Type of activity: Master's program
Level : First level (at least a bachelor's degree is required)
Academic year: 2025-26
Description:
Master in Aviation: Sustainable Development Goals”(a.y. 2025-26) is a highly professionalizing educational pathway, designed to provide advanced post-graduate training and interdisciplinary knowledge (in legal, economic-managerial, and technical-engineering fields, within the aviation sector), with a specialization in aviation sustainability.
The aviation industry and airports play a significant role in global emissions and environmental impact. To address this, the adoption of sustainable practices, balancing carbon emission reductions and socio-economic development, is crucial.
The lack of specialized professionals in thie sector of aviation sustainability has prompted the Department of Law and the CUST (University Centre for Transportation Studies) Euromed of the University of Messina to organize this training course, aimed at training specialists in safety and sustainable development of transport systems, with skills both legal and economic-managerial, as well as engineering in the fields of transportation and environment. It is believed that, by integrating legal, technical-economic, ecological, and engineering studies, participants will acquire an interdisciplinary preparation ,necessary to respond to the demands of the global market. Particular attention will be paid to the legislative framework at the international, EU and national levels, also studied in the light of soft law documents and sustainable strategies developed at the European level, which enable operational cost reduction while maintaining high levels of safety and simultaneously respecting the environment. The teaching activities will always be of a practical-operational nature to ensure that case studies discussed can be applied to real work contexts. The use of English in the classroom, particularly technical-aeronautical English, is necessary in light of the fact that the sector, at a global level, has adopted English as the primary language.
Goals:
The Master aims to train professionals, capable of operating at managerial level in the air transport sector, according not with a merely entrepreneurial logic, linked to profit-making and short-term results, but focused on sustainable development, aimed at reconciling economic profiles with social aspects (safety), as well as environmental protection.
The goal is to train professionals with high qualification who can successfully may hold roles of responsibility such as transport managers, executives, senior officials, personnel with responsibilities in airlines, airport management companies, handling companies, and other companies operating in the aviation sector, as well as in public and private entities of this sector.
The air transport manager/executive, expert in sustainability, is a professional figure today in high demand, who must be able to evaluate air transport development plans and projects and make decisions that require specific competence in issues related to the economic, social, and environmental sustainability, maintaining contacts and interacting with authorities, entities, and companies, both national and international.
The educational fills a current gap in the aviation job market, where managers often operate without specific training in the environmental sector.
Learning Objectives:
•To acquire a specific specialization in sustainability, applied to the aviation sector;
•To acquire managerial competences appropriate to new challenges such as, in particular, environmental transition in the aviation sector;
•To acquire the ability to evaluate transport development projects and plans, paying great attention to environmental needs;
•To acquire the capability to plan significant positive effects in terms of sustainable development, developing programs, strategies, best practices etc.
Structure:
This programme lasts one academic year and is composed of1500 hours (60 University credits), divided as follows: 865 frontal hours (of which: 276 hours of theoretical lessons; 289 hours of practical exercises; 300 hours of simulations), 335 hours of individual study and final thesis drafting and 300 hours of stage/traineeship/internship.
Programme:
The Master is divided in the so called 10 didactic modules: 1. Fundamentals of flight and air law; 2. Sustainable development; 3. Sustainable transport economy; 4. Sustainable development of transport; 5. Sustainable development of air transport; 6. Economics and sustainable business management; 7. Sustainable development of a company; 8. Sustainable air transport strategies and policies; 9. Sustainable development of an air transport enterprise; 10. Airport system and sustainability.Teaching activities will always be mainly practical, so that the case studies that will be discussed can be applied to the real working context.
For more details, see the attached document:
Target Population:
Primary target population: the Master's program is addressed to new graduates, aspiring to become manager/executive, senior official with responsible tasks in airlines, airport, handling companies and other public/private entities operating in this field.
Secondary target population: the Master’s program is also addressed to those who already work in aviation/transport companies and wish to develop their career or simply want to update their expertise, and be able to create value in the workplace, implementing sustainable business models.
Delivery Mode:
Lessons, exercises and simulations will be taught online, in synchronous mode, by online platforms in use at the University of Messina, according to the weekend formula: Friday afternoon (4/5 hours) and Saturday morning (4/5 hours).
Language:
All classes will be taught in English, but it is also possible to attend them in Italian, using the voice translator, installed in the online platform.
Internship:
Internships must be carried out - possibly in person - in airlines, airport management companies, handling companies, public and private entities operating in the aviation sector, according to specific agreements with the University of Messina.
Final Exam:
A final exam, that will take place in person, at the University of Messina, is aimed at verifying learned competences, also considering internship activities. The final exam consists of the public discussion of a paper (thesis, work project, etc.) written iin English, (or Italian) on topics covered during the course.
For admission to the final exam, students must have pass the intermediate tests, must not exceed the maximun number of absences allowed (25%) and have regularized the payment of the fees.
Programme Fee:
3,000.00 EUR (Euro)
Programme Fee Details:
The first installment (500.00 EUR) must be paid simultaneously with enrollment. The second installment (2,500.00 EUR) must be paid within 6 months from the enrollment.
For payment you must only use the PagoPa payment system.
Duration:
One academic year (2025-26).
(Expected) Start Date:
April 2026 (second semester of the academic year 2025-26).
Entry Requirements:
- bachelor's degree in law, economics, political science, social sciences, linguistics, humanities, engineering, or other disciplines consistent with the contents of the Master;
English Proficiency (at least level B1 or equivalent).
Delivery Requirements:
- the internship (300 hours) is mandatory;
- attendance of at least 75% of all activities is required;
- students are requested to pass the intermediate verification tests and the final exam;
- students must also be in good standing with the payment of tuiton and university fees.
The Master's program confers a postgraduate academic title (postgraduate diploma).
Credits:
60 university credits.
Instructors:
Instructors will be selected, following to a public notice, by a selection Committee, appointed by the University of Messina
For further information, please consult the following documents:
Call for application:
Deadline:
31 March 2026, until 11:59 p.m. (Italian time)
Registration procedure:
It will be possible to register using exclusively the “online pre-registration” procedure at the link:
Procedure: 1. Web page titled "ESSE3 Unime Web Services": click "Register " (written next the words "If you are minor or foreign student ") in the menu under "Access for new users". 2. Web page titled "Registration to the web site": click the blue button (below) labeled "Registration to the web site". 3. Web page titled "Registration: Personal data": fill in all field to register. Now you can submit your application.
These steps are showed in the attached guide:
Guide to register for foreign students
Contact person:
Professor Francesca Pellegrino (Master's Director)
e-mail: francesca.pellegrino@unime.it