August 11, 2021 Effective Friday, August 13 all faculty, staff, students, and visitors are required to wear a mask when indoors on campus at any Vermont Tech location. This is in accordance with the CDC’s latest recommendations. This decision follows our recent announcement to mandate a COVID-19 vaccine of all enrolled students. The latest research on the Delta variant shows…
School of Professional Studies and Management
Professional Pilot Technology
If you are committed and passionate about flying airplanes, come fly with the Vermont Tech Professional Pilot Technology program. We’re the first college to offer an Aviation degree in the state of Vermont, and we hold our own on a national level too. This program will have you in the air during your first semester and offers the option to complete all 7 FAA certificates and ratings. Gain valuable experience completing internships or paid employment for an airline in the unique Vermont and New England flying terrain. You will be flying with career pilots that maintain their long-term industry connections, increasing your chances for employment opportunities.
Still up in the air? Consider that the students in the Professional Pilot program can become Certified Flight Instructors by their junior year and graduate with typically 500 or more flight hours already under their belts. That flight time makes graduates highly valued in the industry. Vermont Tech is authorized by the FAA to certify pilot graduates for the Restricted Airline Transport Pilot (RATP). The authorization is highly advantageous as certified graduates can be hired as professional airline pilots that much sooner, creating a fast track to a career doing what they love.
A student with a Bachelor of Science in Professional Pilot Technology will be able to:
- Demonstrate the knowledge and flight skills necessary to attain FAA pilot certificates and ratings
- Use critical-thinking and decision-making skills to accurately assess situations and manage risk
- Communicate and work effectively as a leader and in multidisciplinary teams
- Understand the historic aspects and current developments defining the state and evolution of modern aviation
- Engage in professional development and recognize the need for life-long learning
- Analyze and interpret data using aeronautical, mathematical, and scientific principles
Educational objectives that are demonstrated during their workforce careers include:
- Achieving success in the dynamic and growing aviation industry with proper academic and professional certification
- Demonstrating knowledge of contemporary world-wide aviation industry issues
- Utilizing specific flying skills to attain FAA certificates and ratings that allow for employment as pilots and flight crew within the international aviation industry
- Mastering critical thinking and decision-making skills necessary for safe and effective flying
- Committing to lifelong learning with focus on continuous development of professional skills
Completion of the degree entails intensive motivation and commitment. Pilot certificates or ratings must be completed in their assigned term. This may require flying 4-5 times each week. The Chief Flight Instructor and their assistants are required to follow the published milestones and stage checks for every student to ensure proper completion. The student must make up cancellations or delays on weekends and during scheduled breaks if necessary and must be available to fly seven days per week, including some night flights.
Success in the program requires understanding that consequences incur for noncompliance of scheduling requests, failure to meet milestones, and stage check failures. If continuous interventions are necessary, the student can expect grade reductions or dismissal from the program. Compliance with all schedules, FAA regulations, and course syllabi are a major part of the training for a career in aviation. Students are expected to dress professionally and in accordance with the season at all times.
Curriculum Details
year
1
year
2
-
fall Semester
- AER 1110 Pilot Instrument Rating: Ground
- AER 1120 Pilot Instrument Rating: Flight
- AER 2110 Aviation Safety & Accident Investigation
- BUS 2020 Principles of Management
- PHY 1041 Physics I
-
spring Semester
- AER 1053 Aerodynamics & Practical Flight Applications
- AER 2010 Commercial Pilot: Ground
- AER 2031 Commercial Pilot: Flight I
- AER 2130 Aviation History
- AER 2330 Aviation Physiology & Psychology
- ENG 2080 Technical Communication
-
summer Semester
- AER 2032 Commercial Pilot: Flight II
year
3
-
fall Semester
- AER 3010 Certified Flight Instructor: Ground
- AER 3030 Human Factors, Risk Management, & Crew Resource Management
- AER 3040 Aircraft Maintenance for Pilots
- AER 3080 Airline Operations & Management
- Optional
- AER 3020 Certified Flight Instructor: Flight
-
spring Semester
- AER 3110 Aviation Law
- BUS 3250 Organizational Behavior & Management
- ELE XXXX AH/SS elective
- MAT 2021 Statistics
- Select 3 Credits
- AER 2802 Aviation Fieldwork/Internship
- AER 4010 Multi-Engine Land: Ground & Flight
- AER 4020 Certified Flight Instructor: Instrument Ground & Flight
- AER 4030 Certified Flight Instructor: Multi-Engine Ground & Flight
- ELE XXXX AH/SS elective
Job Projections
NATIONAL AVG.
5%
Pilot Technology
6%
That Translates Into
127,100
JOB OPENINGS BETWEEN 2019 - 2029
Projected Employment Growth for Airline & Commercial Pilots, 2019-2029 (source: BLS)
Employers
- BTV/Aeroclub
- Lakeview Aviation
- Planesense
- Private Corporate Jet
- Republic Airlines
- Vermont Flight Academy
- Vermont Tech
Job Titles
- Certified Flight Instructor
- Pilot
- Professor
- Captain
Student Stories
Student Stories
Ryan Cooney
- Being a pilot sounded like a really great way to spend a career
- I chose Vermont Tech for its high placement rates
- Once I got in a plane, I wanted to do it every day
news
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11Aug
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16JulRead more
Today, the Vermont State Colleges System Board Chair, Chancellor, and Presidents held a press conference to announce the new legislation that creates several scholarship programs for Vermonters. Thanks to the Legislature and Governor, Vermont is funding several incredible opportunities for high school graduates and adult learners at the Vermont State Colleges this year. We are grateful, especially to the Legislature,…
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18JunRead more
Vermont Tech is flying high, and it’s not just among its Professional Pilot program students. The college has been included in Newsweek Magazine’s The 100 Community Colleges With the Most Bang For Your Buck list. Ranking at 39, Vermont Tech is cited for the $1,050,000 40-year net present value, or a comparison of investing in a Vermont Tech education to…
