In this field it's more about performance than pedigree. Along the same lines would an aviation employer be more apt to hire a person with a degree from Harvard that the Detroit Polytechnical Institute for the criminally minded?

One would think that if it were truly "important" a certain degree field would be required. NASA for example eliminates certain degree fields for astronaut applicants - even for non-pilot mission specialists. If you've got a degree in communications, sports medicine, art history, ancient languages, or psychology (guilty!), you can't apply. You can however fly a part 121 aircraft with said degrees. Kind of minimizes the relevance of the actual degree.