Summary
- Pilots can start their careers through flight schools like ATP or pursue a university degree in aviation for a broader education.
- Popular aviation schools like Baylor, UND, OU, Auburn, and Purdue offer various degrees, licenses, and certificates.
- Schools like Purdue provide additional experience and airline partnerships for students to secure jobs after graduation.
Both airline and private aviation pilots across the country tend to start their careers fairly early. A lot of these pilots began their career through traditional flight schools or flight training facilities, such as ATP Flight School.
Some flight schools like this provide extensive training to student pilots, taking them from ground school all the way to become airline transport pilot (ATP) certified. This includes providing various courses that allow the student pilot to receive their private pilot license, multi-engine rating, instrument rating, commercial rating, and even their certified flight instructor (CFI) certificate.
However, an increasing choice for pilots is to take an alternate route and attend a university. This allows the student pilot to receive their bachelor’s degree in addition to their pilot licenses and certifications.
Many of these student pilots attend rigorous courses that are focused on the mechanics and physics of flight, safety, aviation law, leadership, and even meteorology.
At the same time, these students also take the more traditional flight school classes, such as participating in ground school and taking flying lessons.
Some of these aviation schools at universities allow student pilots to get a more broad view of aviation in general, and even allow their students to participate in aviation maintenance or engineering courses too.
These benefits make aviation colleges at universities a popular choice, especially in the United States. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular aviation schools in the US.
5
Baylor University
Location: Waco, Texas
|
Estimated enrollment |
19,085 |
|---|---|
|
Annual in-state tuition |
$54,844 |
|
Annual out-of-state tuition |
$54,844 |
The Texas university offers several different opportunities for aviation enthusiasts at the Baylor Institute for Aviation Sciences. Two of its most popular degrees are Aviation Sciences and Aviation Administration. The Aviation Sciences degree is a four-year program that also comes with a Professional Flight concentration or a Professional Helicopter concentration.
All the university’s flight training is completed at the school’s Flight Center, outside the Waco Regional Airport (ACT), near Baylor University’s main campus.
The fairly new program operates all three different variants of Tecnam aircraft, and also has access to simulators for advanced training concepts.
Related
What Are The Implications Of Rising Costs Of General Aviation, Such As Fuel And Maintenance?
In recent years, the costs of general aviation, and private aviation, have been on a slight incline. Even the introductory price of a smaller, single-engine aircraft, which is a typical starting aircraft for aviation enthusiasts, has been steadily increasing over several years. The price of a new aircraft has increased more than the steady increase of the average salary in the United States. Per Forbes, the average salary in the US was just over $6,000 in 1970. In 2021, this was the equivalent of $85,000. However, a Cessna 172 was $12,500 in 1970 and now has a minimum price of over $430,000. This is an exponential increase, which has possibly placed cost barriers for new pilots trying to get into aviation.
Have the rising costs of general aviation, and ownership in general, prevented aviation enthusiasts from becoming new pilots? Have the costs of fuel and maintenance contributed to a slight decline in the general aviation industry overall?
4
University of North Dakota
Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota
|
Estimated enrollment |
10,676 |
|---|---|
|
Annual in-state tuition |
$12,680 |
|
Annual out-of-state tuition |
$31,870 |
The University of North Dakota offers several different degrees and certificates from its John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. This popular aviation school offers seven different degrees, including Air Traffic Management, Aviation Management, Aviation Safety & Operations, Aviation Studies, Commercial Aviation, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations. It also allows its students to receive an aviation degree and receive a pilot’s license simultaneously.
Photo: Nadezda Murmakova | Shutterstock
The aviation school is one of the biggest in the nation and includes over 100 different aircraft and simulators on its campus. This includes the following aircraft:
3
University of Oklahoma
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
|
Estimated enrollment |
23,727 |
|---|---|
|
Annual in-state tuition |
$20,070 |
|
Annual out-of-state tuition |
$37,140 |
Within the University of Oklahoma is the College of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences. The school offers an Aviation Management degree and an Air Traffic Management degree, in addition to its standard Professional Flight degree.
Recently, the University of Oklahoma added a helicopter training segment to its aviation school. This degree, which is run in partnership with Semper Fly Helicopters, will completely train student helicopter pilots.
This makes the University of Oklahoma the first school in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to offer a helicopter flight school. The school also plans to break ground on the Oklahoma Aviation Academy, which will be the state’s only aviation-focused high school.
2
Auburn University
Location: Auburn, Alabama
|
Estimated enrollment |
33,300 |
|---|---|
|
Annual in-state tuition |
$12,980 |
|
Annual out-of-state tuition |
$34,922 |
Another popular school is located in the Southeastern United States. Auburn University’s School of Aviation is located within its College of Liberal Arts. This school boasts several degrees, including Aviation Management and a Professional Flight degree. It also offers an Aviation Hospitality Management certificate.
Photo: Textron Aviation
The Professional Flight degree is the school’s most popular degree. This degree is listed as providing “a solid foundation of aeronautical knowledge and piloting skills expected by professional aviation organizations and necessary for success in the aviation industry.”
Students pursuing this degree will obtain their Private Pilot License, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot Certification, and their Multi-Engine Rating. The college also offers CFI, CFI with Instrument Rating, and Multi-Engine Instructor certificates as well.
1
Purdue University
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
|
Estimated enrollment |
47,505 |
|---|---|
|
Annual in-state tuition |
$9,992 |
|
Annual out-of-state tuition |
$28,794 |
One of the largest schools in the country is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology is one of the most popular schools within the college.
The school offers several different degrees for aviation enthusiasts, including Aeronautical Engineering Technology, Aviation Management, and Unmanned Aerial Systems. It also has a graduate school that offers some certificates, like Aviation Financial Management or Aviation Safety Management.
Photo: Robert Buchel | Shutterstock
The school also has a Professional Flight program. Purdue advertises this program as it allows students to “gain a larger perspective of the aviation industry, from making decisions to understanding your aircraft, as you train to become a pilot.”. This means the school offers additional experience beyond the standard pilot programs. Purdue also partners with various airlines, so its students can exit school with a sufficient job. Some of these airlines include: