
Bachelor of Science in Aviation, Travel and Airline Services Management
Uganda Airlines is rebuilding a national carrier, Entebbe is expanding, African aviation is projected to double in two decades, and every airline, airport, ground handler and travel company in the region reports the same shortage of people who understand aviation services as a managed, regulated, ...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2032.
Roles
- Airline customer services and station manager track
- airport operations officer
- ground handling and ramp services supervisor
- air cargo and logistics officer
- travel agency and distribution manager
- airline revenue
- sales and network analyst
- aviation safety and quality officer
- travel technology and product specialist
- cabin services management track
- travel entrepreneur
Employer types
- Forward University · School of Hospitality
- Culinary Arts and Tourism · Curriculum Volume Airlines and national carriers
- airports and airport authorities
- ground handling and cargo companies
- travel agencies
- online travel platforms and tour operators
- civil aviation regulators
- aviation training organisations
- hotel groups and airport hospitality
- the graduate's own travel venture
- and the graduate's own venture
- incubated through the Forward Venture Studio
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- This programme targets management track roles in airlines, airports, ground services and the travel trade across Africa and the Gulf, and supports travel ventures. Progression routes include the School's masters programmes and doctoral study.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Students complete COP 190 Workplace Immersion in the Year 1 recess term, COP 290 Co-operative Education Placement I (six months, paid, assessed) and COP 390 Co-operative Education Placement II (six months, paid, assessed), totalling not fewer than twelve months. Placement hosts are contracted by the Co-operative Education Office. The employer completes a structured capability assessment carrying 40 to 50 per cent of the placement mark and signs the capability claims that enter the Capability Passport. Online students are placed with accredited hosts in their own city or country under remote academic supervision, or have their existing employment accredited as the placement site under Part D4. Read the co-op commitment
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Bachelor of Science in Aviation, Travel and Airline Services Management. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold or are completing?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 101 | AI Fluency I: How Intelligent Systems Work Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BATA 110 | Foundations of the Aviation and Travel Industry Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BATA 111 | Airline Customer Service and the Passenger Journey Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BATA 112 | Aviation Practicum I: Airport and Airline Operations Simulation Performance | 4 | 2-2-4 |
| BATA 113 | Aviation Geography, Data and Statistics Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BATA 130 | Airport Operations and Ground Handling Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BATA 131 | Travel Distribution, Fares and Global Distribution Systems Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BATA 132 | Aviation Practicum II: Ground Services and Cargo Operations Performance | 4 | 2-2-4 |
| BATA 133 | Aviation Safety, Security and Regulation Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| COP 190 | Workplace Immersion (4 weeks, recessterm) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 201 | Ethics, Society and the African Context Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BATA 210 | Air Cargo and Aviation Logistics Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BATA 211 | Airline Economics, Revenue and Network Management Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BATA 212 | Aviation Practicum III: Disruption and Crisis Management Performance | 4 | 2-2-4 |
| BATA 213 | Aviation Law and International Regulation Forward University · School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Tourism · Curriculum Volume Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 202 | Human Advantage: Argument, Writing and Teams Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 290 | Co-operative Education Placement I (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| BATA 230 | Travel Technology and Intelligent Aviation Operations Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BATA 231 | Tourism, Hospitality and Airport Commercial Services Performance | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 301 | AI Fluency II: Building, Evaluating and Auditing Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| FDC 401 | /402 Capability Portfolio, Governance and Day One Block Both | 6 | 2-2-2 |
| BATA 310 | Aviation Human Factors, Teams and Leadership Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BATA 311 | Aviation Specialisation Elective Performance | 4 | 2-2-4 |
| BATA 312 | Aviation Capstone: Improve a Real Airline or Airport Process Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 302 | Enterprise, Forward University · School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Tourism · Curriculum Volume Employability and Financial Literacy Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 390 | Co-operative Education Placement II (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| BATA 330 | Professional Practice and Aviation Services Leadership Performance | 8 | 2-2-8 |
Total credit units: 132
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Assessment follows Part E without variation. Across the programme the aggregate weighting is 35 per cent continuous assessment and built artefacts, 25 per cent authentic performance including practical examination and oral defence, 30 per cent external practitioner assessment in the final year, and not more than 40 per cent written examination in any single course. The capstone is client verified and the Day One Assessment contributes 5 per cent of the final year mark. Assessment principles. Assessment is authentic, criterion referenced and, for every capability claim above Level 2, verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer. There is no compensation between competencies: a student must master each one, Forward University · School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Tourism · Curriculum Volume and a marginal performance in one cannot be offset by strength in another. Feedback is returned quickly, within seven days of a block closing in the Block Sequence, so that it can inform the next unit. A student who does not yet meet the standard is given a further, structured attempt under Part E rather than being carried forward, which protects the value of the award while supporting progression. Reasonable adjustments for disability are made under Part D without altering the competency standard.
Work-integrated learning
Students complete COP 190 Workplace Immersion in the Year 1 recess term, COP 290 Co-operative Education Placement I (six months, paid, assessed) and COP 390 Co-operative Education Placement II (six months, paid, assessed), totalling not fewer than twelve months. Placement hosts are contracted by the Co-operative Education Office. The employer completes a structured capability assessment carrying 40 to 50 per cent of the placement mark and signs the capability claims that enter the Capability Passport. Online students are placed with accredited hosts in their own city or country under remote academic supervision, or have their existing employment accredited as the placement site under Part D4.
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Bachelor of Science in Aviation, Travel and Airline Services Management
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1 | YEAR 1 | 22
Year 1 · this step is worth 22 CU
Cumulative
22
Programme total
132
22 CU of 132 CU completed by the end of this step (17%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems FluencyLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C2Quantitative and Evidential ReasoningLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual Judgement CriticalLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary Mastery CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and CraftLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C7Problem Framing and Systems ThinkingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary Teaming CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial LiteracyLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive Capacity CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C12Stewardship and Public ContributionLevel 3 of 4, Independent
Critical capabilities for this programme: Ethical and Contextual Judgement · Disciplinary Mastery · Collaboration and Multidisciplinary Teaming · Learning to Learn and Adaptive Capacity. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Manage airline customer operations and the passenger journey to international service standards.
- PLO 2Run airport, ground handling and ramp operations safely and on time.
- PLO 3Manage air cargo and aviation logistics.
- PLO 4Apply aviation safety management, security and regulation to ol of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and operations.
- PLO 5Sell, distribute and price travel through global distribution and digital channels.
- PLO 6Analyse airline network, revenue and performance data to support decisions.
- PLO 7Apply intelligent systems to operations, disruption management and customer service.
- PLO 8Lead multicultural operational teams under time and safety pressure.
- PLO 9Cost, pitch and defend a travel product or aviation services venture.
- PLO 10Acquire and demonstrate a new capability without formal instruction, evidenced in the Capability Passport.
Why this programme exists
Uganda Airlines is rebuilding a national carrier, Entebbe is expanding, African aviation is projected to double in two decades, and every airline, airport, ground handler and travel company in the region reports the same shortage of people who understand aviation services as a managed, regulated, technology driven business. The travel trade itself has been rebuilt around digital distribution and requires a new kind of professional. This programme produces the aviation and travel services manager who can run airport and airline customer operations, ground services, cargo and travel distribution to international standard, with paid co-op at airlines, airports and travel companies and industry certifications embedded.
Admission requirements
Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education with two principal passes; plus Uganda Certificate of Education with five passes including English and Mathematics. Applicants additionally complete a structured service scenario and reasoning task at admission, scored against Capabilities C4 and C10, and a short interview conducted by a practitioner. Equivalent international qualifications, and Forward College hospitality and culinary diplomas with advanced standing, are assessed against this profile. All applicants must demonstrate competence in English, the language of instruction, through their qualifications or an approved proficiency test under Part A. International and non standard qualifications are assessed for equivalence against the profile above under the Credential Portability provisions, so that a suitably prepared applicant may enter from anywhere in the world. Selection considers the whole application, including the structured admission task, and is conducted without discrimination under the University's admissions policy. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
Hospitality & Tourism
Other open programmes in this School
Bachelor of Science in International Hotel and Resort Management
Tourism is Uganda's largest foreign exchange earner, East Africa has the fastest growing luxury hotel pipeline on the continent, and the Gulf, the Indian Ocean islands and the cruise industry recruit African hospitality talent at scale, yet the region trains almost nobody at degree level to the ...
View programme BSc (Hons)Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts and Gastronomy Science
Every luxury hotel, fine dining restaurant, airline, cruise ship and food brand competes on the kitchen, and skilled chefs are in shortage on every continent. Africa's culinary traditions are among the least documented and least commercialised in the world, and the region trains cooks by ...
View programme BSc (Hons)Bachelor of Science in Tourism, Wildlife and Destination Management
Uganda holds half the world's mountain gorillas, the source of the Nile, ten national parks and a tourism sector that is the country's largest foreign exchange earner, and it captures a fraction of the value that destinations with less to offer capture routinely. The constraint is professional ...
View programme BSc (Hons)Bachelor of Science in Events, Conferences and Experience Management
The global meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions and live events industry is larger than most people imagine and rebuilt itself after the pandemic around professionals who can plan, produce and monetise experiences with precision. Kampala and Kigali are competing to become East Africa's ...
View programme BSc (Hons)Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Technology and Revenue Analytics
Hotels and travel companies now run on technology and data: property systems, distribution channels, dynamic pricing, guest profiles and personalisation decide who fills rooms profitably and who does not. Revenue managers and hospitality technologists are among the scarcest and best paid ...
View programme BA (Hons)Bachelor of Arts in Luxury Service and Guest Experience Design
The most valuable hospitality on earth is defined not by marble but by service: the anticipation, discretion, cultural fluency and flawless execution that seven star properties, private residences, yachts, airlines and luxury brands sell at a premium and cannot find enough people to deliver. Luxury ...
View programme MScMaster of Science in International Hospitality Leadership
Hotel groups expanding across Africa and the Gulf are short of general managers and multi property leaders who combine operational credibility with financial, strategic and people leadership, and they promote from a shallow pool. Experienced departmental managers in the region rarely have access to ...
View programme MScMaster of Science in Sustainable Tourism and Conservation Economics
The economics of conservation tourism decide whether Africa's wildlife survives, whether communities near protected areas prosper and whether destinations capture value or export it, and the professionals who can do that economics rigorously are scarce. Tourism boards, conservation organisations, ...
View programme MScMaster of Science in Culinary Innovation and Food Entrepreneurship
Restaurants, food brands, catering enterprises and food technology ventures are among the most common businesses founded in Africa and among the most likely to fail, usually for want of the commercial, operational and product discipline that the culinary craft alone does not teach. This taught, ...
View programme