Best Degree

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youngflyer

Well-Known Member
It is time where I am starting to look at colleges and I was wondering what you think the best degree is for someone who wants to become a pilot but wants something to fall back on something in case problems with my health or something like that interferes with it. I was thinking aviation management at UND but it does not include flight training. What do you think of commercial aviation.
 
After having gone to UND and completed my flight training there I would reccomend that you get a degree in something non aviation related category. Business, Marketing, Engineering, Chemistry, Physics.... any of these would be excellent. Furthermore.... you really don't need to attend UND to be an airline pilot. There are plenty of fantastic flight schools in the US that are way cheaper.

I enjoyed my time in North Dakota but if I were to do it again I might think twice about going there..... just my opinion.

Good Luck!
 
For aviation management you will earn your private, instrument, commercial, and multiengine ratings. Plus you will be taking the business classes and earn your degree from the business college. So even if you end up not doing aviation after graduating you will have something to fall back on. With the commercial aviation degree, you will also earn your CFI and CFII ratings, but you will be somewhat more limited in your options after graduating.

There is also the option of majoring in something outside of aviation and going for a minor in professional flight where you will earn the same ratings as the aviation management path.

It sounds like you want to have backup options, so I think you should look into aviation management.
 
What i don't get about this argument of all your eggs in one basket is that it seems people assume you can get a great job with a basic degree. All suggestions seem to be business, communications or something equally broad. After your eyes cop out, your options are probably something like floor manager at home depot or starbucks. Funny enough if you were to go from a regional to starbucks it's probably an upgrade.

I chose Aviation Management at UND for the same reason. Would i do it again...Hell yeah. It kept me out of the Aviation department for half my time. You can only look at a certain amount of aviation wookies for so long and listen to enough "mavericks" to realize that being a pilot alone will not get you laid. My suggestion is if you attend UND go for Avit management.

A degree in comm with a minor in professional flight is not a good back up plan. You need to follow that up with a Masters. The only real back up plan to me would be engineering. I have only met one person who has done that. Thats a lot of studying.

I would go for a major in Avit Mang with a personal study in partying and anatomy.:nana2:
 
Bignellyxx said:
What i don't get about this argument of all your eggs in one basket is that it seems people assume you can get a great job with a basic degree. All suggestions seem to be business, communications or something equally broad. After your eyes cop out, your options are probably something like floor manager at home depot or starbucks. Funny enough if you were to go from a regional to starbucks it's probably an upgrade.

I chose Aviation Management at UND for the same reason. Would i do it again...Hell yeah. It kept me out of the Aviation department for half my time. You can only look at a certain amount of aviation wookies for so long and listen to enough "mavericks" to realize that being a pilot alone will not get you laid. My suggestion is if you attend UND go for Avit management.

A degree in comm with a minor in professional flight is not a good back up plan. You need to follow that up with a Masters. The only real back up plan to me would be engineering. I have only met one person who has done that. Thats a lot of studying.

I would go for a major in Avit Mang with a personal study in partying and anatomy.:nana2:
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If you want a competitive backup plan in today's world...you need a masters degree. Especially if it is business related.
 
Avit Mgmt. is the way to go. I got far more out of my business classes than I did aviation classes. Just my opinion, but the degree has certainly opened up a lot of doors for me in the past 6 months. And I am far far away from the bubble.
 
Let's say you go to an airline for 10 years and loose your medical... Your degree in finance or whatever is going to be just as valuable as an aviation degree.

youngflyer said:
It is time where I am starting to look at colleges and I was wondering what you think the best degree is for someone who wants to become a pilot but wants something to fall back on something in case problems with my health or something like that interferes with it. I was thinking aviation management at UND but it does not include flight training. What do you think of commercial aviation.
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My advice to you: get a degree in something you want to do. If you want to fly then do it. Don't screw around gettin a degree in communication or finance or business or whatever if you are going to hate your classes.

Bignellyxx said:
I chose Aviation Management at UND for the same reason. Would i do it again...Hell yeah. It kept me out of the Aviation department for half my time. You can only look at a certain amount of aviation wookies for so long and listen to enough "mavericks" to realize that being a pilot alone will not get you laid. My suggestion is if you attend UND go for Avit management. .
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As for all the monkeys in your aviation classes... They are there explaning why the 757 looks so much more sexy with winglets and why FAR 237.74.1.d.qlg is so useless because clearly FAR 123.45.6 is there already and that the 757 is so hot. But honestly I see them in class, and go catch up with my friends on the other side of campus. It's not a big deal.

Just do whatever you want to do. I think if you want a back up, the management degree be fine.
 
juxtapilot said:
My advice to you: get a degree in something you want to do. If you want to fly then do it. Don't screw around gettin a degree in communication or finance or business or whatever if you are going to hate your classes.
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:yeahthat:

and everything is cyclical, I don't really care if the degree is outside aviation, I think it's better to stay in something you like through thick and thin than chasing around your luck like it's a penny stock.
 
juxtapilot said:
As for all the monkeys in your aviation classes... They are there explaning why the 757 looks so much more sexy with winglets and why FAR 237.74.1.d.qlg is so useless because clearly FAR 123.45.6 is there already and that the 757 is so hot.
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There are waaaaaaayyy too many of these kids hanging around UND. You could spit at random in Odegaerd Hall and hit one of these dudes. If you study a completely different subject you will be exposed to normal people, women, and women who don't go for the "I'm a pilot" line. You can definitely minor in Pro. Flight but my recommendation would be to limit your time in the aviation buildings. I would also recommend that you make friends with folks from other states... it will help the transition... you can b1tch about the cold, the way people drive, and the effing UPD together.
 
youngflyer said:
I was thinking aviation management at UND but it does not include flight training.
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Aviation Management does include flight training for Commercial SMEL/Instrument. It just doesn't require CFI and CFII. But, all you need to do is enroll in the CFI class and you can earn your CFI certificate. I did the Aviation Management degree and I don't regret it.

Or you can do what I am doing and save the money by doing the CFI training Part 61 at a local flight school.

$9200 (UND) vs $2500-4500 (Local FBO) to get your CFI initial is a big difference.
 
JaceTheAce said:
Aviation Management does include flight training for Commercial SMEL/Instrument. It just doesn't require CFI and CFII. But, all you need to do is enroll in the CFI class and you can earn your CFI certificate. I did the Aviation Management degree and I don't regret it.

Or you can do what I am doing and save the money by doing the CFI training Part 61 at a local flight school.

$9200 (UND) vs $2500-4500 (Local FBO) to get your CFI initial is a big difference.
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Just an FYI...CFI cost me about $5500 at UND. That was flying the WARG 4x, and the rest of the flights in the Arrow. I didn't really do this course exceptionally fast or anything either. Still not as cheap as you could do it in a C150 at an FBO...but $9200 might be a slightly high estimate for the UND side.
 
airplanerik said:
Just an FYI...CFI cost me about $5500 at UND. That was flying the WARG 4x, and the rest of the flights in the Arrow. I didn't really do this course exceptionally fast or anything either. Still not as cheap as you could do it in a C150 at an FBO...but $9200 might be a slightly high estimate for the UND side.
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same here

CFI was the ONLY flight course/groundschool i actually got something out of at UND. I am not saying i didn't learn anything in all my other training i did, but the CFI groundschool was very helpful. most people i know say this as well
 
So I guess the decision is Aviation Management because that will give me job opportunities other than a pilot incase that falls through?
 
youngflyer said:
So I guess the decision is Aviation Management because that will give me job opportunities other than a pilot incase that falls through?
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Keep in mind with Aviation Management, the CFI stuff is not part of the curriculum. I guess if you wanted to do all of that here, you could, but it's just something to think about.

As for the aviation dorks around here, my take is that it really doesn't matter who is in my class. I am doing something that I enjoy, and I'm here for my own reasons. Just because I'm in class with some beefcake that has a.net parties with his friends every Friday night or some cocky piece of crap, it isn't going to dampen my desire to continue pursuing this career at my chosen institution.

Decide what's best for you. In the end, the only person you need to justify your decision to is yourself.
 
ChadW346 said:
Keep in mind with Aviation Management, the CFI stuff is not part of the curriculum. I guess if you wanted to do all of that here, you could, but it's just something to think about.

As for the aviation dorks around here, my take is that it really doesn't matter who is in my class. I am doing something that I enjoy, and I'm here for my own reasons. Just because I'm in class with some beefcake that has a.net parties with his friends every Friday night or some cocky piece of crap, it isn't going to dampen my desire to continue pursuing this career at my chosen institution.

Decide what's best for you. In the end, the only person you need to justify your decision to is yourself.
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:yeahthat:
 
If you wanted to get CFI and CFII at UND and all the other flight courses you could just double major and get Commercial Aviation and Aviation Management. It's all up to you and what fits you best.
 
youngflyer said:
So I guess the decision is Aviation Management because that will give me job opportunities other than a pilot incase that falls through?
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opportunities like WHAT though? managing the local muni for peanuts?

if you want a fall back, in my opinion you dont really want to be a pilot all that much.
 
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