MSc Sustainable Air Transport

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Course content related to sustainable development

The programme was created to address the Net Zero 2050 agenda and the requirement for aviation to decarbonise, and was a finalist in the Next Generation Learning and Skills category of the 2024 Green Gown Awards.

The programme helps to tackle eco-anxiety by focusing on realistic solutions in such detail, that students are well assured that the air transport industry takes sustainability problems seriously and has a strategic plan on how to solve them. Topics covered include airport sustainability strategy, airport biodiversity preservation, human and wildlife trafficking, airport water and waste management and electric and hydrogen aircraft. The programme has two modules shared with other programmes, Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Noise Measurement and Modelling. Students work in interdisciplinary groups on field trips to Manchester airport to measure aviation noise and suggest mitigating measures, as well as assessing environmental impact of proposed airport infrastructure developments. 

Competencies for sustainability

A key element of ESD is supporting learners to develop competencies that will help them to tackle and cope with sustainability challenges. Within the MSc Sustainable Air Transport the key competencies developed are: 

• Critical Thinking: All assessments are written assessments that require critical analysis.
• Collaboration: Students work in groups together with students from other programmes, such as MSc Acoustics. They are also accompanied by the consultants from Noise Consultants Ltd during their field trip to Manchester Airport where they measure aviation noise and propose mitigating solutions.
• Systems thinking: Interdisciplinary learning with environment and acoustics courses helps to analyse complex systems.
• Self-Awareness: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University module is taught entirely virtually, requiring students to understand their learning style and develop time management skills.

Pedagogical approaches

ESD uses action-orientated and transformative pedagogical approaches to facilitate taking sustainability knowledge and competencies into practice. Teaching methods and pedagogical practices used in the MSc Sustainable Air Transport include:

• Group based work
• Case studies
• Interdisciplinary learning 
• Experiential project work 
• Self-directed learning

Questions to Dr Viktoriia Myroniuk

How do you link ESD to industry?

While developing the programme, I gathered feedback from 15 airlines and airports in the UK, as well as European and international aviation organisations such as Manchester Airport, London Gatwick, British Airways, and the International Civil Aviation Organization. The Industrial Advisory Board on the programme includes Vice Chair of Mott MacDonald, Head of Environment and Sustainability at Highlands and Islands Airport Limited, Director of Government affairs at EasyJet, Director of Aviation, Travel and Tourism at ICF, and Sustainability Manager at Jet2.com. These actions assured that the programme was developed and is being delivered in accordance with the needs of air transport industry and raised awareness of the programme to potential graduate employers. Speakers from industry deliver talks in sustainable aviation, including from Geneva Airport, Airports Authority of India, Vancouver Airport Authority and Aviation Authority. Students also undertake field trips to Manchester Airport. This industry collaboration strengthens the course content and provides opportunities for students to network with potential employers. 

How do you link ESD to other priorities such as decolonising the curriculum, acknowledging and learning from Indigenous Knowledge, and wider equity, diversity and inclusion?

In Dec 2023 and Dec 2024 I organised a ‘Equality, diversity and inclusion’ event for the Airline Planning and The Future of Urban Air Mobility module. Students prepared presentations about their countries, cultures, traditions, food, etc. This allowed students to reflect on diversity of both aviation personnel and passengers, as well as difficulties and possibilities emerging from those.

Feedback from students about the programme

• “I enjoyed the field trip to Manchester Airport…where we had to measure aircraft noise using sound level meters. I chose MSc SATOP programme because I see it as the future of aviation taking into consideration the Net Zero 2050”.
• “My favourite thing is the links that I’ve made with professional people in industry who are passionate about the same things I am passionate about".
• “I had opportunities to visit both Passenger Terminal Expo in Amsterdam and Air Mobility Show in London. I am very interested in urban air mobility, and I have learned a lot about it”.
• “Everybody talks about sustainability these days. MSc SATOP is an eye opener”.