MajorsMajor
Aviation: what you'd study and the jobs it leads to
From public data · Every number cited
The short answer
Aviation majors study how flying works and how the business of flying runs. Some programs train pilots, with flight lessons built in; others teach how to manage airlines and airports. It leads to jobs like airline pilot, air traffic controller and airline operations, though airlines also hire pilots with degrees in other subjects.
Try the job first
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- Who works at an airline13 minFreeAsks if you liked it
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What you'd study
Every college's program is a little different. These are the kinds of classes most of them have.
Two kinds of program
Every college's program is different, and most lean one of two ways. A flight program trains you to fly for a living. A management program teaches you to run the work around the planes: airlines, airports and the operations that keep them going. Some colleges offer both, plus programs for air traffic control and aircraft maintenance.
The flight classes
The US government's description of a pilot program lists how planes are designed and perform, their systems and controls, how flight crews work, radio, navigation, and the rules for flying, and says programs may prepare you for the FAA's commercial and airline pilot exams. Flying lessons are part of it, and they add to the cost.
The management classes
For aviation management, the government lists airport operations, directing traffic on the ground, ground support and work on the ramp, passenger and cargo operations, safety and security, the industry's rules, and the business side of running an aviation company.
Jobs it leads to
Median pay means half the people in the job earn more and half earn less. Pay also changes with the place, the employer and experience.
Airline pilots
A day at work
You fly passengers or cargo with a second pilot, after planning each flight with the airline's dispatcher. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says airline pilots fly about 75 hours
a month and spend about 150 hours more on other duties, and may spend several nights a week away from home. Routes and schedules go by seniority. BLS expects about 16,400 openings a year for pilots of all kinds from 2025 to 2035. - Median pay
- $232,140
/year - Expected job growth
- 8%
The usual start
BLS says airline pilots typically need a bachelor's degree in any field, plus flight experience, which many build as flight instructors or charter pilots. The FAA's airline pilot certificate takes 1,500 hours
of flying. With an approved aviation bachelor's degree, a restricted certificate that lets you start as a first officer takes 1,000 hours (1,250 hours with an associate's degree); a captain still needs the full 1,500 hours . Numbers from bls.gov ·2025ecfr.gov ·2026ecfr.gov ·2026
Air traffic controllers
A day at work
You keep planes safely apart: in a tower over the runways, in a room guiding planes near an airport, or in a center following them between airports. You often handle several planes at once. BLS says 92%
of controllers work for the federal government, mostly the FAA, and expects about 2,100 openings a year . - Median pay
- $148,080
/year - Expected job growth
- 2%
The usual start
BLS says controllers typically have an associate's or bachelor's degree from an FAA-approved air traffic program (the Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative), or the right work or military experience. Then come the FAA's tests, a medical check, the FAA Academy and more than a year of training on the job, and there's an age cutoff for applying.
Numbers from bls.gov ·2025
Aircraft mechanics
A day at work
You inspect, repair and look after planes in hangars, repair stations or out on the airfield, and may work shifts that include nights, weekends and holidays. It can be loud. A plane can't fly after a repair until a certified mechanic signs for it. BLS expects about 13,100 openings a year
for aircraft and avionics mechanics together. - Median pay
- $79,870
/year - Expected job growth
- 5%
The usual start
BLS says mechanics typically need a certificate from an FAA-approved aviation maintenance school, which can count toward the experience the FAA's mechanic exams require. It's usually a certificate or an associate's degree rather than a four-year major.
Numbers from bls.gov ·2025
How to read the growth numbers
BLS expects all US jobs together to grow 3.5%
The pay on each card is the median: half of the workers earn more and half earn less. Pilots' pay rises a lot with seniority, so a new pilot's pay and the median can be far apart.
Pay isn't everything
Airlines run every day of the year. BLS says airline pilots may spend several nights a week away from home, and that fatigue and jet lag come with long flights. Controllers work in dim rooms, on day, evening or night shifts at big airports, and BLS says the job can be stressful. Mechanics work in loud hangars and may work nights, weekends and holidays.
Becoming a pilot takes a long time and a lot of money: flying lessons cost extra, and the hours come before the airline job does.
People who tend to enjoy it like rules that keep people safe, staying calm when plans change, and working as a team that has to get it right every time.
After graduating
The College Scorecard, from the US Department of Education, shows what graduates of each college's programs earned a few years later. Read it with its own warnings: it counts only students who got federal grants or loans, it leaves out graduates who didn't work that year or went back to school, and pay soon after college may not show pay later on.
We don't know of an official national pay figure for aviation majors alone, so we don't show one. You can look up any college at collegescorecard.ed.gov.
You don't need this major to work here
You don't need an aviation major to fly for an airline: BLS says airline pilots typically need a bachelor's degree in any field, plus the flight hours. An approved aviation degree lowers the hours the FAA asks for. Flight attendants, gate and ramp agents and many airline operations jobs don't ask for one either, and mechanics usually train at an FAA-approved school instead.
Related majors
Also related: Aerospace engineering, Air traffic control, Aviation maintenance.
Common questions
- Do I need an aviation degree to become an airline pilot?
No. BLS says airline pilots typically need a bachelor's degree in any field, plus flight experience. An approved aviation degree helps in one way: a restricted airline pilot certificate, which lets you start as a first officer, then takes 1,000 hours
of flying instead of 1,500 hours ecfr.gov ·2026 (1,250 hours ecfr.gov ·2026 with an associate's degree). To become a captain you still need the full 1,500 hours ecfr.gov ·2026. - What does the major cost beyond tuition?
In a flight program, the flying lessons, the plane and the instructor's time usually cost extra. Ask each college for its full cost, flight training included.
- What do these jobs pay?
BLS's median for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers was $232,140
/year bls.gov ·2025 in May 2025, $148,080 /year bls.gov ·2025 for air traffic controllers and $79,870 /year bls.gov ·2025 for aircraft mechanics. Half earn more and half earn less, and pilots' pay rises a lot with seniority. - Which college is best for aviation?
We don't rank colleges. Programs differ in whether they train pilots, managers or both, and in what flight training costs. The College Scorecard lets you look up any college.