Highly Respected Aviation Universities & Colleges

Jaybird180

Jaybird180

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Jaybird180
Does anyone have a good reputation anymore of turning out high caliber graduates?

I hope so.

I am adding some decoration to my son's wall and thought of putting a pennant of a few aviation schools there- something to give him to look at and aspire toward. The ones that come to mind, may have questionable elitism; looking for only what represents "the best" the world has to offer.

Suggestions?
 
LeTourneau. Starts everyone off in tailwheel aircraft. :)
 
As I think many will tell you....tell your kid to get a marketable degree and do flight training as a minor or altogether separately...unless you want him to graduate with a significantly higher debt load and still hundreds of hours away from the airlines.
 
MichiPilot said:
As I think many will tell you....tell your kid to get a marketable degree and do flight training as a minor or altogether separately...unless you want him to graduate with a significantly higher debt load and still hundreds of hours away from the airlines.
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This is the best answer. Get a "real" degree and fly on the side.

Off the top of my head, schools with some version of an aviation program, but that are otherwise reasonably well-regarded:

Purdue
Oklahoma University
Arizona State
Ohio State
USC
 
bradg33 said:
This is the best answer. Get a "real" degree and fly on the side.

Off the top of my head, schools with some version of an aviation program, but that are otherwise reasonably well-regarded:

Purdue
Oklahoma University
Arizona State
Ohio State
USC
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In my recent 121 training we had more UND graduates than any other program.
 
LDJones said:
In my recent 121 training we had more UND graduates than any other program.
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UND churns out some pretty good aviation grads. But if you want a degree in something else, maybe not so much. Plus, why put yourself through North Dakota winters if you don't have to? :)
 
bradg33 said:
UND churns out some pretty good aviation grads. But if you want a degree in something else, maybe not so much. Plus, why put yourself through North Dakota winters if you don't have to? :)
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I grew up in Manitoba winters. North Dakota winters same deal....not a biggie.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Does anyone have a good reputation anymore of turning out high caliber graduates?

I hope so.

I am adding some decoration to my son's wall and thought of putting a pennant of a few aviation schools there- something to give him to look at and aspire toward. The ones that come to mind, may have questionable elitism; looking for only what represents "the best" the world has to offer.

Suggestions?
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I'm not sure about respect, that is earned and doesn't come just graduating somewhere.

As for turning out great aviators, I'd wholeheartedly recommend AG-Flight in GA, all super high time instructors who have worked in the industry, all tailwheel aircraft.

Highest initial job placement in the target field of aviation for grads I've ever seen out of any flight school.

If you want a degree just get one online while you're flight training.
 
I'd tell him to go to a four year university with an aviation program, and double major in aviation and some other STEM field like engineering. I've run into too many pro pilots who ditched the aviation thing and really didn't have anything to fall back on to. Just because he wants to be a pilot now doesn't mean he'll always want that. The guy who sold me my motorcycle hung it up because he was tired of being away from his family. Priorities change.
 
Don't go to UND. They have a lot of rules that don't make any sense. Say you start private pilot training in the fall semester and you get an "A" in ground school. If you don't finish your flight training by the end of the semester (not the end of December), you get an "F" for the class and you have to retake the class the next semester and the "F" stays on your transcript. Even if all you have left is the checkride and you've had straight "A's"

It's hard to finish when there is "No-Fly November and Don't fly December". They also go "No-fly" the moment the metar hits 25 knots. The list goes on and on. When your instructor has 7 other students, it's hard to just "reschedule for later" when the weather improves.

Major in business, get your ratings on the side, and you'll end up in a better place with better opportunities.

I realize this didn't answer the OP's question. But for anyone who might be browsing the web for info on UND, they should be aware of this.

The "top" schools I'd say... ERAU and USAF
 
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Jaybird180 said:
Does anyone have a good reputation anymore of turning out high caliber graduates?

I hope so.

I am adding some decoration to my son's wall and thought of putting a pennant of a few aviation schools there- something to give him to look at and aspire toward. The ones that come to mind, may have questionable elitism; looking for only what represents "the best" the world has to offer.

Suggestions?
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Are you asking which school you should send your son to? Or are you just asking which aviation schools are most respected?

Even though many on this board have an issue with Embry Riddle, I believe they are still one of the most respected aviation AND engineering colleges. Of course, Ga Tech and a few others are better engineering colleges, but ER is both.
:popcorn:
 
JOhnH said:
Are you asking which school you should send your son to? Or are you just asking which aviation schools are most respected?

Even though many on this board have an issue with Embry Riddle, I believe they are still one of the most respected aviation AND engineering colleges. Of course, Ga Tech and a few others are better engineering colleges, but ER is both.
:popcorn:
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I've interviewed a lot of engineering grads for entry level positions. Hundreds. We would never count an ER degree as an "engineering" degree.
 
JHW said:
I've interviewed a lot of engineering grads for entry level positions. Hundreds. We would never count an ER degree as an "engineering" degree.
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Well, I didn't say that all of their grads had engineering degrees. Only that they offer engineering degrees. Ga. Tech is an engineering college, but not all of their graduates are engineers.
 
Has your son already expressed an interest in aviation as a career? If not, there is absolutely no need to nudge him towards any particular schools just because they have an aviation program.

How old is he? If not in at least his sophomore year of HS, he might not really know what he wants to do yet.

Has he already made any progress towards his PP if old enough? He could easily have his PP and be working on advanced ratings by the time he finishes HS and can continue to fly afterwards while earning a degree in another field.

What other subjects interest him? Look for schools that are strong in these areas.

Does your state have any aviation programs or good universities with other subjects he is interested in? Remember that in-state tuition is usually much cheaper.

If he is the patriotic sort or even if he isn't, he could pursue a different course of study at college and do ROTC and then after graduating and getting his commission, apply for flight school. If he studies engineering or other STEM subjects, all the better.

Oh, I didn't give a list of schools did I? Oh well.
 
JHW said:
I've interviewed a lot of engineering grads for entry level positions. Hundreds. We would never count an ER degree as an "engineering" degree.
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Good for you. I went to ERAU, didn't do engineering. Know many people who did, who walked out of there and into a well paying job for just graduating college.

Just like flying, there are people who will circular file any and all pilot resumes with ERAU on it. Honestly, if any employer is going to say "I'm not hiring people from XYZ college", without meeting the person first, probably not an employer you want to work for.
 
SkyDog58 said:
If he is the patriotic sort or even if he isn't, he could pursue a different course of study at college and do ROTC and then after graduating and getting his commission, apply for flight school. If he studies engineering or other STEM subjects, all the better.
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This was a long time ago, but at Ga. Tech the ROTC program paid for the pilot's licenses of several of my friends. I am not sure if they were on scholarship or not though.

But I'm still waiting to hear from Jaybird what his intentions are? From the sound of his post, I understood that he was just looking for banners and decorations for his kid's room. (But to be honest, I think the decorations are really for Jaybird and he is using his kid as an excuse to get his wife to allow him to put the stuff up).
icon12.gif
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
Just like flying, there are people who will circular file any and all pilot resumes with ERAU on it. Honestly, if any employer is going to say "I'm not hiring people from XYZ college", without meeting the person first, probably not an employer you want to work for.
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I generally agree with this, but I think there are some schools that have such a universally terrible reputation that a "I'm not hiring people that went to XYZ" is justified. Many/all "for-profit" colleges (I use that term loosely) fit into that category. I know in the legal profession there are a number of law schools that also get, and deserve, that treatment.
 
Kansas State has a nice program. They're also leading the way in UAVs at the moment.

And I say this as a Jayhawk...
 
First to answer the OP. Aviation training is all regulated the same and don't think one university turns out better pilots than another. Some have special programs to try to have the edge but turning out better pilots, wouldn't say any stick out. I am a big 10 guy so my top choices would be Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue.

bradg33 said:
This is the best answer. Get a "real" degree and fly on the side.
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James331 said:
If you want a degree just get one online while you're flight training.
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steingar said:
I'd tell him to go to a four year university with an aviation program, and double major in aviation and some other STEM field like engineering.
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This topic gets tossed around almost as much as traffic patterns. Most of the responses usually fall in line with those above and I agree with those above. Except for doing the bachelor degree online(too much fun in college, I recommend the full experience) and double majoring, no point in doing the extra work. I say don't get an aviation degree(except for aeronautical engineering) and fly on the side. Only benefits I can see about getting an aviation degree are the lower hours for the ATP(but with the new ATP written requirements, gonna be a lot of people your sons age that won't have the written when they apply to the airlines), and networking. Just because you don't have an aviation degree doesn't mean you cant hang out with guys in the aviation program or be a part of aviation related organizations such as Alpha Eta Rho.

SkyDog58 said:
He could easily have his PP and be working on advanced ratings by the time he finishes HS and can continue to fly afterwards while earning a degree in another field.....If he is the patriotic sort or even if he isn't, he could pursue a different course of study at college and do ROTC and then after graduating and getting his commission, apply for flight school. If he studies engineering or other STEM subjects, all the better.
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If he could have most of his ratings by the time he goes to college he could be flight instructing on the weekends in college at a local airport. Building time and beer money at the same time. Totally doable.

JC150 said:
Don't go to UND. They have a lot of rules that don't make any sense. Say you start private pilot training in the fall semester and you get an "A" in ground school. If you don't finish your flight training by the end of the semester (not the end of December), you get an "F" for the class and you have to retake the class the next semester and the "F" stays on your transcript. Even if all you have left is the checkride and you've had straight "A's"

It's hard to finish when there is "No-Fly November and Don't fly December". They also go "No-fly" the moment the metar hits 25 knots. The list goes on and on. When your instructor has 7 other students, it's hard to just "reschedule for later" when the weather improves.

Major in business, get your ratings on the side, and you'll end up in a better place with better opportunities.
Click to expand...

Seen that happen with my buddies in the aviation program. Just because they didn't have enough money to fly as much as they wanted, they got an "F" in a class.
 
labbadabba said:
Kansas State has a nice program. They're also leading the way in UAVs at the moment.

And I say this as a Jayhawk...
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I considered mentioning K-State's program, but my inner Jayhawk wouldn't let my fingers type it out :)

They do have a respectable program in Salina.
 
JOhnH said:
Are you asking which school you should send your son to? Or are you just asking which aviation schools are most respected?

Even though many on this board have an issue with Embry Riddle, I believe they are still one of the most respected aviation AND engineering colleges. Of course, Ga Tech and a few others are better engineering colleges, but ER is both.
:popcorn:
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:yeahthat:
 
JOhnH said:
This was a long time ago, but at Ga. Tech the ROTC program paid for the pilot's licenses of several of my friends. I am not sure if they were on scholarship or not though.

But I'm still waiting to hear from Jaybird what his intentions are? From the sound of his post, I understood that he was just looking for banners and decorations for his kid's room. (But to be honest, I think the decorations are really for Jaybird and he is using his kid as an excuse to get his wife to allow him to put the stuff up).
icon12.gif
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:yeahthat:
 
The one that's had a good reputation for a long time is Purdue.

You might PM HPNPilot1200 (Jason). He was a young kid posting on POA, went through the aviation program there, and has done very well for himself. I saw him briefly in Aspen a year or so ago.

I also had a friend my age who graduated from Purdue in around 1980, and went on to become a 777 captain at a major.
 
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I visited Purdue this summer and while there's no doubt it is a great school and they have a good program, I felt that since they have SO many things going on in their program that it felt kind of unfocused and all over the place and it was hard to get straight answers about the flight aspect of their program without the rep going and talking about the engineering, A&P, "hangar of dreams", or management aspects. YMMV but I got the impression that the flight aspect is takes second place to other parts of their program. Of course Purdue is a well known engineering school so that is to be expected to a degree. I also visited WMU and UND and got my PPL through OSU's program so if you (op) have any questions about those schools I'd be happy to help.
 
Thanks everyone for the helpful comments. Much appreciated.
 
Around here middle tennessee state is pretty good.
 
LDJones said:
My Captain yesterday was an Auburn grad. I wasn't aware they had a program.
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Absolutely! Got my Aviation Management degree at Auburn back in 1988 and the program is still going strong.

War Eagle!
 
Everskyward said:
The one that's had a good reputation for a long time is Purdue.

You might PM HPNPilot1200 (Jason). He was a young kid posting on POA, went through the aviation program there, and has done very well for himself. I saw him briefly in Aspen a year or so ago.

I also had a friend my age who graduated from Purdue in around 1980, and went on to become a 777 captain at a major.
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Ha! I graduated from Purdue in 1980 but from the Aviation Maintenance program not the flight program. It is a good school, at least I assume it still is. It was definitely a great school back then but that was 35 years ago. It would be great to hear from a more recent grad. I am not one of those rah rah alumni that keep up with the school, its programs or its sports teams. It was just somewhere that I went to do some learning. I did enjoy my time there though... a little too much at times.
 
Your son could get his ratings before college too and then major in something useful.

I had a 19-year old CFI fly out with me to retrieve my plane once. He was an engineering student at Texas A&M and instructed on the side - I think as a freelancer. Pretty bad ass side job as far as college jobs go.

I will say that engineering is probably overkill if you are dead certain you want to be an airplane driver. But I will also say that engineering will get you a paying job much faster - and it will pay you more over the life of your career. And then you can fly as a hobby and not sweat the ATP written or worry about whether you can log PIC in 90% of the scenarios on this board. :D
 
petrolero said:
Your son could get his ratings before college too and then major in something useful.

I had a 19-year old CFI fly out with me to retrieve my plane once. He was an engineering student at Texas A&M and instructed on the side - I think as a freelancer. Pretty bad ass side job as far as college jobs go.

I will say that engineering is probably overkill if you are dead certain you want to be an airplane driver. But I will also say that engineering will get you a paying job much faster - and it will pay you more over the life of your career. And then you can fly as a hobby and not sweat the ATP written or worry about whether you can log PIC in 90% of the scenarios on this board. :D
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Actually, if you want to fly for a living, getting your ratings done quick, getting a CFI job or something else flying, then doing an online degree whilst building time isn't a bad route to go.
 
LDJones said:
My Captain yesterday was an Auburn grad. I wasn't aware they had a program.
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Auburn has had an aviation program since 1941. Not a bad deal -- get a solid education, play for a great football program and learn to fly all at the same place.
 
old cfi said:
Auburn has had an aviation program since 1941. Not a bad deal -- get a solid education, play for a great football program and learn to fly all at the same place.
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Now if only Alabama would get a flight program ;)
 
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