AVTR - Aviation

The student will study the transportation industry’s process of moving people and cargo around the world. Topics will include governmental regulation and the associated security concerns/procedures.

The student will study current trends in aviation/ transportation fiscal management from the perspective of project development and monitoring, including accounting, budgeting and purchasing. Studies in innovative and strategic financial decision-making will be introduced which include issues such as purchasing vs. leasing, outsourcing, and fractional ownership.

Governmental bodies, domestic trade organizations and international advisory groups issue regulations, guidelines and procedural standards which directly impact transportation. This course highlights the degree to which regulation shapes the industry.

A Safety Management System (SMS) is a dynamic management system based on Quality Management System (QMS) principles in a structure scaled appropriately to the operational risk, and applied in a safety culture environment in aviation and transportation. Safety management must be a cardinal priority for every transportation organization, including private enterprise and regulatory agencies. This course will cover not only concepts of SMS, but also the history of quality management, and present critical QMS concepts such as quality tools, strategic planning, deployment, statistical performance measurement, leadership/management, and documentation.

This course will examine issues associated with implementing a safety management systems program in aviation and transportation. Topics will include a review of SMS, review of human factors, and examine best practices for implementing SMS.

A study of the role of human resource management including hiring practices, initial employee training, professional development, and establishing employee benefit packages. Ethical concerns underlying labor relations, employee dissatisfaction, collective bargaining, labor/management conflicts, and other human resource management issues and trends will be discussed.

A select study of issues in aviation and other transportation industries. Topics will vary.

This course will provide an overview of Unmanned Systems. Topics include the history of unmanned systems, regulations, industry and societal implications, and ethical considerations regarding the unmanned industry. The course will also introduce hands-on unmanned flight and operation principles through simulation and other means.

This course will explore the science behind human performance in relation to fatigue, the regulations that govern transportation operations with regards to fatigue, and the administration of a fatigue risk management system (FRMS).

Economic applications to the aviation industry including the economics of an airline and how economic problems are analyzed. Demand analysis and its relationship with price and economic conditions. Costs and supply and the interaction of demand. An in-depth examination of the economic aspects of the air transportation industry, with microeconomic analysis applied to decision making in the airline, general and corporate aviation and airport businesses. Topics include: basic economics of air transport supply and demand; demand forecasting; cost drivers; network structures and strategies; ratemaking; yield, revenue and capacity management; regulatory issues; political influences; unique economic characters of international commercial aviation; capitalization and credit facilities; economic and structural analytical tools and models.

This course will examine the evolution of the air traffic control system in the United States and explore its future. This course will study the growth and evolution of the United States Air Traffic Control System, to understand its operation, and to explore concepts of future operation. Students will be able to describe the evolution of the US air traffic control system and describe the architecture and concept of operations for the contemporary US Air Traffic Control System.

This course will provide students with a sound conceptual understanding of the role that operations research plays in the decision-making process. Operations research, also known as management science or decision science, is an approach to decision making based on the scientific method and makes extensive use of quantitative analysis.

Leadership in organizations is about much more than simply barking orders. It sets the tone for how we communicate, establishes and shapes our group culture, guides strategy, and ensures a sustainable future -- or it can jeopardize all of those when leadership is not purpose-driven and effective. In this course, we will examine the philosophy of good leadership, but we will also apply each element to practical aviation examples, focusing on leading in a public/private balance, in a highly regulated industry, and in a multinational setting. Most importantly, we will each examine our own leadership strengths and take away hands-on tools for expanding our own positive influence as leaders.

In this course, we will pursue technical writing competency and excellence within Aviation and Transportation professions. We will survey the various types of technical writing opportunities that exist in these fields to study, practice, and revise how technical processes are communicated by professionals. We will work toward honing skills in technical communication through the study of audience, purpose, and ethics. The core of this course revolves around using rhetorical problem-solving principles based in technical communication and applying them to diverse professional writing tasks and situations. Genres are not static, and the writing you will do in this class will not automatically be transferable to every instance of technical writing you conduct in your career. Instead we will focus on learning skills that are adaptable and transferable in varied rhetorical situations within (and outside of) your workplace. By the close of the course, you will develop skills and strategies for documenting technical processes, researching and optimizing users' experiences, and communicating them to other professionals in and outside of your field.

This course explores the fundamentals of human factors in aviation. Human factors essentially focuses on the interaction between humans and technology. Human factors is a multidisciplinary field that is applicable to diverse areas of the aviation domain (pilot & crew operations, aircraft maintenance, spaceflight operations, aircraft interface design, unmanned aerial system operations, air traffic control, etc.). Drawing on concepts from experimental psychology, cognitive science, and system design, the application of human factors knowledge to the interaction with aviation systems results in many benefits including but not limited to, enhancing productivity, increasing safety, reducing user stress, and enabling new capabilities. The emphasis of this course will be on psychological human factors and not physical ergonomics.

A presentation of Lean Six Sigma, what it is, details of the tools and methodology that comprise it, and how it relates to the Business Process Improvements. Six Sigma's main goal is to continuously improve the process outcome through identifying and eliminating the defects as well as reducing variables within the process. It is a set of statistical tools and methods that are used within Six Sigma projects to reduce defects, increase profits or increase customer satisfaction.

This course focuses on aviation sustainability primarily from a fuels perspective. Topics include: the petroleum supply chain from oil exploration, to refining, then transportation, and finally use in aircraft. Furthermore, combustion principles, chemistry, exhaust emissions, and fuel testing procedures will be explored. Airline operations as well as airport design will also be covered exploring ground operations, flight routing, support equipment, and alternative energy.

This course focuses on the commercial space industry from a technical perspective. Topics include the history of both the United States and Soviet Union space programs, terminology, rocket design and fuels, the commercialization of space, and non-government rocket launch providers. In addition, orbital dynamics will be covered for low-Earth orbits, Earth-Moon system, and interplanetary orbits. This course is designed to provide a working level knowledge of the commercial space industry.

This course introduces students to both quantitative and qualitative research methods useful for academic and professional inquiry in aviation and transportation studies. The course also focuses on identifying the types of methodologies best suited for investigating different types of problems and questions. The course will provide students with the knowledge of: how to develop research questions; an introduction to statistics used in research; an understanding of the responsible and ethical conduct of research; and use of APA style in research writing.

This course is designed for the student completing the Masters Degree in Aviation and Transportation. The student will employ acquired knowledge through one of the following options: Thesis (students selecting this option must meet at scheduled times with an advisor); Practicum/Internship (requires a journal, culminating paper, and comprehensive exam); or Development and Presentation of Case Study/Action Plan.