BSc (Hons)

Aircraft Engineering and Maintenance Systems (Top Up)

The BSc Aircraft Engineering and Maintenance Systems Top-Up course will provide the opportunity to build on skills and experience you have already gained, broaden knowledge of the aircraft maintenance industry and support your career aspirations.

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Key Course Details

  • UCAS Code

    H406

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £9,535*

  • International students

    £16,200*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £9,000*

  • International students

    £16,200*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Online

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £785*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £785*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

You will study subjects such as Project Management, Resource and Planning Management, Emerging Technologies.

DESIGNED FOR

The Aircraft Engineering and Maintenance Systems Top-Up course is aimed at those that would like to build on the industry qualifications and experience they already have (such as an appropriate EASA/CAA Part-66 certification) and those that hold a relevant HND, or equivalent level 5 qualification, to attain an engineering degree.

Career Paths

  • Aircraft Maintenance Planning
  • Aircraft Manufacturing
  • Maintenance Management
  • Aircraft Technical Support

Skills taught

  • Researching 
  • Critical Thinking 
  • Presentation Delivery
  • Report Writing
  • Teamworking

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.


Course Highlights

Taught by Experienced Lecturers

The lecturing team have a breadth of aircraft maintenance experience with a number coming from civil and military aviation as well as those from Higher Education.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

Our Treforest Campus is home to our Jetstream 31 aircraft, A320 fuselage section and our new Boeing 747 maintenance simulator.

Internationally Diverse Cohorts

Students are from many countries and bring their own experience of the aviation industry to the course

Industry Links

The university has links with a number of airlines and aviation related organisations

Module Overview

Over the duration of the course, you will study the following taught modules: Advances in Aerospace Propulsion; Engineering Project Management; Emerging Aerospace Technologies; Aviation Maintenance Resource and Planning Management. You will also undertake a significant Individual Project.  Assessments will be in the form of coursework, including written assignments and presentations.

As a FT student, you will undertake all five modules in the one academic year or, in the case of part-time students, over two academic years. Part-time students will study three modules: Advances in Aerospace Propulsion; Engineering Project Management; Emerging Aerospace Technologies.

Advances in Aerospace Propulsion
Students will be introduced to recent and forthcoming advances in aircraft propulsion technologies, including the investigation of the driving factors behind these developments.

Engineering Project Management
Students will gain knowledge and understanding of managing aircraft maintenance projects using standardised models for project management.

Emerging Aerospace Technologies
Students will be given an insight into new and emerging technologies and have the ability to appraise these developments from an engineering perspective.

Aviation Maintenance Resource and Planning Management (FT-Yr1; PT-Yr2)
During this module, students will be able to plan and evaluate maintenance schedules, based on available resources, in order to ensure safe, efficient and financially viable aircraft maintenance operations.

Individual Project (FT-Yr1; PT-Yr2)
Students will undertake a substantial project requiring them to carry out in-depth research, or demonstrate appropriate problem-solving skills, related to an aircraft engineering or aircraft maintenance related problem.

Part-time students will undertake two modules in their final year: Aviation Maintenance Resource and Planning Management, which is a taught module, and the Individual Project (Dissertation).

Two final year modules for part-time students
Aircraft Maintenance Resource and Planning management and the Individual Project.

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

Teaching methods may include lectures, seminars, tutorials, demonstrations, external visits, as well as both directed (including online learning) and independent study.

On average, you can expect to be in classroom-based activities for around 6-12 hours per week

Subject to availability, guest lectures will also take place.

Distance learning students will be expected to commit to between 10-20 hours of study per week and will use the virtual learning environment (e.g. Blackboard), to progress their studies.  Students will be assessed through coursework and presentations.

Teaching staff

Many of the AME lecturing staff and technicians are experienced aircraft engineers and technicians from military and commercial aviation. A number of lecturers have served in the Royal Air Force or worked for companies such as British Airways, Airbus, Shorts Bros./Bombardier, Resource Group, and Qantas; some have worked in both civil and military. There are also lecturers that have come from other industries or have come from Higher Education, having studied aerospace related subjects at MSc level.

Facilities

The University has invested £3.3m in its aerospace facilities, including a two-storey Aerospace Centre extension, offering engineering students 1,000m2 of workshop and lab space, two aircraft hangars, and a MP521 flight simulator. 

The Centre houses a Jetstream 31 aircraft, gas turbine maintenance, riveting, hand tool, and welding workshops. Additionally, it features clean and dirty composite workshops, labs for electronic tasks, avionics, hydraulics, and pneumatics. Sub-sonic wind tunnels facilitate aerodynamic instruction. 

The Merlin MP521 simulator, programmable for any aircraft type, is pivotal in design testing and flight test preparation.

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

This course addresses the market’s requirement for attaining specialist knowledge in the managerial aspects of aircraft maintenance. This course focuses on the management and planning of line and heavy maintenance scheduling, which is usually a shortfall amongst practicing Aircraft Maintenance Engineers.

Engagement with aviation companies such as Ryanair, British Airways and JMC has produced a large number of employment opportunities for our students.

Possible career paths

You may have a clear career path that you are aiming for, and we can help you get there. On the other hand, you may still be unsure about the direction you wish to take and that’s why our lecturers, industrial contacts and careers services will want to talk to about these opportunities. 

It’s an exciting time to be an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer – the world is facing some major challenges and we are at the forefront of developing solutions to many of these.

Careers support

Our careers service offers a range of advice and guidance to students. We can link you up with industry, we can help you with interview skills and CVs and help you to focus on your own direction of travel.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

Entry to the BSc (Hons) Aircraft Engineering and Maintenance Systems Top-Up requires applicants to have completed a Higher National Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering or an equivalent level 5 qualification in a relevant subject. Applications from EASA/CAA Part-66 qualified Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, with appropriate licence categories and relevant industrial experience, will be considered on an individual basis, as will other applications of an equivalent nature.

 

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 


Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£9,535

per year*
UK Full-time Fee

£9,535

per year*
UK Full-time Fee

£9,000

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,200

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,200

per year*
UK Part-time Fee

£785

per 20 credits*
UK Part-time Fee

£785

per 20 credits*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Bursaries Cost of Living Support

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.  

Introducing Calon

We are investing in the future of STEM at USW with an exciting new Computing, Engineering and Technology building at our Pontypridd Campus.


University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

How to apply

All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS. You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time.)

Advanced entry

If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.

International admissions

International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.