College of Aeronautics

Ballard M. Barker, Ph.D.; Kenneth E. Crooks, J.D.; Paul B. Davis, M.B.A.; Alan L. Devereaux, M.B.A.; William R. Graves, M.B.A.; N. Thomas Stephens, Ph.D.; Tom Utley, Ph.D.; Nathaniel E. Villaire, Ed.D.

Mission Statement and Overview

The College of Aeronautics mission is to prepare students for success and advancement in the aviation professions; advance aviation knowledge through faculty and student research, scholarly activity and projects; and encourage and enable student and faculty service to the university, community and aviation professions.

The college offers bachelor’s degrees in aeronautical science, aviation management, aviation meteorology and human factors and safety, each with flight and nonflight options, and the bachelor of arts in aviation management (online). The Melbourne campus bachelor of science programs in aeronautical science and aviation management, each with flight and nonflight options, are fully accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). The college offers the Master of Science in Aviation (M.S.A.) in airport development and management, and applied aviation safety on the Melbourne campus, and the M.S.A. in aviation management and aviation safety online. There are two master of science programs offered by the college: aviation human factors and human factors in aeronautics (online). The college offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation Sciences in one of twelve aviation-related specializations.

Pilot training is an integral part of each flight option and academic credit is awarded accordingly. Pilot training is conducted in conjunction with the normal academic programs, either as required or elective courses.

The aviation management with flight, aeronautical science with flight and human factors and safety with flight programs are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to receive the maximum time reduction allowed toward the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. Graduates of these programs are eligible for a restricted ATP at 1,000 flight hours. Graduates of the aviation meteorology with flight program are eligible for a restricted ATP at 1,250 flight hours.

The College of Aeronautics is a member of the University Aviation Association and the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). University flight training is conducted under the provisions of Federal Aviation Regulations Part 141.

Six aviation organizations for students are sponsored by the College of Aeronautics: Women in Aviation International; the International Society of Air Safety Investigators; Collegiate Aviation Business Executives (CABE); Air Traffic Control Club; the National Intercollegiate Flight Team (NIFA); and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

The College of Aeronautics faculty and administrative offices, laboratories and academic classrooms are located in George M. Skurla Hall. Flight training is conducted by FIT Aviation, LLC, a subsidiary of the university that maintains and operates a fleet of more than 30 single- and multiengine training aircraft at nearby Melbourne International Airport. This towered airport hosts a mix of air carrier and general aviation traffic and includes modern instrument landing systems and radar approach control facilities. Superb Florida weather allows efficiency of scheduling and continuity of training, and adds to the training experience. Numerous general aviation and commercial service airports in Central Florida offer valuable opportunities for varied airport approaches, landings and takeoffs.

College of Aeronautics Student Network

The College of Aeronautics Student Network (COASN) offers the opportunity for all students to get the most out of their college experience. COASN helps incoming freshman to better acclimate to the student/pilot lifestyle. During the semester, workshops and social events ensure College of Aeronautics students experience all the college has to offer as well as stay on track with coursework. As a student ambassador group, COASN takes small groups to various recruiting events during the year to help promote the college and provide excellent networking opportunities in the industry. COASN works closely with all student organizations within the college and campuswide.

Admission

Entering freshmen with previous flight training and at least the FAA Private Pilot Certificate will be given the opportunity for advanced placement. Credit for certain flight and ground courses may be given for attainment of satisfactory scores on designated equivalency examinations and by logbook review and flight evaluation.

Transfer students may receive college credit for previous flight and ground training, as well as aviation maintenance (A&P) training at the discretion of the academic unit head. Transfer credit for flight and A&P training is normally granted only when the student is first enrolled, and after an evaluation that may include a flight evaluation.

Dismissals

Dismissal policies for academic programs of the College of Aeronautics are the same as those stated in the Academic Overview section. However, due to the high-performance standards required for safety in flying, an added degree of commitment to meet those standards is required of the student pilot undergoing flight training. The dean of the College of Aeronautics retains the right to place on probation, suspend or administratively withdraw any flight student from any university flight-training course, if such action is judged to be warranted by the student’s behavior.

Flight Programs

Flight courses for academic credit are available to all interested Florida Tech students. Students seeking admission to flight training must be examined by an FAA-designated aviation medical examiner and have an FAA medical certificate and student pilot certificate before the start of flight training. Applicants intending to seek a Commercial Pilot Certificate must have 20/20 vision in each eye, or be correctable to 20/20. Medical examinations should be done far enough in advance of university admission to allow any potential problems or questions to be resolved.

The FAA requires any pilot’s license applicant to speak, read, write and understand the English language. Flight students whose home language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency in one or more of the methods described in “English and Languages ” in the School of Arts and Communication.

In addition, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires U.S. citizen flight students to present a government-issued photo identification document such as a driver’s license and an original passport or original (raised seal) birth certificate for U.S. citizenship verification. International flight students must comply with TSA requirements for a security threat assessment as specified in the Alien Flight Student Program. Generally, this process requires approximately 30 days to complete. Refer to www.flightschoolcandidates.gov for details.

Prospective students interested in any university flight training should be aware of weight and height limitations that may hinder or preclude safe and effective training. Training aircraft and many other aircraft in general use cannot accommodate persons with heights of less than 60 inches or greater than 77 inches, or body weights greater than 260 pounds (220 pounds for aerobatics training aircraft, which may be required for Flight Instructor training). Prospective students who may be affected by these limitations should make their situation known to admissions and the College of Aeronautics representatives at the earliest point in the application process for a case-by-case enrollment evaluation.

A summer program is offered by FIT Aviation to prospective students who have not yet started their flight training. This program offers students an opportunity to become acquainted with the flight environment by participating in an intensive two-month ground and flight-training course. A student who is successful in the program may earn a Private Pilot Certificate and may enter the fall semester at Florida Tech with academic (transfer) credit for AVF 1001 Flight 1 and AVT 1001 Aeronautics 1 for a total of five semester (transfer) credit hours. The credit will be applicable to all flight degrees offered by the College of Aeronautics, and may be used as elective credit in many other Florida Tech degree programs.

Professional, vocational and recreational flight training are provided by FIT Aviation and qualified pilots may rent aircraft from them. They offer training for FAA private, commercial and certified flight instructor certificates, as well as training for the FAA ratings for instruments, multiengine, instrument instructor and multiengine instructor. Two aerobatics courses are offered.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for College of Aeronautics degree programs must complete the minimum course requirements as outlined in the appropriate curriculum. Deviation from the recommended program may be made only with the approval of the academic unit head or dean.

Graduate Program Plan

Master’s level graduate students are required to prepare an approved graduate program plan (GPP) in consultation with their academic advisor no later than one month before nine semester credit hours of graduate coursework have been completed, in order to identify an area of specialization and facilitate successful program completion.

The student’s GPP then becomes the student’s study contract with the university.

Thesis Research

If a thesis is required in the student’s GPP (depending on curriculum requirements), the student selects a faculty member with the approval of their academic advisor and the graduate program chair to serve as their thesis advisor. The advisor may or may not be the academic advisor. With the assistance of the thesis advisor, the student selects an advisory committee and defines a research topic. The committee must include at least one other member from the College of Aeronautics and one from another degree-granting department of the university. The thesis advisor and the committee offer assistance and direction to the student and serve as a review board to ensure thesis requirements are met. After completion of the thesis, the thesis advisor and committee conduct the oral defense of the thesis as described under “Master’s Degree Requirements” in the Academic Overview section. Three to six credits are awarded for successful completion of the thesis. Detailed procedures and policies for thesis and advanced aviation research project defense and comprehensive examinations are covered in College of Aeronautics graduate policy documents.

Dissertation Research

Students in the aviation sciences doctoral program are required to complete a dissertation as part of their program. At least 90 days before the comprehensive examination, students must select a major advisor who will serve as both research supervisor and chair of the doctoral committee. The major advisor does not need to be the same person who served as the student’s academic advisor while the student was taking courses, and the major advisor does not necessarily need to be from the College of Aeronautics. At least 60 days before the comprehensive examination, the major advisor will formally establish a doctoral committee for approval/review by the college’s associate dean and the director of graduate programs. This committee must consist of a minimum of four graduate faculty members, at least three of whom, including the major advisor, must be approved for doctoral-level advising. The committee must include a chair who is doctoral-level graduate faculty and who normally is the student’s major advisor for the dissertation research, at least two full-time graduate faculty members from the College of Aeronautics, and at least one outside member who must be full-time graduate faculty and selected from an academic unit other than the College of Aeronautics.

Doctoral students are required to register for a minimum of 18 hours of AVS 6999 Dissertation , and at least 15 of these 18 hours must be taken beginning with the term in which a student is admitted to candidacy. Students should review graduate policy (2.2–2.6) for information about Ph.D. course requirements, doctoral committees, comprehensive examinations, admission to candidacy and dissertation requirements.

Fast Track Master’s Program for College of Aeronautics Honors Students

The fast track program allows College of Aeronautics undergraduate students who have completed at least 35 credit hours at Florida Tech with an earned GPA of at least 3.3 to complete a master’s degree program at an accelerated pace. Students who have completed the sixth semester of undergraduate work (at least 95 credit hours) and are accepted into the College of Aeronautics fast track program may earn graduate-level credit hours during their senior year and, when earning at least a B grade, apply up to six graduate credit hours to both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Typically, the graduate courses would satisfy free and aviation elective undergraduate requirements, but other substantiated alternatives may be considered. The graduate credit hours applied to both degrees are treated as transfer credit (GPA does not apply) when applied toward the master’s degree. When appropriate, the academic unit head may grant exceptions to the fast track program requirements. Interested students should consult the College of Aeronautics graduate program chair for more information about graduate and fast track programs available in the College of Aeronautics.

Flight Training Program

The flight training sequence for all flight option bachelor’s degrees consists of four flight courses (AVF 1001 through AVF 2102 ). The flight course sequence is an integrated series of courses designed to qualify the student for the commercial pilot certificate with instrument and multiengine ratings, and a minimum of 190 hours of flight training. Students may register for flight courses throughout the semester, with appropriate signatures.

All students seeking a bachelor’s degree with flight, regardless of previous experience or certificates, must complete four flight credit hours in the College of Aeronautics, two credit hours of which must be in a flight instructor or multiengine course.

Students enrolled in the College of Aeronautics may not normally take flight training for credit outside the university-approved program.

A student seeking an FAA certificate or rating through the College of Aeronautics must complete courses pertinent to the desired certification at the university. To comply with FAA requirements, specific grades and attendance standards must be met in the following ground courses: AVT 1001 Aeronautics 1 , AVT 1002 Aeronautics 2 , AVT 2001 Aeronautics 3 , AVT 2002 Aeronautics 4 and AVT 3101 Instructional Techniques . FAA knowledge test fees are in addition to tuition.

Flight fees are in addition to tuition. Estimated flight costs for each flight course, based on historical training-time averages and current avgas costs, are published online and in the Fees and Expenses brochure available from the Office of Student Accounting. Additional flight and ground training above the historical averages may be required to achieve certification. Safety is a preeminent concern of the College of Aeronautics. All aircraft are modern, well equipped and maintained to the highest standards required by the FAA. Instructors and staff are particularly safety conscious and will insist students be physically and mentally fit to fly. All flight students are subject to random or “for cause” drug testing during enrollment as flight students. Any confirmed use of illegal drugs or chronic abuse of alcohol is cause for immediate dismissal from all flight training programs. Insurance coverage is automatically provided for all students operating aircraft under the university program.

Aviation Management Internship Program

A six-credit aviation management internship program (AMIP) is offered to eligible senior students. The program consists of two courses, AVM 4600 Aviation Management Internship and AVM 4603 Aviation Management Seminar . This highly successful program involves placement of students in entry-level management positions for a semester with air transportation, air commerce, aviation consulting, airports and governmental organizations throughout the United States and in selected foreign locations.

A management intern performs a variety of aviation management tasks under the supervision of working professionals, submits a series of graded written reports and presents a formal and written final report to selected students and faculty following the internship assignment.

To be eligible, a student must have completed all major requirements for the first three years of the curriculum, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.8 and be approved by a faculty committee. Students enrolling in AMIP must have one full semester or summer term remaining after completion of AMIP. As a consequence, most students will enroll in AMIP during their last summer or the first semester of their senior year. The decision to enroll in AMIP must therefore be made and formalized with the student’s advisor no later than early in the second semester of the junior year. Students planning to substitute AMIP credits for elective credit should make this decision early in their programs.

Electives

Electives are included to give the student reasonable flexibility and diversity within the constraints of total curriculum length and requirements of various accrediting and certification agencies.

Elective flight courses include all instructor ratings, advanced instrument proficiency, air-taxi training, aerobatics and other specialized flight courses.

Nonflight students are encouraged to enroll in appropriate flight courses for personal and professional enhancement using elective credit.

Six credits of AMIP may be substituted for any free or AVx/BUS electives.

Air Traffic Control Program

The college offers an air traffic control (ATC) specialization in conjunction with any of its seven bachelor’s degrees. This program provides graduates with in-depth knowledge of ATC and the aviation industry to ensure graduates possess the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to succeed in testing and training, and as air traffic controllers. ATC students gain hands-on experience with industry-standard air traffic control programs. The FAA-approved ATC specialization meets the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program.

Curriculum

To successfully complete this program in conjunction with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Aeronautics, the following seven named courses (21 credit hours) must be completed either as required courses within a degree, as electives or as a combination of both.

International Programs

The College of Aeronautics is in partnership with France’s Ecole Nationale de L’Aviation Civile (ENAC) to allow selected third-year ENAC students to attend Florida Tech and earn Florida Tech’s Master of Science in Aviation-Airport Development and Management with one additional year of study and an industry internship. Graduates of that program receive the IENAC Diploma from ENAC and the Master of Science in Aviation from Florida Tech.

In a second partnership, the French SKEMA Business School offers the first two years of the College of Aeronautics’ aviation management and aeronautical science bachelor’s degree programs; SKEMA students seamlessly complete the last two years of the degree programs including flight training at Florida Tech.

Florida Tech is partnered with the Universidad Tecnologica de Panama (UTP) in the Republic of Panama to offer Florida Tech’s aviation administration and aviation administration-flight program. Aviation-related courses are taught by College of Aeronautics faculty who travel to Panama, and the balance of courses are taught by UTP faculty at a dedicated academic facility near the Panama Canal.

Minor Programs

Minors in air traffic control, aircraft dispatch, applied human factors, aviation environmental science, aviation management, aviation safety, flight technology and unmanned aerial systems are offered through the college. A complete policy statement regarding minors can be found in the Academic Overview section. Information about current minor offerings is available through the individual colleges/departments.