Graduate Courses

Please refer to the Purdue Course Schedule for a current listing of Polytechnic Institute (former College of Technology) graduate course listings.

AT 50500 - Research Methods In Aviation - This course explores the practical approach to research as it applies to identifying and exploring pragmatic problems in aviation industry settings. Industry based problems and issues often require a diversity of research skills, both quantitative and qualitative, in order to effectively address dynamic problems in complex and often high-risk work environments. This course offers an overview of mixed research methods which lends itself well to practical problem solving in industry. This course may also be offered in an online format. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 50600 - MS Capstone Research Project - A formal investigation of a particular problem under the guidance of the advisory committee. Not applicable to a thesis option plan of study. Enrollment during at least two consecutive terms for a total of three credits is required. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 50700 - Quantitative Research Methodologies In Transportation - This course provides an introduction to business statistics with a specific focus on data analyses and managerial decision making in the transportation industry. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability models, estimation, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. Students use software to perform their own analyses. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 50800 - Quality And Productivity In Industry And Technology - Examines the contemporary issues of continuous improvement in quality and productivity in manufacturing and service industries. Includes a close examination of the evolving philosophies bearing on the scope, improvement, and costs of quality assurance programs in industry and technology. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.  

AT 52000 - Operational Assessment And Improvement - This course focuses on developing the skills to analyze, formulate, and apply techniques for work task improvement. Concepts to be studied include workflow enhancement, critical element streamlining, and value added analysis. Students will explore process map construction, process ownership, measurement system validation, standards creation, and decision factors. An industry project will be assigned and used to facilitate course objectives. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall.

AT 52100 - Resource Analysis And Optimization - This course provides the student with insight to develop and apply business models that adjust and adapt to the changing climate of daily operations in support of aviation customers and product movement. The course uses a combination of lecture and group discussion, as well as project activity to address resource analysis topics, such as queuing fundamentals, swarm theory, and forecasting models. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Spring.

AT 52400 - Managerial Economic Decision Making - This course explores managerial decision making, using economic and strategic impacts of new technology and transformation methodologies on the enterprise system. Management planning and decision making, process costing and allocation, operational control, management control, activity-based costing, and multi-attribute decision-making models are covered. Theory of constraints and lean implementations in aviation are studied to understand the short and long-term effects on financial measures. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 52500 - Process Improvement And Simulation - This course explores process modeling and simulation as applied to decision-making for process design and improvement. Emphasis is placed on understanding the application of process simulations to business problems including using fundamental statistical methods in the solution of an industry relevant problem. By planning and executing a computer-based simulation supporting an aviation or aerospace process design and improvement project, students improve analysis and project management skills. In addition to simulation, preparing visualizations of the process is also included for increased understanding of process interactions. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 52600 - Aviation Leadership - This course is intended for future aviation and aerospace managers. Using foundational readings, case studies, and critical analysis techniques, the contribution of past and contemporary aviation leaders will be reviewed. Permission of department required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 52800 - Management And Design Of Training Systems - This course will examine the practical applications of managing the training process in industry and educational settings, including the development of instructional materials from an adult learner perspective. Curriculum design using various forms of media and delivery strategies will be emphasized. This course may also be delivered in an online format. Permission of department required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 53000 - Multi-Cultural Issues In Team Operations - This course explores the nature and origins of professional, national, and organizational culture and their role in multi-disciplinary team activities. Power distance, individualism/collectivism, gender differences, and uncertainty avoidance are examined in terms of research by Hofstede. Management studies of several international air carriers will be utilized to highlight how cultural differences can affect perceptions. Permission of department required. Typically offered Spring.

AT 53100 - International Civil Aviation Regulatory Systems - This course provides extensive multi-modal transportation security experience. Students will receive detailed information on air, maritime, rail, mass transit, trucking and oil pipeline security programs, as well as applicable threat mitigation processes. Completion of an undergraduate course in either aviation law or aviation security is recommended. This course may be applicable to undergraduates with appropriate experience and background in aviation or other transportation systems. There are no citizenship or security clearance requirements for this course. Typically offered Fall.

AT 53200 - Contemporary Issues In Transportation Security - This course provides extensive multi-modal transportation security experience. Students will receive detailed information on air, maritime, rail, mass transit, trucking and oil pipeline security programs, as well as applicable threat mitigation processes. Completion of an undergraduate course in either aviation law or aviation security is recommended. This course may be applicable to undergraduates with appropriate experience and background in aviation or other transportation systems. There are no citizenship or security clearance requirements for this course. Typically offered Spring.

AT 53300 - Aviation Graduate Professional Practice Internship - This course involves a practical internship experience within the aviation industry that provides exposure to the roles and duties commensurate with the student's graduate program focus. Prerequisite: Completion of one term of graduate studies and the instructor will validate that the student has an offer letter from an approved company. Permission of assigned graduate chair is required. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 54200 - Aviation Fuels And Exhaust Emissions - This course focuses on aviation fuels, including engine operation with fuel, combustion principles, chemistry, exhaust emissions, and fuel testing procedures. Additionally, the topics of greenhouse gases, global warming, oil reserves, fuel costs, and other factors driving the development of alternative aviation fuels will be covered. Current research in these areas will be discussed and testing procedures will be studied. Students will research new fuels in development, and will analyze the sustainability and potential for success promised by the new technologies in comparison with existing fuels. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 54400 - Aircraft Lifecycle Management Innovations - This course explores sustainability as applied to aviation and aerospace industries and agencies, both in the private sector and public sector. Students improve analysis skills, and knowledge of the reasoning and application of sustainability. Emphasis is placed on understanding the global and national policies that lead to the regulations and practices in aviation and aerospace. Using a balanced scorecard and a triple bottom line approach, students will develop a project using aviation and aerospace publications to analyze an industry-relevant project using sustainability in the analysis. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 54600 - Aviation Financial Instruments And Operations - The course concentrates on increasing the understanding of financial expertise in analyzing trading and hedging programs for application in reducing aviation operational risk exposure. The studies include research into the development and use of operational indexes and their possible relation to hedging with commodity and security instruments. Emphasis will be placed on the understanding of current operational measurements and correlations to trading and hedging financial instruments in providing improved risk management in operational environments. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 54700 - Airline Revenue Management - This course aims to provide students with experience in airline revenue management applications. Primarily focusing on the commercial operation of airlines, this course covers various contemporary topics such as the segmentation, inventory control, forecasting, budgeting and pricing. This course will use simulations to enhance the overall learning-teaching experience. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 54800 - Aircraft Asset Management - This course provides the student with a detailed exploration of aircraft asset management programs in both airlines and business aviation organizations. Students analyze and study the critical components of an asset management program, the financial methods in aircraft asset management, acquisition proposals, and development plans of aircraft acquisitions in this course. An airline industry-relevant project is used to improve student reasoning and application of industry standard aircraft asset management analysis procedures to include forecasting techniques, present value calculations, and benefit-cost analyses. This course serves as the foundational knowledge required for AT 54900. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 54900 - Aircraft Leasing - This course provides students with training and experience managing aircraft leases using financial and risk management methodologies specific to the airline and business aviation industries. Students conduct financial evaluations of leasing versus ownership programs of airlines, as well as analyze debt, equity and capital markets for aircraft financing. The course includes an examination of taxation issues related to aircraft leasing, maintenance reserves, and auditing of aircraft financial performance. The prerequisite for this course is AT 54800. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 55000 - Critical Systems Thinking - This course explores the application of critical systems thinking to complex problems. Using systems theory and case studies developed by technology visionaries, students will investigate alternative solutions to difficult industrial problems with global impact. Outcomes for this course include written assignments, oral presentations, and a final project that addresses a major industrial problem. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 55100 - Graduate Aviation Research Seminar - This course provides graduate students with an opportunity to present and develop ongoing research activity in a seminar setting. Individual student research designs, report/thesis structures, and project issues are developed in open forum. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring.

AT 57200 - Human Error And Safety - Explores the definition and nature of human error, error chains, and causal factors in error generation. Error taxonomies are reviewed in order to provide a classification scheme for grouping errors and assessing error criticality. Methods for assessing risk and predicting error generation potentials are learned, as well as strategies for controlling or eliminating errors. Case studies are utilized throughout the course to illustrate course concepts. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring.

AT 57300 - Managing The Risk Of Organizational Accidents - Examines strategies various industries use to assess the risk of organizational accidents and to develop safety management programs to prevent, capture, and recover from conditions that lead to disastrous outcomes. Strategies such as High Reliability Organizations, Operational Risk Management, Behavioral Based Safety, Tripod Delta, and Safety Cultures are explored as successful methods for improving organizational safety in high-risk environments and endeavors. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 57400 - Exploratory Studies In Aviation Human Factors - Exploration of contemporary issues and research related to human factors theory and program strategies as they relate to the aviation industry. The course ventures beyond ergonomic issues into more diverse human factors considerations, while discussing an industry-wide and organizational perspective. The course utilizes a combination of lecture, group discussion, and independent study into issues relevant to student interests and career goals. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring.

AT 58100 - Workshop In Aviation Technology - Advanced study of technical and professional topics. Emphasis is on new developments relating to technical, operational, and training aspects of industry and technology education. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 59000 - Special Problems In Aviation Technology - Independent study of a special problem under the guidance of a member of the staff. Does not substitute for either M.S. thesis or M.S. project credit. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 60700 - Aviation Applications Of Bayesian Inference - This course provides a critical foundation necessary for understanding Bayesian theory and employing that theory in the analysis of typical data generated in industry. The course will focus specifically on solutions of aviation-related problems through data analysis. Material includes overview and implementation of relevant statistical software applications. Practical skills in presenting advanced analyses to both professional and scientific audiences is a key component of the course. Prerequsites: AT 50700 OR IT 50700 OR STAT 30100 OR STAT 50100 OR STAT 51100. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 64000 - Aviation And Aerospace Sustainability - This course explores sustainability as applied to aviation and aerospace industries and agencies, both in the private sector and public sector. Emphasis is placed on understanding aviation and aerospace sustainability academic literature and on connecting the global and national policies that lead to the regulations and practices. Aviation sustainability is comprised of multiple areas of impact such as economic, environmental, operational, and social. Students develop an understanding of existing sustainability assessment frameworks such as GRI that have general sustainability assessments along with specialized aviation industry frameworks. Using a multiple attribute analysis approach, students develop metrics and analyze the potential impact of sustainability initiatives in the aviation and aerospace industry. Prerequisites: STAT 30100 or STAT 31100 or STAT 50100 or STAT 51100 or IT 50700 or an instructor-approved statistical foundations course. Proficiency in statistical foundations is required to understand and evaluate environmental, economic and social sustainability data, information and methods presented in this course. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 65900 - Airport And Transportation Sustainability - Airport and Transportation Sustainability is a doctoral format course about the methods and practice of sustainability for airports and transportation. Sustainability in planning, design, construction and operation of airports and transportation facilities and infrastructure are addressed. Prerequisites: Successful completion of at least one statistics course covering descriptive and inferential statistics, an airport management course (e.g., AT 35900) and admission to doctoral program. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 67500 - Aviation Safety Program Development - This course is designed to provide graduate students with essential information and practical activities necessary to develop and manage effective and comprehensive safety programs for a wide variety of aviation operations. Students will conduct safety research, analyze data, and make presentations based on developed safety systems. Instructor permission required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 68100 - Seminar In Aviation Technology - This variable title course will be used for temporary course offerings for doctoral-level students. Permission of Instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 69000 - Independent Study In Air Transportation - Intensive individual study of selected current developments and issues in air transportation. A faculty sponsor is required for this course. Prerequisite: Doctoral student standing. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 69800 - Research MS Thesis - Research MS Thesis. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AT 69900 - Research PhD Thesis - This course involves intensive research and writing activity associated with a doctoral dissertation. Prerequisite: Doctoral candidate status. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.