That Masters might come in real handy in the event of a medical issue, furlough or the next downturn in the industry.

I'd say that if you are close you should go ahead and get it. More for the backup than to help you get hired.

FJ

Cruise Here is My 2 cents. (Actually I gave you 50 cents today) :) I can't speak for other airlines but FedEx uses the point system to Rank each perspective Pilot applicant.
They assign a point value to everything they ask you.
Total Time
Jet time
PIC time
Military combat time
Ratings
Highest Education level attained.


A masters degree certainly is not as important as all your flying credentials but it will bump up your total points on your file. In our case, if you "exceed" all of our qualifications and (probably most important) have a good solid sponsor, you don't need a Master's degree.

If you really want to be an Airline Pilot, I wouldn't delay your employment quest or put your flying on hold just to finish your degree, but that being said. If you are already working on it, why not finish it? Don't waste what you have already done!

When I got hired at FedEx I was a about halfway through mine (MBA). It was tough and a pain in the A$$ to finish school as a new, very JR commuting Second Officer on reserve. The motivation factor was low because I was hired by a good company. But I forced my self to finish and I am glad I did.
(easy to say now)

It never hurts to have a good education, just in case you need to fall back on it if things in this Industry don't work out. Knock on wood! That Advanced degree never looks bad on your resume. You never know when and if a job offer comes down to you and someone else and that Masters Degree stands out! Good Luck!

I'm currently loading and an un-loading purple planes and working towards a masters in air transportation from ERAU - Lord willing, I plan to use this added education to move up through the industry and continue my PPL and really get into flying.

I got my master's while at a commuter airline thinking it would get me that major interview that I was not getting. It did not. Like everyone says: it won't hurt. I got to a major without my education being a factor. I could have had a HS diploma.

SkyHigh is correct in one sense: most military officers have a variety of mechanisms by which they can earn a masters, either partly or fully funded by the government, and in some cases they have no other duties but full-time post-graduate school. This is necessary and entirely justifiable from the perspective of ensuring that we have officers who can participate in and oversee advanced-technology R&D programs, as well as ensuring a supply of well-rounded senior officers.

With that being said, I think there are a lot of airline pilots with masters degrees who got hired at a major because of their military flying background, not because of their advanced education.

I'm sure a master's would never hurt, and will likely help a little at some companies. If you have the time and money, go for it...but get one in something non-aviation in case you ever need to fall back on it.

Also, I wouldn't waste money on random type-ratings for airplanes that you don't fly (well maybe a 73).

Not to steer this away from the Majors too much, but do you think a Masters Degree would be more beneficial in a Corporate setting? I think it has been determined that a Masters in the Airlines could be a tie-breaker, but is not weight too heavily, but how about in Corporate Aviation??

Corporate hiring is done almost exclusively based on who you know.

But if you have the time, and it doesn't cost too much, a masters might be nice to have as a fallback.

Riddle should pay for your first home for what they charge!!:D I went to a junior college and a local FBO, saved a ton!!:D

Ditto here--only some college.

Thank you all for your inputs... I really appreciate it.

CC