Aviation Management & Operations

Types of Degrees Aviation Management & Operations Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many aviation/airway management and operations graduations there were in 2019-2020 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	909
Associate Degree	214
Basic Certificate	133
Undergraduate Certificate	54

What Aviation Management & Operations Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to aviation/airway management and operations were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations Majors

A major in aviation/airway management and operations prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations Majors

Aviation/Airway Management and Operations majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Aviation Management & Operations?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 73% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of aviation/airway management and operations majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	10
Black or African American	35
Hispanic or Latino	52
White	77
International Students	22
Other Races/Ethnicities	18

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations, too. About 10.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Aviation Management & Operations Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to aviation/airway management and operations is $102,850. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Aviation Management & Operations

Some degrees associated with aviation/airway management and operations may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to aviation/airway management and operations have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	20.2%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.1%
Some College Courses	3.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	13.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	49.9%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	4.5%
Master’s Degree	5.6%

Online Aviation Management & Operations Programs

In the 2019-2020 academic year, 99 schools offered some type of aviation/airway management and operations program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	8	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	39	3
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	10	6
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Aviation Management & Operations Worth It?

The median salary for a aviation/airway management and operations grad is $102,850 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 158% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,259,000 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Aviation Management & Operations

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to aviation/airway management and operations.

Major	Number of Grads
General Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science & Technology	4,312
Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew	2,076
Other Air Transportation	329
Air Traffic Controller	262
Airline Flight Attendant	73
Flight Instructor	49

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.