. Formulate realistic strategic roadmaps for adopting data-centric and intelligent technologies in operational and design contexts across the aircraft lifecycle. |
Predictive Maintenance Technology
| Aim |
|
|---|---|
| Syllabus |
• Introduction to maintenance strategies. • Introduction to structural health monitoring: principles and examples. • Introduction to condition monitoring: principles and examples. • Methods and tools for predictive maintenance. • Signal processing and applications. • Overview of signal processing software. • Data analytics and data visualisation. • Overview of data analytics and data visualisation software. • Pattern recognition, neural networks and applications. • Overview of pattern recognition software. • Digital twins of aircraft systems in predictive maintenance. • Prognostics. • Practical case study: design and development of a condition monitoring system. |
| Intended learning outcomes |
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to: 1. Evaluate asset maintenance and key types of maintenance strategies. 2. Appraise the basic principles in machine dynamics and condition monitoring. 3. Appraise diagnostics and prognostics in structural health monitoring. 4. Appraise signal processing, data analytics and pattern recognition techniques used in condition monitoring and structural health monitoring. 5. Assess the role of Digital Twins & AI in predictive and preventive maintenance. |
Aerospace Inspection and Monitoring Tools
| Aim |
|
|---|---|
| Syllabus |
• Introduction to NDT imaging techniques for aircraft inspection. • Localisation and mapping. • Safe flight control and obstacle avoidance. • Aerial contact based inspection. • Aerial non-contact based inspection. • Single and multi UAV path planning for inspection and monitoring. • Damage detection and NDT sensing. • Defect localisation, monitoring and image processing. • Use of AI and ML for damage assessment and decision making. • Maintenance and monitoring studies and applications. • Practical case study 1: flying arena UAV testing for structural inspection. • Practical case study 2: testing on an actual aircraft - 737. |
| Intended learning outcomes |
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to: 1. Appraise damage detection applications, defect localization, image processing and NDT assessment. 2. Design autonomous path planning for optimal remote structural inspection, including self-localization within complex environments 3. Evaluate obstacle avoidance and aerial-ground robotic manipulation and inspection for monitoring and diagnostics. 4. Assess AI & image processing tools for Automated Defect Recognition (ADR). |
Digital Aviation Supply Chain Management
| Aim |
|
|---|---|
| Syllabus |
• Aviation spares and materials management. • Reliability engineering and integrated logistics support. • Supply chain modelling and logistics simulation. • Asset identity and life management – blockchain, etc. • In-situ spares technology - 3D printed parts, etc. • Business plan for supply chain transformation. |
| Intended learning outcomes |
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to: 1. Appraise the different types of aviation spares and airworthiness control. 2. Estimate through life inventory cost impact of different operations and maintenance planning policies. 3. Construct aviation through-life supply chain scenario planning models. 4. Evaluate business implication of emerging aviation supply chain technologies. 5. Prepare aviation supply chain digital transformation project. |
Communications and Cybersecurity in Aviation
| Aim |
|
|---|---|
| Syllabus |
• Overview of communication and electronics technologies within the context of aerospace. • Aircraft communications addressing and reporting system (ACARS) network and the ACARS over IP concept. • Aviation information security, threats and countermeasure. • The electronics supply chain as a root of security breaches. • Securing E-enabled aircraft. • Industry practices associated with protecting connected aircraft systems from potential threats. • Industry response to new security regulations, vulnerabilities facing suppliers. |
| Intended learning outcomes |
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to: 1. Examine technologies addressing aerospace-related communication systems, local area networks for aircraft, embedded systems and avionics. 2. Evaluate the avionics ecosystem concerning cybersecurity threats associated with communication, hardware, software and supply chain attacks. 3. Evaluate tools and techniques for building cyber-secured, avionics and communication systems. 4. Assess avionics and communications suppliers' security approaches against current security regulations, standards, and certifications. |
Aviation Maintenance Operations
| Aim |
|
|---|---|
| Syllabus |
• Maintenance Programme Development – balancing of technical requirements and operational priorities; Appreciation of Maintenance Steering Group 3 process. • Digital Systems for Operations and Maintenance Management. • Optimisation of maintenance - Outsourcing/In House Maintenance; Application of Lean principles to Maintenance operations; Maintenance planning; Maintenance costs. • Logistics and supply chain management. • Linkages between manufacturer, operator and maintenance organisation. • Continuing airworthiness management and Regulatory aspects (EASA Part M). • Health and usage monitoring, e.g engine condition monitoring etc. |
| Intended learning outcomes |
On successful completion of this module you should be able to: 1. Describe the principles of maintenance with direct relation to aircraft reliability and operation availability. 2. Examine the various aircraft maintenance philosophies used for in-service aircraft. 3. Critically appraise the aircraft maintenance planning process and maintenance execution for in-service aircraft. 4. Develop a process for achieving continuing airworthiness management with the appropriate regulatory approval. 5. Relate relevant digital technologies in aircraft maintenance. |
Teaching team
You will be taught by 重口味SM's experienced academic staff. Our staff are practitioners as well as tutors. Knowledge gained working with our clients is continually fed back into the teaching programme, to ensure provision of durable and transferrable skills practised on problems relevant to industry. Additionally, experienced members of the Industrial Advisory Board deliver industrial seminars in which they share their experience and explain the research and development proprieties of their companies. The Course Director for this programme is Dr Ip-Shing Fan.
Accreditation
Accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional and Accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for a Chartered Engineer.
This course is accredited with the BCS until August 2028. Candidates must hold a CEng-accredited BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree to comply with full CEng registration requirements.
重口味SM’s new MSc in Aviation Digital Technology Management will provide industry with the skills needed to develop integrated digital systems capability to support aircraft operations.
Not only is this key for MROs and airlines but also for the growing number of technology companies that provide ERP solutions for aircraft operations. Lots of good solutions exist within airlines and MROs that address elements of operations (traffic, movements, status, procurement, maintenance management, quality, safety etc) but the future opportunity is integrated solutions at the industry level. This MSc will help develop people who understand the ecosystem of aviation operations and the systems requirements needed to create innovative solutions for the future.
I think DARTeC is hugely exciting for 重口味SM. Aerospace is absolutely at the heart of what we do as an institution and DARTeC brings together the many different disciplines across the university. This is a really strong example of where all the university's strengths converge to solve one of society's challenges.
Your career
Industry-led education makes 重口味SM graduates some of the most desirable all over the world for recruitment by both global primes to smaller innovative start-ups looking for the brightest talent.
Graduates of the course should find engineering and management opportunities in the aviation ecosystem, including operators, maintenance organisations, financiers, airports and future spaceport operators.
Graduates will be equipped with the advanced skills which could be applied to the aviation, air traffic, air transport, security, defence, and aerospace industries. This approach offers you a wide range of career choices in current and emerging roles. Others decide to continue their education through PhD studies available within 重口味SM University or elsewhere.
重口味SM’s Career Service is dedicated to helping you meet your career aspirations. You will have access to career coaching and advice, CV development, interview practice, access to hundreds of available jobs via our Symplicity platform and opportunities to meet recruiting employers at our careers fairs. Our strong reputation and links with potential employers provide you with outstanding opportunities to secure interesting jobs and develop successful careers. Support continues after graduation and as a 重口味SM alumnus, you have free life-long access to a range of career resources to help you continue your education and enhance your career.
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Click on the ‘Apply now’ button below to start your online application.
See our Application guide for information on our application process and entry requirements.
