Stats on Graduate Degrees and Airline Pilots
02-04-2007, 09:44 PM
#1
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Stats on Graduate Degrees and Airline Pilots
Hi Im an Embry-riddle student and I have a quick question to the pilots at the big legacy carriers. What % of pilots have graduate degrees and what part does this play in pilots moving toward management or starting secondary jobs outside of the airlines? Any kind of information would be very helpful
02-05-2007, 04:47 AM
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At UPS mgt pilots usually do not have graduate degrees. Some of them do not even have 4 year degrees, but that is typical of UPS overall. Most line pilots have degrees and some have grad degrees. I'd guess 20% have our pilots have grad degrees. Many of the military trained guys get them while on active duty since they are almost required in order to make rank. I think it behooves any pilot to have a fall back plan since the industry has been so unstable.
02-05-2007, 05:35 AM
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If you are a student at ERAU I'd suggest you continue your education and get a grad degree (at a reputable school without aviation ties). A degree from ERAU is effective in getting you into one type of interview, that for a pilot position. Otherwise it won't do you much good.
If you wish to pursue a flying career you can work on a grad degree while you build time. It will be tough for a few years but well worth it in the end. The current prospect of a decent career as an airline pilot (in the USA at least) is not very promising. A "real" degree with substance behind it will give you other options you won't have when after you reach your limit on flying for the regionals. I predict most of today's regional airline pilots will never make it to a major. They won't realize this until they turn 40-50 but by then they will be stuck.
Even if you do make it to a major airline, it won't be the same as when I started. You'll do OK but you won't reach your potential if you are a high achiever. This profession in the future will become a middle of the road path to achievement but never again will it carry the prestige it once had. I'll admit others on this forum are much more optimistic about the future of the pilot profession, time will tell, so you'll need to decide for yourself. IMHO an undergrad degree from an aviation college will paint you into a corner from which there is no way out. Extra options like a grad degree, side business, family money, winning lottery ticket
leave you a way out. Best of luck.
If you wish to pursue a flying career you can work on a grad degree while you build time. It will be tough for a few years but well worth it in the end. The current prospect of a decent career as an airline pilot (in the USA at least) is not very promising. A "real" degree with substance behind it will give you other options you won't have when after you reach your limit on flying for the regionals. I predict most of today's regional airline pilots will never make it to a major. They won't realize this until they turn 40-50 but by then they will be stuck.
Even if you do make it to a major airline, it won't be the same as when I started. You'll do OK but you won't reach your potential if you are a high achiever. This profession in the future will become a middle of the road path to achievement but never again will it carry the prestige it once had. I'll admit others on this forum are much more optimistic about the future of the pilot profession, time will tell, so you'll need to decide for yourself. IMHO an undergrad degree from an aviation college will paint you into a corner from which there is no way out. Extra options like a grad degree, side business, family money, winning lottery ticket
leave you a way out. Best of luck.
02-05-2007, 05:58 AM
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Originally Posted by lee920
Hi Im an Embry-riddle student and I have a quick question to the pilots at the big legacy carriers. What % of pilots have graduate degrees
02-05-2007, 06:52 AM
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Originally Posted by reddog25
There are more ATPs with MBA then there are CEOs with ATPs
02-05-2007, 07:50 AM
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What % of pilots have graduate degrees and
Not many, but I don't have any real numbers to offer.
what part does this play in pilots moving toward management or
At least here, I would say very little. Lets just say that networking appears to play a much larger role in moving towards management, than a graduate degree ... at least in Flight Ops Management.
starting secondary jobs outside of the airlines?
Don't really know ... but please don't enter this profession for substandard wages in the hopes of making it up at a side job. Let's keep this profession a CAREER ... not just a job !
Not many, but I don't have any real numbers to offer.
what part does this play in pilots moving toward management or
At least here, I would say very little. Lets just say that networking appears to play a much larger role in moving towards management, than a graduate degree ... at least in Flight Ops Management.
starting secondary jobs outside of the airlines?
Don't really know ... but please don't enter this profession for substandard wages in the hopes of making it up at a side job. Let's keep this profession a CAREER ... not just a job !
02-05-2007, 10:22 AM
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At CAL it has almost zero bearing. Delta however posted on their hiring page that prefference will be given to guys/gals with post grad degrees. If that statement holds true remains to be seen. If you get a job instructing at Riddle you can get an MBA on campus for free. From my understanding the flight department is very accomodating of this kind of situation. The free MBA will help offset the large investment you've made at Riddle (no bashing, I'm an alum)
And whatever you do, DON'T GET A MASTERS IN AERONAUTICAL SCIENCE!
And whatever you do, DON'T GET A MASTERS IN AERONAUTICAL SCIENCE!
02-05-2007, 01:17 PM
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If this thread has room for an opposing view, I'd like to offer it.
First, I believe if you want some percentages of airline pilots who have degrees -undergrad and graduate-I believe Air Inc maintains this statistic. It's been a few years, but I believe approx. 80% of all 121 pilots have an undergrad degree and only 17% have an MBA-most received while in the military prior to 121 employment.
In a former life, I was a pilot supervisor and assigned to marketing as a Flt Ops liason. I feel my graduate degree didn't hurt me while interviewing for these positions. In addition, it's a blessing to have a job as an airline pilot from the standpoint that you can lose you license and or your medical at any time. Having a plan B might come in handy, but this is just my opinion.
If you do have aspirations about going into airline mangement, a graduate degree can't hurt. However, I've had some absolutely fantastic bosses and a grad. degree wasn't part of their resume. BTW, I have done the management thing, and once was certaintly enough for me. Being a line pilot is the best job at an airline.
If you are thinking a graduate degree will give you a leg-up in the hiring process as a line pilot, you're probably mistaken. In my humble opinion, the best assets to have are network connections, PIC time in aircraft similar to the aircraft used by the employer, and a attitude during the interview that you are the type of pilot that will fit in with your fellow crew members, especially during 5 day trips. Of course, a clean background and a minimum of total flight time goes without saying.
Finally, I did receive my Masters in Aero Science thru Embry Riddle at Andrews AFB. Quite honestly, I did not learn a wealth of information from the textbooks. However, I learned vast amounts of information from my classmates. My grad. school was set up whereby the students do most of the teaching thru lecture and presentation. Even though my background is civilian, I learned a lot about the workings of the military from classmates stationed at Andrews AFB and civilian contractors assigned to the Pentagon and military contractors. I learned a lot about the F.A.A. and air traffic control from classmates working at these respective employments.
For example, back in the mid-90's the ATC controllers at Andrews AFB were all civillians .
Finally, my degree problem required me to choose a thesis topic, research it, then type a publishable paper. I went from 5 words a minute to 10, but I still have a problem with typos!!!!).
Hope my opposing viewpoint offers some additional information to the original question.
Good Luck
First, I believe if you want some percentages of airline pilots who have degrees -undergrad and graduate-I believe Air Inc maintains this statistic. It's been a few years, but I believe approx. 80% of all 121 pilots have an undergrad degree and only 17% have an MBA-most received while in the military prior to 121 employment.
In a former life, I was a pilot supervisor and assigned to marketing as a Flt Ops liason. I feel my graduate degree didn't hurt me while interviewing for these positions. In addition, it's a blessing to have a job as an airline pilot from the standpoint that you can lose you license and or your medical at any time. Having a plan B might come in handy, but this is just my opinion.
If you do have aspirations about going into airline mangement, a graduate degree can't hurt. However, I've had some absolutely fantastic bosses and a grad. degree wasn't part of their resume. BTW, I have done the management thing, and once was certaintly enough for me. Being a line pilot is the best job at an airline.
If you are thinking a graduate degree will give you a leg-up in the hiring process as a line pilot, you're probably mistaken. In my humble opinion, the best assets to have are network connections, PIC time in aircraft similar to the aircraft used by the employer, and a attitude during the interview that you are the type of pilot that will fit in with your fellow crew members, especially during 5 day trips. Of course, a clean background and a minimum of total flight time goes without saying.
Finally, I did receive my Masters in Aero Science thru Embry Riddle at Andrews AFB. Quite honestly, I did not learn a wealth of information from the textbooks. However, I learned vast amounts of information from my classmates. My grad. school was set up whereby the students do most of the teaching thru lecture and presentation. Even though my background is civilian, I learned a lot about the workings of the military from classmates stationed at Andrews AFB and civilian contractors assigned to the Pentagon and military contractors. I learned a lot about the F.A.A. and air traffic control from classmates working at these respective employments.
For example, back in the mid-90's the ATC controllers at Andrews AFB were all civillians .
Finally, my degree problem required me to choose a thesis topic, research it, then type a publishable paper. I went from 5 words a minute to 10, but I still have a problem with typos!!!!).
Hope my opposing viewpoint offers some additional information to the original question.
Good Luck
Last edited by FliFast; 02-05-2007 at 04:34 PM.
02-05-2007, 02:32 PM
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Originally Posted by FliFast
If this thread has room for an opposing view, I'd like to offer it.
First, I believe if you want some percentages of airline pilots who have degrees -undergrad and graduate-I believe Air Inc maintains this statistic. It's been a few years, but I believe approx. 80% of all 121 pilots have an undergrad degree and only 17% have an MBA-most received while in the military prior to 121 employment.
In a former life, I was a pilot supervisor and assigned to marketing as a Flt Ops liason. I feel my graduate degree didn't hurt me while interviewing for these positions. In addition, it's a blessing to have a job as an airline pilot from the standpoint that you can lose you license and or your medical at any time. Having a plan B might come in handy, but this is just my opinion.
If you do have aspirations about going into airline mangement, a graduate degree can't hurt. However, I've had some absolutely fantastic bosses and a grad. degree wasn't part of their resume. BTW, I have done the management thing, and once was certaintly enough for me. Being a line pilot is the best job at an airline.
If you are thinking a graduate degree will give you a leg-up in the hiring process as a line pilot, you're probably mistaken. In my humble opinion, the best assets to have are network connections, PIC time in aircraft similar to the aircraft used by the employer, and a attitude during the interview that you are the type of pilot that will fit in with your fellow crew members, especially during 5 day trips. Of course, a clean background and a minimum of total flight time goes without saying.
Finally, I did receive my Masters in Aero Science thru Embry Riddle at Andrews AFB. Quite honestly, I did not learn a wealth of information from the textbooks. However, I learned vast amounts of informations from my classmates. My grad. school was set up whereby the students do most of the teaching thru lecture and presentation. Even though my background is civilian, I learned a lot about the workings of the military from classmates stationed at Andrews AFB and civilian contractors assigned to the Pentagon and military contractors. I learned a lot about the F.A.A. and air traffic control from classmates working at these respective employments.
For example, back in the mid-90's the ATC controllers at Andrews AFB were all civillians .
Finally, my degree problem required me to choose a thesis topic, research it, then type a publishable paper. I went from 5 words a minute to 10, but I still have a problem with typos!!!!).
Hope my opposing viewpoint offers some additional information to the original question.
Good Luck
First, I believe if you want some percentages of airline pilots who have degrees -undergrad and graduate-I believe Air Inc maintains this statistic. It's been a few years, but I believe approx. 80% of all 121 pilots have an undergrad degree and only 17% have an MBA-most received while in the military prior to 121 employment.
In a former life, I was a pilot supervisor and assigned to marketing as a Flt Ops liason. I feel my graduate degree didn't hurt me while interviewing for these positions. In addition, it's a blessing to have a job as an airline pilot from the standpoint that you can lose you license and or your medical at any time. Having a plan B might come in handy, but this is just my opinion.
If you do have aspirations about going into airline mangement, a graduate degree can't hurt. However, I've had some absolutely fantastic bosses and a grad. degree wasn't part of their resume. BTW, I have done the management thing, and once was certaintly enough for me. Being a line pilot is the best job at an airline.
If you are thinking a graduate degree will give you a leg-up in the hiring process as a line pilot, you're probably mistaken. In my humble opinion, the best assets to have are network connections, PIC time in aircraft similar to the aircraft used by the employer, and a attitude during the interview that you are the type of pilot that will fit in with your fellow crew members, especially during 5 day trips. Of course, a clean background and a minimum of total flight time goes without saying.
Finally, I did receive my Masters in Aero Science thru Embry Riddle at Andrews AFB. Quite honestly, I did not learn a wealth of information from the textbooks. However, I learned vast amounts of informations from my classmates. My grad. school was set up whereby the students do most of the teaching thru lecture and presentation. Even though my background is civilian, I learned a lot about the workings of the military from classmates stationed at Andrews AFB and civilian contractors assigned to the Pentagon and military contractors. I learned a lot about the F.A.A. and air traffic control from classmates working at these respective employments.
For example, back in the mid-90's the ATC controllers at Andrews AFB were all civillians .
Finally, my degree problem required me to choose a thesis topic, research it, then type a publishable paper. I went from 5 words a minute to 10, but I still have a problem with typos!!!!).
Hope my opposing viewpoint offers some additional information to the original question.
Good Luck
