Dr Faye McCarthy
Senior Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Studying a degree at University enables you to learn more about topics or subjects you are interested in.
It is a different learning style to school, you have to read outside of lectures and you are responsible for your own learning so you can really find things you are interested in.
When I conducted my third year research project, I had freedom to explore a topic which was important to me but also the aviation industry and my findings were published for the academic community and sector to learn from. This is where research and knowledge can shape changes in policies and practices which is really valuable.
Post 16 Education: A Level Spanish, Computing, Business Studies & Psychology
Higher Education: Air Transport Management at Loughborough
Why did you choose to study Air Transport Management?
During my time at school I was in the RAF Cadets which sparked my passion for aviation and flight so I chose to study Air Transport at University. This gave me the opportunity to learn more about what I was passionate about and meet like-minded people.
My degree was delivered by Loughborough University staff who research transport and urban planning. The current name for the degree programmes in this area is Urban Planning.
Faye’s experience as a student
I loved my time at University as an undergraduate, I managed to balance my studying with extra-curricular activities and seeing friends quite well. At first it was daunting to be living away from home, however my advice would be to try societies and sports clubs and you will meet lots of new friends.
Faye’s Career
I am a Senior Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the University of Leicester.
During my second year I started researching about becoming a pilot and attended some pilot career events, however I realised that these events were very male-dominated and wanted to look into this a bit more.
For my third year dissertation project I interviewed female commercial airline pilots to explore their experiences of working in a male-dominated career. Doing this research inspired me to further understand gender role stereotypes and occupational sex segregation and I decided to undertake further research into the gendered occupation of commercial piloting by doing a postgraduate research degree (PhD) in the Transport Studies Group in the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering at Loughborough.
This research only sparked more passion in me around inclusivity and I decided to explore career opportunities into equality, diversity and inclusion.
Faye’s advice
Work hard but remember your health and well-being are really important so take time out of studying to do something you love or connect with family/friends. For me, I used to dance regularly which kept me healthy and also provided a break from things. Also, speak to a variety of people in a variety of fields to gain an insight into what people in different careers do on a daily basis.
Loughborough University offers undergraduate degrees in:
Urban Planning, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Construction Engineering Management, Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying.
All Loughborough’s degrees offer the opportunity to take a placement year as an integral part of the course.
Please note: Degrees and their titles change over time. Some graduates may have studied degrees that have evolved and changed in response to changes in demand from employers.