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What is a good degree for becoming a pilot?

Hello, I am a sophomore in high school and I am having strong thought about going into the field of aviation as a pilot. I've started looking at two colleges, University of North Dakota, and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and I was wondering which degree would be best suit for becoming a commercial pilot?

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  • 9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Aviation degrees regardless of degree are... worthless -

    Get any non-aviation degree - airlines do not care which degree you got -

    My suggestions - Air Force ROTC -

    Or state college and flight training little svhool near home - all licenses are same -

    A degree for a pilot should be another career qualification "just in case" -

    Such as furlough due to airline downturn (sometimes thousand pilots furloughed) -

    Airline bankruptcies (happened to me) -

    Loss of medical qualification (1st class) -

    When things go bad for pilots you will not find a job with a ERAU or UND degree -

    Maybe flipping burgers at McDonald's...?

    .

    Source(s): Retired 747 captain - did not need an Embry Ridd-iculous degree
  • 9 years ago

    It does not matter. Get a degree in a discipline that you would enjoy that can profitably employ you if you do not succeed as a pilot, or you have to change careers for some reason. There are many reasons a flying career might not work out or could end unexpectedly. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Have a backup plan.

    UND and ERAU are very well known schools, but going to them will NOT increase your chances of achieving your goals. The aviation world is not like some professions, like law, medicine, engineering and business where the college you graduate from can have a huge influence upon a career. In flying, other than certain jobs in the government sector, IT DOES NOT MATTER where you earn a degree, what your degree is in, or where you learn to fly (with the exception of military flight training)..

    You would be wise to base your choice on what you can afford. Four years at Embry-Riddle will set you back over $200,000, yet your chances of getting a job won't be any greater than someone who spends less than half that much going to a state college and learning to fly at their local FBO. This is an absolute, unarguable fact. Do not believe all the advertising hype to the contrary.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    I served 21 years on active duty in the US Air Force. I hold an associates degree in aviation maintenance technology and a bachelor's degree in aviation management. I am also a certified A&P mechanic. When I got hurt in an accident and could no longer work as an aircraft mechanic, I struggled for more than two years to find another job anywhere in the aviation field. I finally gave up and became a truck driver.

    The training you receive for your pilot's license is the same all over the world. Doesn't matter if you get it from Embry Riddle or Joe's pilot shop at your local airport (Joe's is much cheaper, but the license is the same)

    Get a college degree that will actually give you a chance to earn a living if something happens and you can't work in aviation any more.

    Good Luck.

  • 9 years ago

    Stay away from those Aviation and Aeronautical degrees. I used to do one and personally think they are a scam. They do not give you an edge over other applicants for the airlines and you really cannot do anything other than flying with them. You should do a degree which will allow you other opportunities if flying, for some reason, goes under. The best ones I would recommend are, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, Computer science, Mathematics, Science, maybe even Business.

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  • 5 years ago

    The brief reply isn't any. However, ninety five% of airline candidates preserve no less than a four-12 months tuition measure, so if you do not get one you will not be competetive within the activity marketplace. Any form of measure will suffice, so long as it's from a identified, approved school. The so-known as "legitimate pilot" levels equivalent to Aeronautical Science, Aeronautical Studies, Professional Aeronautics, and so forth, don't fairly supply you any knowledge in getting employed as a pilot (I recognize, I have one and it hasn't helped me in any respect so far as I've been capable to inform). A measure in artwork or song, for example, is simply as legitimate as something else. What a measure suggests a knowledge airline business enterprise is that you've got no less than a few intelligence, you're more commonly trainable, and such a lot importantly that you'll be able to conclude a prolonged and quite tricky, application of research. If you do not get a tuition measure you'll be able to nonetheless fly professionally, however such a lot jobs you can be capable to get do not pay very good. My recommendation is to get a measure in whatever that may appoint you enjoyably and profitably must a flying profession no longer determine for you for a few intent.

  • 9 years ago

    Between the 2 pick UND; it will cost about half as much as ERAU. Having a degree from either one won't help you get a job any more than a degree from a local state school. Where you get your flight training doesn't matter either. Get your flight training at a local airport from an FBO and save thousands more than training at either ERAU or UND..

  • 9 years ago

    Embry Riddle is a good school! Their Aeronautical Science bachelor's degree program is their professional pilot program.

  • 9 years ago

    Join the air force

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