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General Air Transportation

Types of Degrees General Air Transportation Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Air Transportation may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	15
Associate’s Degree	437
Bachelor’s Degree	4,986
Master’s Degree	864
Doctor’s Degree	24

What General Air Transportation Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Air Transportation develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Air Transportation graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Air Transportation emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Transportation — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Air Transportation program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Air Transportation careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Air Transportation graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Developing and Building Teams	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Air Transportation professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Inventory management systems	Inventory management software	✓
Graphics software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft SQL Server	Data base user interface and query software	—
Oracle E-Business Suite Financials	Financial analysis software	—
NetSuite ERP	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Air Transportation graduates include:

• Logistics Supervisor
• Supply Chain Logistics Manager
• Global Supply Chain Director
• Supply Chain Analytics Manager
• Solution Design and Analysis Manager
• Supply Chain Planning Manager
• Supply Chain Procurement Manager
• Supply Chain Systems Manager
• Inventory Control Supervisor
• Materials Manager
• Global Supply Chain Manager
• Supply Chain Operations Manager
• Demand Planning Manager
• Supply Chain Operations Director
• Supply Chain Manager

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Air Transportation graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	66.7%
Master’s degree	19.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	9.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Air Transportation?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 83.7% of General Air Transportation degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,031	16.3%
Men	5,296	83.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Air Transportation graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,664	57.9%
Asian	250	4.0%
Hispanic or Latino	659	10.4%
Black or African American	365	5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	22	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	20	0.3%
Two or More Races	283	4.5%
Race Unknown	305	4.8%
International Students	759	12.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Air Transportation Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Air Transportation graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,735
4 years	$69,369
5 years	$80,156

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $80,156 — roughly 46% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Air Transportation Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for General Air Transportation. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	1
Bachelor’s	6	11
Master’s	11	2
Doctoral (Research)	3	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Air Transportation Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Air Transportation graduates earn a median of $69,369 four years after completion — roughly 83% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Air Transportation	11,070
Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight Crew	2,249
Aviation/Airway Management and Operations	1,786
Air Transportation, Other	315
Air Traffic Controller	189
Remote Aircraft Pilot	127
Airline Flight Attendant	47
Flight Instructor	30

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.