Professional Pilot and Aviation Science

Flight training toward the FAA certificates a working pilot needs: private, instrument, commercial, multi-engine and flight instructor, taught at Florida state colleges as an associate degree, a certificate or an aviation-science bachelor's. ⚠⚠ The cost is flight time, not tuition: Pasco-Hernando State publishes $64,579.80 in flight fees against $4,838.28 in in-state tuition.

The degrees this program covers

⚠⚠ Small and entirely at the state colleges: about 140 credentials a year, and no Florida state university awards a pilot degree under these codes. Professional pilot (49.0102) produces 81 — Broward 45, Miami Dade 19, Polk State 14, FSCJ 3 — with Northwest Florida State, Palm Beach State, Pasco-Hernando and Santa Fe also offering it. The aviation-science bachelor's (49.0101) adds 57 at Broward (31) and Polk State (26). ⚠⚠⚠ THE QUESTION TO ASK EVERY PROGRAMME: does it hold an FAA letter of authorisation for the restricted-privileges ATP, and for which hour figure? An authorised associate degree with 30 aviation credits cuts the airline minimum from 1,500 hours to 1,250; an authorised bachelor's with 60 cuts it to 1,000 — but only when the flying was done in the institution's Part 141 curriculum. ⚠ Public colleges often contract the flying to a private Part 141 school (Broward uses Phoenix East Aviation), so ask who owns the aircraft and sets the schedule. ⚠ Get the FAA medical certificate before paying for any flight training.

Careers this program leads to

Each one sets out the courses along the way, the licence or certification at the end, and the sources behind it.

Commercial and Airline Pilot

⚠⚠ The commercial certificate (250 hours) lets you be paid to fly, but airlines need 1,500, and nearly everyone fills the gap by working as a flight instructor or charter pilot. ⚠⚠⚠ The cost is flight time, not tuition: one Florida college publishes $64,579.80 in flight fees against $4,838.28 in tuition. A qualifying aviation degree cuts the airline minimum to 1,250 or 1,000 hours. Median pay: $123,220 for commercial pilots, $232,140 for airline pilots.

Programs similar to this one

Neighbouring fields that share much of the same coursework, and often the same employers. ⚠ Read these before you commit to a major — which doors a neighbouring degree keeps open is the part no catalog tells you, and it is far cheaper to change now than later.

Aviation Maintenance Technology 13 Florida schools

⚠ The other federally certificated aviation career, taught at many of the same colleges. It costs a fraction of flight training because the student is not paying by the hour for an aircraft, and it is a common way into an airline for people who later learn to fly.

Aerospace Engineering 3 Florida schools

⚠ BLS says airlines want a bachelor's in any field and names engineering among them. An engineering degree plus separate flight training is a legitimate route, but it does not count toward the restricted ATP, which needs aviation coursework at an authorised institution.

Logistics and Supply Chain Management 23 Florida schools

⚠ Where aviation management graduates often end up: air cargo, airport and airline operations. A route into aviation for someone who wants the industry without the flight-training bill.

Florida public institutions offering this program

8 institutions awarded a credential in this field in 2023, at these levels: Associate, Bachelor's, Certificate (12 weeks-1 year). A school appears here if it awards anything in the field, however limited its offering — a technical college teaching only practical nursing has a nursing program. Listed alphabetically, not ranked.

Broward College

Associate · Bachelor's · Certificate (12 weeks-1 year)

Florida State College at Jacksonville

Associate · Certificate (12 weeks-1 year)

Miami Dade College

Associate

Northwest Florida State College

Associate · Certificate (12 weeks-1 year)

Palm Beach State College

Associate

Pasco-Hernando State College

Associate

Polk State College

Associate · Bachelor's · Certificate (12 weeks-1 year)

Santa Fe College

Associate

Source: federal IPEDS completions data for 2023, first majors only — the most recent year published. ⚠ It records what was awarded, which is strong evidence of what is offered, but a program launched since 2023 will not appear here. Check the institution’s own catalog before applying.

Updated 23 September 2026. ⚠ Program pages describe a field of study, not one school’s degree — always read the catalog of the institution you are applying to.