Bachelor of Aviation

The Bachelor of Aviation at the University of Southern Queensland is a three-year degree for people who want to work in the operational side of flying and aviation management. You study the physics of flight, aircraft systems, meteorology, navigation, air law and human factors, alongside the planning and safety side of running an aviation organisation. The degree sits in the engineering subject area, so expect a technical core rather than a purely business qualification.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees are made up of units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. You normally take eight units a year across two semesters, and you need to pass a set number of credit points to graduate. At USQ the aviation degree includes a mix of core aviation units and electives, and many students take the flight training stream through a partnered flying school. If you take that stream, your practical flight hours sit alongside your academic units, and you finish with a commercial pilot licence as well as the degree. The degree also includes a capstone-style final-year project where you work through an aviation problem, often with an industry operator. Work-integrated learning is built into the flight stream through supervised flying hours; if you take the management stream instead, you complete a professional placement or industry project.

What you actually learn

You learn to read weather, plan a route, calculate fuel and loading, and understand how an aircraft behaves in different conditions. You study the regulations that govern Australian aviation, including the Civil Aviation Safety Authority rules, and the safety management systems that airlines and charter operators use. Human factors units cover fatigue, decision-making and crew communication. Management units cover airport operations, airline economics and aviation security. By the end you can brief a flight, write an operational plan, and explain why an aviation organisation makes the safety calls it does.

Who it suits

This degree suits school leavers who want to fly commercially and are ready to commit to the medical and training requirements that go with it. It also suits people already working in aviation, or in the defence forces, who want to move into a management or safety role and need the formal qualification. If you are an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and after you graduate you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, which lets you stay and work in Australia for a period set by your qualification level. English proficiency is required for admission; IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and Cambridge C1 Advanced accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 094756M. Check the official USQ page for the current unit list, intake dates and flight training arrangements, because these details change.

• Commercial pilot with regional airlines, charter operators or freight companies
• Flight instructor at a flying school
• Airline operations controller or flight dispatcher
• Aviation safety officer or safety management systems coordinator
• Airport operations officer
• Ground operations and turnaround coordinator
• Aviation regulatory compliance officer
• Defence aviation roles, including air traffic control and mission planning
• Aviation management and scheduling roles with airlines and airports

Australian employers in these roles include regional and domestic airlines, charter and aeromedical operators, airport corporations, air traffic services, defence contractors and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.