Pursuing a college degree means making tough choices. For those interested in the aviation field, options are fewer but still just as difficult to isolate. Below are five of the top aviation schools in the United States for your consideration, and while none of these prestigious schools could be a “bad” choice, it’s important to assess all factors regarding location, influence, and post-graduate success before making a decision.
Purdue University
This university offers seven undergraduate programs and three graduate in aviation. From engineering technology to professional flight, Purdue prioritizes the education of its students alongside the grounding of material in real-world experience. Partnered with Purdue Aviation, LLC, the university features unique opportunities in an elite aviation program with access to a full service Fixed Base Operation (FBO). At Purdue, educators are focused on improving safety and technology measures for its students and for the future.
University of North Dakota
As tuition costs continue to rise globally, this university is determined to provide optimal education without breaking the bank. At its core, the university provides a liberal arts education, and it strives to achieve five key objectives such as: striving for individual, national, and international excellence and providing its graduates with an exceptional aviation education. With connections to several major airlines like Delta and United Airlines, the University of North Dakota is geared toward long-term career success among its aviation students.
Ohio State University
Identified as one of the top aviation schools in the world, Ohio State won’t disappoint. Like the University of North Dakota, Ohio State has cultivated a number of strong partnerships with prominent agencies in the aviation field in order to best serve its students and set them up with internships as well as employment following graduation. The university strives to facilitate an education combining aviation techniques, business practices, and behavioral philosophies in order to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to the field.
San Jose University
Founded in the 1930s with the intention of teaching civilians to fly for the war, this university was one of thirteen U.S. schools to join the Civilian Pilot Training Program. Today, it maintains its devotion to those interested in the aviation field. Many training exercises for the university are conducted through student-run organizations, and this practice has endured since the school’s inception. There are only two BS programs available, but the education quality does not suffer as a result.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Boasting itself as the nation’s oldest, largest, and most comprehensive aviation school, Embry-Riddle has a reputation that supports these claims. With curriculums that account for the evolution of the industry as well as the acceleration of the future, this university aims to supply its students with the education they’ll need to succeed in the aviation field. They offer a diverse array of degrees from aerospace physiology to unmanned aircraft systems, and it has been claimed that airlines hire more graduates from Embry-Riddle than from any other aviation school.