Vermont State University, the first statewide, hybrid higher education institution in the United States, launched its unified brand identity and logo during a live virtual broadcast today. The unveiling is a major milestone in a transformation process unifying three institutions – Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College. Sixteen months ago, the Vermont State Colleges System initiated a…
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 flying in the unique Vermont and New England terrain. You will be learning from career pilots and professionals that maintain their long-term industry connections, increasing your chances for employment opportunities.
Launch 2021 Vermont Flight Academy (Williston)
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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17May
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15AprRead more
Vermont Technical College’s Construction Management Associate Degree program has been ranked #10 out of 23 Best Construction Management Associate Degree programs by Best Accredited Colleges. The ranking comes at an important time for both Vermont and the nation: Construction continues its upward jobs trend. In March 2022, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shared a report that showed the ninth-straight…
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07AprRead more
Vermont Technical College has launched a provisional chapter of Women in Aviation International in partnership with Beta Technologies and Vermont Flight Academy. The new community provides a professional networking space to students and graduates of Vermont Tech’s Professional Pilot Technology Program as well as the broader Vermont aviation community. It is the first such chapter in Vermont and one of…
