rickair7777

Some major airlines care what your degree was, what your GPA was, and where you got it. But as long as you don't apply to any of them, it shouldn't matter.

A.FLOOR

I know that your GPA will matter. However I believe the institution is irrelevant. What airlines would require there pilots to be engineering grads from MIT, when they have another pilot, who has more flight TT and PIC time than that guy, but got his degree from another university?

According to the website you posted in the thread "Considering a career? Read this." I quote under "Final Advice from me":

"And don't worry. There isn't an airline in the business that cares what field your Bachelor's Degree is in. You could have a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy from an on-line university.....your future employer won't care! As long as the degree is from an accredited college or university, you've checked that "Do you have a Bachelor's Degree?" box as far as an airline's human resources department is concerned.

3. Avoid high cost, "brand name" universities, even though many have great reputations as respected aeronautical universities**. Don't get me wrong. I went to one of those brand name, high cost, aeronautical universities. And I received an excellent education- probably the best money could buy at the time. But professional pilot compensation expectations and career progression has changed, for the worse, since I graduated form college more than 20 years ago so we should all adapt accordingly. Now don't get me wrong. If that "name brand" aeronautical university is going to give you enough scholarship money to make the cost the same as less expensive alternatives, go for it. But if it's more expensive to go to that "name brand" university, avoid it.

As stated above, airlines DO NOT CARE where you received your Bachelor's Degree from if they require one for employment. You could have a Bachelor's Degree from your local community college. You could have your Bachelor's Degree from the most reputable aeronautical university in the world. The airlines simply don't care! They only care that you have a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited educational institution. It's that simple.

Why do I suggest avoiding the expensive universities? Because unless you have someone else footing the bills, you are going to be very poor in the first several years of your career, and you will be carrying a tremendous amount of flight training and education debt. Since the airlines could care less where you received your degree from, why take on six figure debt for an expensive "aeronautical university" degree when a degree from your local state college system will be much cheaper? You don't want to get an aviation related degree, anyway, so your state university system will likely have a better variety of non-aviation related degrees to choose from. Debt is your enemy in this profession. Avoid it like the plague."

rickair7777

It makes sense to consider the specific degree, at least as far as evaluating GPA. Let's face it, an engineer with a 2.9 has demonstrated more academic work ethic and acquired more relevant systems knowledge than a poly sci with a 3.2.

USMCFLYR

So for those airlines that you say put GPA/Major in the equation - what do you really think that tells about a person maybe 20+ years later?
If you say a tie breaker then I think you are stretching.
A guy good with numbers might be a snap at engineering and an awful writer who couldn't string two coherent thoughts together much less write an analytical paper - and vice versa - a person capable of copious analysis and technical writing might not be able to add 2+2.
Generally people are impressed with math skills so the technical degrees (especially engineering) get the raised eyebrows.

rickair7777

I don't know, perhaps the assumption is good habits at an early age tend to stick with someone?

I'm just saying some majors consider it (known fact), not really advocating it myself. But if you're going to consider GPA, you should look at the what that really means on a case-by-case basis...which would include major and institution.

A.FLOOR

I respectfully disagree. I would say that would be the case, if you went to the naval academy, or the air force academy, but that's about it. Like I said earlier, you could be the most intellectual person on earth and gone to an ivy-league, even graduated with an amazing GPA however, none of that's going to mean a damn, if you have low flight time and and are a poor pilot. Also, if you're an engineering major, at MIT, why are you involved in professional airline flying? You could be working a much higher paying job, probably buy your own plane and fly for fun?

mspano85

I got my 4 year degree in Respiratory Therapy. I graduated with a 3.42 GPA. Being that it is healthcare, a 3.42 is the lower end of the spectrum. If you got below 3.2 you were, if the Program Director thought necessary, out of the program. There was little tolerance for not doing well as these people will have people's lives in their hands. By my senior year, the class was less than half of what it was when it started.

That being said, you had to intern at the hospitals as well, with a lot of patient to student interaction. On top of that, criticism and/or praise from Physicians and other RTs that are training you. That is where I nailed it. All the other students, at the time, had all the book smarts, but performing in front a live audience was just a completely different ball game.

I rode my 3.42 in the classroom, but I outperformed all the 4.0s in the live setting.

We were all Greenhorns in a sense at the time, so that I'm sure has a lot to do with it. I'm sure over time in the work force their confidence levels rose and they are much much better, which is to be expected with experience. However, some will never be cut out for that ER setting.

wrxpilot

As said before, there are many reasons why some of us with engineering degrees became involved with professional aviation. I really enjoy aviation - the flying, the flexible hours, and even the roller coaster of emotions that goes with it. I have WAY more time off as a pilot than I ever did as an engineer, I never take my work home, and I usually look forward to going to work each day. There is still a very good earning potential with aviation that can far exceed what I would make as an engineer. Even most of the captains I work with at SkyWest make more than my friends that are still engineers.

Several years after I graduated, I was doing the 8-5 thing. I remember waking up one Monday, absolutely dreading the upcoming week of meetings and other BS. I was already wishing it was Friday, so that I could start my crappy little two day weekend. It was then that I realized how disturbing that was, and how I needed to change my life. I was just finishing my instrument rating at the time, and kicked it into high gear to finish my other ratings.

I've now been flying for a living for six years, which is a bit longer than I was working as an engineer. I have absolutely no regrets, and still love this crazy profession.

As far as advantages to having an engineering degree, I don't know that it makes that big of a difference. But it does help to have the study habits and technical background for things like ground school, understanding hydraulics, electrical systems, etc.

UnderOveur

This is the point for a lawsuit, and those who have said there is no difference between the MIT guy and someone else make my case for me.

The part in red above makes the case for a lawsuit against the FAA for indefensible job discrimination based upon licensing.

A four year degree is a four year degree. Period. Just because someone went to K St. and majored in Aviation doesn't mean that person is more qualified than the MIT engineering guy (or anyone from another 4 year program) who has the exact same time and ratings.


At first glance, yes.

At the end of a trail, after expert testimony from folks like yourself, I don't think so. Just my opinion.

FalconFlyer94

From what Ive heard the new R-ATP exemption is not going to be easy for all of the part 141 University flight schools to attain from the FAA. I know my school may have to restructure entire degree programs just to meet the requirements and for the students to be eligible for the R-ATP. In order to get the exemption the degree program must have a certain amount of credit hours built in that are for aviation specific classes and cover certain material outlined in AC 61-139. So it is the aviation specific classes that makes students eligible for the R-ATP and thats what separates the degrees from the approved schools and say an engineering degree from any other university.