Online Degree Programs
 

I have my PPL, and Associates degree in IT and am currently employed as an IT Analyst. I have been visiting different schools such as ATP, Ari-ben, different FBO's etc... I also want to get my Bachelors degree. Are there any better (or cheaper) options out there aside from UVU? At age 24, I don't want to go too long without generating my own income... So this is why I want to CFI (and hopefully a regional job as soon as I can) while working on my degree instead of attending a college physically full time.

UVU is about 19 grand I hear, and since I have my A.A.S. I should be able to cut that in half... Any other good options out there anyone is aware of?

Thanks

There are a lot of schools that offer online degrees now. A lot of time you can take online classes and get a B.A. in Business or something from a local state school. Take a look at those first, usually cheaper for in-state stuff.

I'm taking online classes from Mountain State University, mainly because they give you credit for FAA certs and ratings. They charge $270/hour I think. (and no, don't get an aviation related degree if you can help it.)

What major are you taking at MSU?

(thanks for the response btw!)

Bachelors of Science in Aviation.

sounds good, but 270 sounds more expensive than UVU... What is the total cost of the degree minus your ratings? (And did you transfer any credits from a community college in the past or anything like that?)

I don't know how much it's going to cost total as I'm not done yet... But I transferred in 25 hours from previous college (I had more, but they didn't take them all (grades)), and 40 hours from ratings.

Riddle's online aeronautical degree is actually a pretty good deal. You don't have to pay anything to transfer credits, and they'll give you 30 credits for Private through MEI. You only have to take 30 credits through them and can take whatever CLEP and Dantes tests fulfill the other requirements. I think they charge about $250 per credit hour.

Interesting... So who do I take the CLEP tests thru... someone else? then turn in the results to ERAU?

And I don't see anything about ERAU online.. do you have a link?

Thanks

Here's the link. If you're near one of their teaching sites (list) you may wanna go in and talk to a counselor face to face. The one I talked to recommended which cleps to take and emailed me the study guides, etc. If not, there's a worldwide online counselor you can talk to on the phone, try (800) 359-3728

They have one in Maguire AFB, NJ... Thats close enough to me for the drive (Philly). Thanks for the info, and i will definitely go and talk with them...

LOL!!! Good stuff.

LOL
I was thinking the same thing...

But doesn't getting an aviation degree save money (FAA Credit) and keep you sharp when trying to break into the industry?

I dunno. It might save you money if you can get credit for pilot ratings you already have. As for "keeping you sharp" for breaking into the industry, from what I've heard from others, there is almost zero net benefit to holding an aviation degree over any other when searching for pilot jobs.

If your goal is to "check the box" for a 4-year degree asap, an online degree might be for you. If you're interested in getting the most "bang for your buck," my advice (unsolicited, I realize) is to major in something you're interested in outside of aviation and preferably at a brick-and-mortar school. I believe there's much to be "learned" outside of books, through live interaction with instructors and peers.

It's a personal opinion, and advice that I doubt you are interested in... but you know how these forums are; everybody has to chip in their buck-oh-five.

No I certainly appreciate your honest opinion... People should be able to call it like they see it without worrying too much about offending someone... The world would be much less of a charade if more people were like that in today’s paranoid and over-sensitive society.

I don't have time to dilly dally around with 'outside interests' at this point in my life because I don't have money, or rich parents... I need to get into some sort of career path and as quickly as possible... So unfortunately I have to resort to the box checking route. (As much as I'd love to attend a school) But I have plenty of life learning experiences... Probably way way more than someone who spent 18 to 23 living on a closed loop college campus with kids from the same age / race / income level drinking a ton of Natural Light... Nothing wrong with that, but I didn't take that path. I always worked, since I was 14... I went to community college while working 2 jobs so I could pay bills and own a car...

So that’s why I'm looking for efficiency so I can get started as a CFI ASAP and have most of my degree requirements done by the time I'm a year or 2 into a regional job...

Thanks for the info.

Been there, done that! For what it's worth, I was 26 when I graduated with my four year degree. I didn't earn my CPL or CFI until I was 28. You're probably not as far behind as you think.

No problem, Dan. If you are hellbent on being a professional pilot, remember that you likely have many more "broke" years ahead of you. I'm living testament to that.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

I might get laid off anyway ;) In the long run i should make much more than I would ever make in my current career...

Thanks for the luck. I need some of that too! And I sure hope I'm not that far behind... I just don't wanna be like 35 and not own a house yet...

You'd hope so, but with the way things are going.....

I understand how you feel. Just don't get so caught up on reaching the goal that you miss the experiences of the journey.

So you've peaked my interest. What would you recommend for someone like me? Bored at my job - hate sitting in cubicle, every industry is doing mass layoffs and its not looking good anywhere... don't make that much money and hate the corporate office environment. 24 yrs old, live with parents (but pay them rent). Has a PPL, loves to fly but can never afford to, really wants to try out career as a pilot. 2 yr degree.

Thanks for the advice.

hahaha... see, for me it was just about getting something, ANYTHING. I failed out of college twice because nothing seemed to spark enough of an interest for me to go to class. When I failed out the 2nd time, I decided I wanted to learn to fly, and maybe in the meantime, I would mature enough to go back to school and actually go to class. So, now I'm at the point, 2 years later, I got 40 hours of "free" college credit back and I'm going to get a degree in something rather than nothing at all. To me, it's worth it.

I don't suggest getting an aviation degree, it just makes sense for me right now.

I would definatley listen to wafly, he's giving the best advice. If you can go back to a real school, get a degree in something that has worth (business, finance, engineering, etc.) and get your ratings/instruct, you're golden.

Trust me, I understand the "sparking of interest" thing you are talking about.... I barely made it thru community college for the same reason. I was studying something just to get a piece of paper that would get me a job, and it was painful. Finance, Business, etc would bore me to death and I probably would never get thru it... Academically, the only things that interest me wouldn't pay money without a PHD or something... Like astronomy, ancient history (Mayan’s, Sumerians, etc not the storybook American history)... Aviation is one of those things I enjoy studying! There isn't much else out there that I enjoy studying that applies to careers available in today’s world.

Have you looked into getting a bachelors in IT? I don't know what coursework was involved in getting your associates, but I would imagine there are plenty of schools that offer online computer related degrees. I took some classes from UCF and they had a specific online program for converting an AS into a bachelors. There may be a school in your state that offers something like it (so you can avoid paying out of state tuition).link

Also, whatever you do, I would suggest filling out a FAFSA. Depending on how much you made in '08 you could get grants to cover a significant amount of your tuition.