UNSW-Korea Aerospace University (KAU) Partnership

UNSW Aviation has entered into an agreement with Korea Aerospace University (KAU) to establish a dual degree program.  This partnership will see Korean Aerospace students from its new aviation management program have the opportunity to enrol into UNSW’s Bachelor of Aviation (Management) program from year two of their studies.  Students of the four-year dual degree will graduate with a bachelor degree from both KAU and UNSW Sydney. 

Professor Jin-Woo Park, Head of the Department of Aviation Management at KAU said that KAU was interested in global collaborations and connections to provide global quality education and opportunity for its students.   

“In my point of view, UNSW Aviation provided the best global program in aviation management. I looked at the UK, U.S. and Australia but UNSW Aviation’s program stood out in relation to knowledge streams and practical input and knowledge underpinned by research.”

UNSW Aviation’s Prof Brett Molesworth said it was a synergistic partnership that would benefit both UNSW and KAU. 

“Korea Aerospace University is a feeder school into Korean Air, Korea’s flagship carrier. 

This opportunity will open up global employability options for both the KAU students and their UNSW Sydney classmates as relationships will be forged during their time together here,” he said.

““I am very excited about how any student will be able to apply for this dual program,” said Prof Park. 

“The opportunity for Korean students to have an education from a global Top 20 university is limited for Korean students. This dual degree and partnership creates an opportunity for our students to study abroad and gain real world knowledge and skills, as well as enhance the quality of their aviation education,” said Prof Park. 

An added benefit is the option for KAU students to go on and study higher degrees such as Masters and PhDs and further their aviation education to help lead the industry.

“After successfully conducting this program, we hope to have more collaborations in research and postgraduate programs with UNSW.  In Korea, we have many students who want to do postgraduate work.  We also have many local aircraft carriers in Korea and a strong aviation industry with people in need of professional development,” said Prof Park.

Back in 2002, when seeking to further his education in aviation management, Prof Park chose UNSW Aviation for his PhD and has the distinction of being the first person to successfully graduate from UNSW Aviation with a PhD. 

“I had experienced two different universities teaching Aviation Management including Embry-Riddle where I did my Masters. UNSW Aviation offered a distinguished program in aviation management, which I pursued for my PhD.  I found the applied knowledge drawn from industry and underpinned by research was far superior to other global aviation management institutions.”

It was only natural that when setting up the new aviation management program at KAU, Prof Park referred to UNSW Aviation’s undergraduate program and sought out his old PhD supervisor, A/Prof Richard Wu and the team at UNSW Aviation. In addition, when seeking aviation experts for his new program, Prof Park also looked to fellow alumni from around the world, recruiting three UNSW Aviation alumni to KAU’s teaching staff.

Heo Hee-Young, President of Korea Aerospace University, said, “By activating the program, we will nurture global aviation management professionals who will be active in the global aviation industry”.