General Air Transportation

Types of Degrees General Air Transportation Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general aeronautics/aviation/aerospace science and technology graduations there were in 2019-2020 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	3,200
Associate Degree	477
Basic Certificate	52
Undergraduate Certificate	16

What General Air Transportation Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, general aeronautics/aviation/aerospace science and technology majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for General Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science & Technology Majors

General Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology majors often go into careers in which the following 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.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Skills for General Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science & Technology Majors

A major in general aeronautics/aviation/aerospace science and technology prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Abilities for General Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science & Technology Majors

As you progress with your general aeronautics/aviation/aerospace science and technology degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 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 General Air Transportation?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 90% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of general aeronautics/aviation/aerospace science and technology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	10
Black or African American	40
Hispanic or Latino	75
White	290
International Students	6
Other Races/Ethnicities	56

Geographic Diversity

General Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science & Technology appeals to people across the globe. About 1.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do General Air Transportation Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

General Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology majors often go into careers with median salaries of $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 General Air Transportation

Some careers associated with general aeronautics/aviation/aerospace science and technology require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for general aeronautics/aviation/aerospace science and technology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.7%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	28.9%
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)	1.7%
Some College Courses	4.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	17.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	44.7%
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.	1.7%

Online General Air Transportation Programs

In the 2019-2020 academic year, 95 schools offered some type of general aeronautics/aviation/aerospace science and technology 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)	7	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	23	3
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	9	5
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	4	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in General Air Transportation Worth It?

The median salary for a general aeronautics/aviation/aerospace science and technology 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 General Air Transportation

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to general aeronautics/aviation/aerospace science and technology.

Major	Number of Grads
Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew	2,076
Aviation/Airway Management & Operations	1,389
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.