Originally Posted by Uncle Bose

I appreciate that, and I'm glad to see you strive for honestly as well. Even after espousing the (alleged) advantages of an aviation degree, you still recommend against it...that says a lot.

More often than not these promises of reduced minimums sound great in a recruiting presentation, but don't exist in practice. Regardless, how much further below 1000 TT can minimums go? Three or four months less time of being a CFI isn't worth the indebtedness.

Tuition is the same for aviation majors as it is for any other major--at THAT particular school. The aviation majors paying private or nonresident tuition fees (which is most of them) would be paying far less as residents at a good state school, many of which are vastly more reputable and more highly ranked than UND, FIT, or ERAU.

Aviation degrees have worked out fine for many (if you consider "fine" landing a job just as easily attained with another degree), but non-aviation degrees have worked out fine for many more. Again, my contention is not that aviation degrees CAN'T work out--it's just that there are other options that don't result in newly minted CFIs and regional FOs barely (if at all) able to cover monthly payments on student loans, let alone living expenses. There are far better ways to start a flight training career.

I will concede that the tuition cost at UND is reasonable for many, given their special state-based resident categories, compared to ERAU and FIT. However, the cost isn't just monetary. There's also a cost in time, which is four years spent confined to a tiny academic realm, completely useless and irrelevant to any facet of existence aside from flying airplanes. The natural progression of flight training and subsequent instructing is what's necessary for a solid foundation in an aviation career, not a degree program bloated and padded with simple fluff in order to stretch vocational training into the 120 semester hours required for accreditation.