University of Applied Sciences Frankfurt launches MBA Aviation Management in India

The inaugural candle lighting ceremony in Delhi was performed by the European Union Ambassador to India, Mr. João Cravinho. He stressed the importance of capability building for the aviation sector and praised the cooperation of the European Union and the Indian Government to improve matters from the grassroots level by qualifying highly motivated young professionals.

“We are very pleased that the EU has chosen our university to implement this program. We appreciate the recognition of the MBA in Aviation Management as leading MBA program for aspiring leaders in the industry”, said Professor Yvonne Ziegler, dean of FH FFM’s faculty of business and law and the program’s director. ”With our partner university UPES, we now have the unique opportunity to prepare local students for the challenges of the fast growing Indian aviation sector.” A third batch of students is scheduled to begin in Bangalore in early summer.

The program is being offered in collaboration with the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), headquartered in Dehradun, northern India, and supported by a grant from the European Union until 2015. In team teaching sessions, professors from FH Frankfurt and from UPES prepare the gradual transition to Indian faculty-led sessions. While in Mumbai German professors present 90 percent of the lectures, in Delhi it will be 50 percent.

"Aviation industry interest in the Master's program is tremendous," said Dr. Ziegler. "The degree course was co-developed with partners from the industry and is therefore adapted to their needs and requirements.”

The four-semester, part-time MBA is aimed at aviation professionals with a minimum of two years of professional experience and offers them an internationally oriented curriculum. Subjects of the curriculum include strategic expertise in aviation, international management and leadership skills as well as consulting and project management. Rhetoric and press training, airport tours and meetings with industry lobbyists, as well as a focus on the students’ personality development complete the program. One-to-one career coaching, 360-degree feedback, business etiquette sessions and fireside chats with political and business leaders will prepare students to deal with the professional challenges of a leadership position.

The main objective of the program "European Indian Institutional Capacity Building for the Civil Aviation Sector - Aviation Diploma Project" is to strengthen the booming Indian aviation sector by educating highly qualified employees and establishing an institutional network between German and Indian universities and business communities.

The application deadline for prospective students of the MBA Aviation Management taking place in Bangalore is 27 May 2013; the program starts on 4 June.