The Top 25 Colleges for Aviation Degrees
Aviation refers to the development and operation of aircraft. The industry encompasses a varied assortment of skilled professionals, including pilots, engineers, mechanics, air traffic controllers, and airport managers. Aviation offers strong employment prospects and competitive salary levels. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs for airline and commercial pilots are projected to grow 5% between 2019 and 2029, which is faster than average. As of 2019, these professionals earned a median annual salary of $121,430.
This page offers an overview of aviation degrees, including the best aviation colleges, typical aviation courses, potential career paths, earning potential, and industry licenses and certifications.
| Rank | School | Location | No. of Aviation Programs Offered | Tuition (2017-2018) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University | West Lafayette, IN | 10 | $11,898 |
| 2 | Ohio University | Athens, OH | 3 | $22,072 |
| 3 | Sinclair Community College | Dayton, OH | 4 | $4,887 |
| 4 | Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa, CA | 2 | $6,142 |
| 5 | Ivy Tech Community College | Indianapolis, IN | 12 | $5,425 |
| 6 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI | 3 | $15,863 |
| 7 | San Jacinto Community College | Pasadena, TX | 1 | $8,790 |
| 8 | University of Alaska Anchorage | Anchorage, AK | 7 | $13,288 |
| 9 | Ohio State University | Columbus, OH | 2 | $18,694 |
| 10 | Bowling Green State University | Bowling Green, OH | 2 | $6,145 |
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What Is an Aviation Degree?
Aviation colleges offer various types of education, and many schools cover more than just piloting. Students can pursue programs in airport management, aircraft engineering, air traffic control, and flight stewardship. However, many programs focus on aircraft piloting.
Pilot training occurs at many levels: Private pilots focus on small aircraft for personal use, while airline transport pilots prepare students to pilot major commercial aircraft. Piloting smaller, single-engine aircraft requires lower levels of education, while commercial piloting typically requires at least a bachelor's degree.
Why Get a Degree in Aviation?
Earning a degree from one of the best aviation colleges offers several professional and personal benefits. See below for five common reasons students attend flight school.
Professional Advancement Professional flight training is a universal requirement for pilots. Earning a degree is the surest path to a career in the aviation field.
Specialized Skills An aviation program builds the technical skills and knowledge necessary for a career as a pilot. Students learn about aircraft operation, aviation law, and weather factors.
Higher Salary Potential An aviation degree confers advanced skills that enable graduates to pursue a wider selection of careers with higher salary potential. In general, more advanced degrees yield higher average salary levels.
Networking Opportunities Many aviation programs partner with major airlines and other aviation employers. Enrolling in these programs can offer students a larger professional network and increased employment opportunities after graduation.
Licensure and Certification Aviation programs prepare students for various types of licensure and certification, which are required for pilot careers. Advanced certification can also increase employment prospects.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What are the careers in aviation? | Aviation graduates can pursue many different careers. They can work as commercial or private pilots, aircraft mechanics and technicians, air traffic controllers, and airport managers. |
| Do I need a four-year degree to be a pilot? | Not all pilot careers require four-year degrees. However, more advanced positions, including those with major commercial airlines, often do. |
| Is aviation a good career? | Aviation is a varied and challenging career field. Airline and commercial pilots benefit from high salaries and above-average projected job growth, making the field a worthwhile choice for many students. |
| Can I become a pilot without a degree? | While professionals can obtain lower levels of pilot certification without a degree, most professional pilot careers call for a degree and proper pilot certification. |
Accreditation for an Aviation Degree
When researching aviation colleges, prospective students should ensure a school possesses proper accreditation. Accreditation functions to regulate colleges and universities, demonstrating that an institution meets nationally and regionally designated education standards. A school that lacks proper accreditation may not adequately prepare students for work in their chosen field.
Accreditation comes in two major forms: national and regional. National accreditation serves trade and vocational schools, while regional accreditation serves traditional four-year colleges. Most colleges offering aviation programs should be regionally accredited by one of the six major regional accreditation agencies. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation provides a list of approved accrediting organizations for more information on these agencies.
While a college as a whole may possess regional or national accreditation, individual programs can also hold programmatic accreditation from industry-specific accreditation agencies. Many aviation programs are accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International .
Courses in an Aviation Degree
Aviation programs cover many diverse topics, including technical aircraft operations, aviation law and regulatory processes, aircraft systems, and aviation management and organization processes. In most instances, course content varies according to area of study. For example, an air traffic control program and a pilot program must cover different subject matter out of necessity. However, many programs feature the same foundational body of knowledge.
Read on to review five common courses in aviation programs. While exact course titles and content may vary slightly, many aviation degrees include courses that focus on these subjects.
Introduction to Aviation Technology
Most programs include a general introductory course that outlines the basics of aviation technology and operations. This course often provides an overview of the aviation industry and its various associated careers, giving students a broad understanding of how the field functions. Other common topics include safety practices, basic flight technology, regulations and the regulatory process, organizational practices, and the human factors that affect aviation.
Aviation Meteorology and Weather
Weather and other meteorological factors directly affect aviation practices, and many programs include courses that explore the role weather plays in flight. Pilots, air traffic controllers, and airline managers in particular need comprehensive knowledge of weather factors and response strategies. This course typically focuses on weather patterns, weather products and providers, and weather interpretation methods and their effect on flight scenarios.
Aviation Safety
Safety plays a crucial role in all aspects of aviation. Often emphasizing both managerial and pilot perspectives, safety courses may touch on topics such as risk theory and management, prevention methodology, human factors, safety program organization, and data and analytical information systems. Other common airline safety topics include regulatory requirements and aviation inspection programs.
Aviation Law
The aviation industry is subject to a complex system of laws and regulations intended to ensure aircraft safety. Many programs include a course that introduces the fundamental principles of modern aviation law, giving students a broad understanding of both the federal and international regulations that affect pilots and other aviation professionals. These courses may explore the intersection of constitutional law, administrative law, international law, and federal jurisdiction, all of which play a role in the aviation industry.
Aviation Operations Management
The airline industry operates under a highly complex system of organization and management, helping ensure the safety of tens of thousands of flights each day. Courses in operations management explore the industry's administrative and business sides, focusing on the practices that organize airlines and enable them to turn a profit. This course often covers human resources, technology management, marketing, travel analysis and profitability, and managerial functions.
How Much Do Pilots Make?
Pilots generally earn high salaries, particularly in more advanced positions with major airlines. The BLS reports that airline and commercial pilots of all types earned an annual median salary exceeding $120,000 as of May 2019. Salaries vary depending on pilots' education, employment sector, location, and professional certifications.
Pilots can typically command higher salaries by earning advanced certifications that enable them to fly more complex planes. For example, airline pilots, who often fly for major passenger airlines, earn a median annual salary of $147,220. Commercial pilots, who often fly smaller charter flights or conduct other types of unscheduled air travel, earn a median annual salary of $86,080.
A pilot's industry can also affect salary. For example, pilots who work in scheduled air transport (such as commercial flights) earn a median annual salary of $161,110. Those who work for the federal government earn a median annual salary of $104,700.
Certifications and Licensure for Aviation
More than many industries, aviation relies on a strict system of certifications and licenses, which dictates the types of aircraft pilots can operate. Pilots must earn different levels of certification and licensure to pursue advanced positions in the aviation field. See below for three of the most common certifications.
Private Pilot Certificate
The first step for aspiring commercial pilots, this certificate allows students to fly small aircraft day or night in visual meteorological conditions (good weather in which visibility is unobstructed). The certificate does not enable pilots to fly for compensation, but it prepares them for more advanced levels of licensure.
Instrument Rating
An instrument rating enables pilots to fly under inclement weather conditions and through clouds, navigating solely by instruments. In order to obtain an instrument rating, applicants must already hold a private pilot certificate and have logged at least 50 hours of cross-country flight, 40 hours of instrument time, and at least 15 hours of instrument flight training.
Commercial Pilot Certificate
This certificate qualifies pilots to earn pay for their services. In order to obtain a commercial pilot certificate, pilots need at least 250 hours of flight time, 100 hours of pilot-in-command time, 50 hours of cross-country flight time, 20 hours of training, and 10 hours of solo training.
The Top 25 Colleges for Aviation Degrees
The Top 25 Aviation Colleges for 2019
A major public college based in West Lafayette, Indiana, Purdue ranks among the best aviation colleges in the country. Purdue's School of Aviation and Transportation Technology hosts 10 aviation degrees at all academic levels. These programs focus on contemporary applications of aviation technology, emphasizing key challenges such as sustainability, safety, and quality.
At the undergraduate level, Purdue offers seven aviation majors, including aviation management, aeronautical engineering technology, unmanned aerial systems, and airport management and operations. Graduate offerings include a master's in aviation and aerospace management, a Ph.D. in aviation technology, and a graduate certificate in aviation safety management.
Purdue students can take advantage of professional internship opportunities, career fairs, job opportunities, and other networking events. Many prominent aviation companies recruit Purdue graduates.
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To determine the best aviation colleges, we looked at the most important factors prospective students, mainly common predictors of future success and a school's commitment to online programs. This boils down to admissions rate, student loan default rate, retention rate, graduation rate, and the percent of students enrolled in online classes. All data points are taken from information provided by colleges and universities to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Each factor is weighted evenly in order to give an objective view and determine the top 10 aviation colleges. To calculate our rankings, we looked at a school's ranking when organized by a single factor, and then averaged each category's ranking to find an overall score: Admissions Rate (20%) + Default Rate (20%) + Retention Rate (20%) + Graduation Rate (20%) + Percent of Students Enrolled in Online Classes (20%) = Final score.