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Become a pilot with a difference
Gain a professional qualification which integrates flight training with university study.
Massey is the only place in New Zealand where you can turn your passion for aviation into a university qualification. We are not only an internationally recognised pilot training facility but we also give you a broad knowledge of the global aviation industry.
You will not just train to be a professional pilot, but to become a ‘flight deck manager’ with a university education and an in-depth understanding of the aviation industry.
Find out more about the Air Transport Pilot major in ‘Specialisations’.
A career as a pilot is exciting and highly sought-after.
The Bachelor of Aviation (Air Transport Pilot) opens up opportunities to become airline pilots or any other potential career within the aviation industry.
Many graduates work as flight instructors in New Zealand or Australia, enabling them to build on their instructional techniques expertise which is a valuable skill for those who eventually decide to take up a role as an Airline Training Captain.
You may wish to progress to key management or training positions for an airline or with international bodies such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) or the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Postgraduate study in aviation would be worth considering if you intend to follow this path.
New Zealand is a great place to study. Massey University’s reputation is supported by our international rankings, accreditations and associations. We are rated five star plus by the QS World University Rankings.
Massey University has small class sizes, and our lecturers and staff are friendly and approachable.
As an international student, there are entry requirements that will apply to you. We recommend that you apply at least three months before your anticipated start date so your application can be processed in time. There are additional steps you will need to take. These include obtaining a visa and travel bookings if your study is to be in New Zealand.
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
This programme is a selected entry programme. This means there are a number of extra requirements you must meet.
To enter the Bachelor of Aviation programme, you must pass NCEA Level 3/Year 13 or equivalent in an ‘English-rich’ subject. These include one of the following:
Apply online
ADAPT test
Selection Board
NZCAA Class One Medical
University Admission
Course commencement
When you first apply online you need to:
If you already have a NZCAA Class One Medical Certificate please also upload a copy with your application. But this is not essential for your initial application.
There are two more stages to the application process:
You will take and pass an online ‘ADAPT’ test. See below for information.
Before you will be considered by selection board in Stage Two, you will have:
Your application will be assessed, and you may then be invited to the ‘selection board’. This involves:
Once you are successful in gaining a place in the Bachelor of Aviation programme you will also need to complete further tasks. These include:
If you are a new-to-Massey student, applications for a Semester One start close on 1 November 2020 for domestic students and 1 October 2020 for international students.
Applications for a Semester Two start close on 1 May 2021 for domestic students and 1 April 2021 for international students.
To study this programme you must meet Massey University's English language standards. Where English is not your first language, you must have achieved an Academic IELTS of 6.5 with no band below 6.0, or equivalent.
As Massey is an Air NZ Preferred Flight Training Organisation all prospective candiates must complete the ‘ADAPT’ pilot pre-screening tool. This test can be accessed on the ServiceIQ website.
You should forward your results directly to the School of Aviation as soon as they receive them. You are required to meet a satisfactory standard in this test in order to be invited to the next stage of the selection process.
If you are living in New Zealand, you are required to have taken at least one trial (experience) flight before your selection board appointment is confirmed. This is to give you an understanding of what it is like to fly in a small aircraft. Trial flights experiences can be flexible (eg taken at any New Zealand flight training organisation), with pilot friends, or at the annual Massey University Aviation Open Day.
Selection boards are held twice a year:
Once you apply for this programme you will be advised of the exact date of your selection board appointment.
If you are invited to the selection board interview you must appear in person. This is held at the Massey University School of Aviation campus, 47 Airport Drive, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
You must obtain a NZCAA Class One Medical Certificate before being confirmed into the Bachelor of Aviation. If you do not already hold this, you must have pre-booked your medical appointments (with both an approved medical examiner and optometrist) for no later than one week after your selection board appointment.
Confirmation of medical appointment booking must be provided before your selection appointment will be confirmed.
If you have a NZCAA Class One Medical Certificate please upload a copy with your application.
Are there any circumstances in your past personal or professional life that might make you ineligible to train for, or hold, a professional pilots licence in New Zealand? If so, please provide a Ministry of Justice and / or a Ministry of Transport report. This information should be uploaded when submitting your application. This information will be confidential to those staff assessing your qualification.
Once enrolled in this programme you will also be required to apply for a 'Fit and Proper Person' (FPP) assessment. This is to comply with the Civil Aviation Act 1990, Section 9. You must provide an up to date criminal convictions report and obtain an offence history report from Land Transport NZ, or from any other country resided in over the last five years.
You will be required to declare any traffic or criminal offences at your selection board appointment. This will enable us to advise you if there may be a barrier to your gaining the required FPP pproval from the NZ Civil Aviation Authority in future which will then prevent you from being able to continue your flight training programme.
Once you are assessed as having FPP status it is your obligation to maintain this status. For example, if you gain a conviction for drunk driving (or other serious or serial offending) that breaches the 'Fit and Proper Person' criteria whilst on this programme, and you lose your FPP status, your training will be unable to proceed.
If any of the above apply to you, please upload a summary of what these are, how they are being managed and any support you believe you may need during your study/training. Your responses are confidential to University staff processing your application.
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January commencement |
July commencement |
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Domestic students |
International students |
Domestic students |
International students |
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Apply online |
Due 1 November |
Due 1 October |
Due 1 May |
Due 1 April |
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ADAPT test |
Due 5 November |
Due 5 October |
Due 1 May |
Due 1 April |
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Selection Board |
Early December |
Early November |
Early June |
Early May |
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NZCAA Class One Medical Certificate |
Due start of January |
Due start of July |
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University Entrance |
Submit when exam results released – NCEA results published early January. ICE and IB results also released in January |
Evidence of UE status must be submitted no later than 30 June |
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Orientation |
Mid-January |
Mid-July |
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We highly recommend that you have passed Mathematics (Calculus) and Physics at NCEA Level 3/Year 13 or equivalent.
We also highly recommend that you have passed NCEA Level 3/Year 13 or equivalent in an ‘English-rich’ subject in order to demonstrate your ability to write a formal extended essay.
For information on prior learning, exemptions and transfer of credit or other questions:
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, we have courses and programmes that may help.
If you need to do a course before you start your programme, there may be options for you in Summer School.
From the Schedule to the Degree including:
Compulsory courses
Choose from Option 1 or Option 2
You must also meet the required competencies to achieve:
Ensure that overall, you have:
AAttend field trips, simulations, workshops, tutorials, laboratories and flight training as required.
See ‘Courses for this programme’ below for schedules of courses.
There is one major in this degree, which is the Air Transport Pilot (ATP) major. All students complete this major.
All Bachelor of Aviation students undertake a full-time programme. In your first year you will take twelve 15-credit courses, making a total of 180 credits.
All your courses in Year One and Year Two are compulsory.
To become a pilot you will need to complete this qualification, comprising a total of 480 credits as outlined on this page.
At the completion of 360 credits in this qualification, you will have met the requirements for the award of a New Zealand Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) with Multi-Engine and Instrument Rating, plus hold credits for all New Zealand Air Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) Theory examinations.
You will also need to complete:
Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.
There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.
If you already know which courses you are going to take, you can use our fees calculator to get an estimate of your fees.
You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.
The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.
Current and returning Massey students will find their National Student Number on their student homepage.
“
Massey University flight instructors are very approachable and are always willing to teach you or help you to become a better pilot and better person.
” Arjun Jethmal
“
Massey has been a big contributing factor in the opportunities that I have come across. The wide variety of papers that are on offer really give you a broad understanding of the aviation industry as a whole and I would not have wanted to study anywhere else!
” Charlotte Fuller
“
Where most university students would do a bachelor's degree alone in the standard three years, I combined my bachelor’s with actual flying!
” Luc Valleteau De Moulliac
Massey Business School is rated in the top 5% of global business colleges by AACSB International.
The Bachelor of Aviation has equivalence approval from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority.
The School of Aviation is an Air NZ Preferred Flight Training Organisation, and the only PFTO provider offering an integrated aviation degree.
Massey University is ranked by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) as one of the top 300 universities for business and management.
The Royal Aeronautical Society accredits all aviation programmes at Massey University, certifying that they meet the RAeS's international professional standards.
Massey University is ranked #1 in New Zealand and in the top 150 universities globally for business administration and finance by ShanghaiRanking.
The Bachelor of Aviation Massey is ISO-9001-2015 certified.
Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions.
Review this important information before you apply for this programme. This gives you full details of the rules and regulations about what you need to study and what you must achieve in order to graduate with this qualification. That includes structure, courses and requirements. These regulations should be read in conjunction with all other Statutes and Regulations of the University including the below.
If you are ready to apply, have a look at our application checklist. It will help you get prepared with what you need. Please also check the entry requirements carefully before you apply.
You will apply for the programme using the Apply now button on this page. You’ll also choose your specialisation (major, subject or endorsement) if applicable.
Some programmes have additional requirements such as the submission of a portfolio or CV. Click on Apply now and you will be able to submit those documents as part of the application process.
You will receive an Admission Offer of Place when you have been accepted into the programme. You need to accept this before you can enrol in your courses. International students also need to pay their fees at this point.
You’ll then get access to your own student homepage (also known as the student portal). This is where you can enrol in courses. Any updates on your application or enrolments will also be on your student homepage. Make sure you check this regularly.
When you choose courses, ensure you check for any requirements that apply including:
Each of our courses has its own webpage where you can find this information. You can use our course search to find course pages.
More information on courses is in the ‘Courses for this programme’ section on this page.
You can find information on application due dates and semester dates on the key dates page.
We look forward to welcoming you to Massey!
If you have any questions, contact us through the Enquire button on this page.
Each Massey programme is made up of courses (in some tertiary institutions they are called ‘papers’).
You will have some compulsory courses and some you can choose from.
Each course is worth a certain amount of credits (often 15 credits, but this does vary). You must gain a set number of credits to be able to graduate from this programme.
There may also be some rules about which courses you need to pass to progress to the next year, or stage, of your study (known as progression). There are also courses you must pass to graduate with a specialisation.
The first three digits of our course numbers show you which subject the course is about.
The second three digits show you the level and course ID number. For instance:
| 1 | 6 | 2 | . | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| Subject area | Level | Course ID number | |||||
Electives are courses that are not compulsory. Certain guidelines are usually provided on courses you may take. Elective courses contribute to the programme, but not to your major or specialisation.
Use this tool to help determine how much time you will need each week to complete your studies.
For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
In some cases the programme or specialisation you enrolled in may be no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these programmes go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Enquire button on this page if you have any questions.
There are a number of scholarships available for new and current students. They could relate to your situation, achievement or interest.