When one traditionally thinks of graduate degree programs, aviation may not immediately come to mind. Likewise, when one thinks of aviation careers, graduate degrees may not come to mind. But when one combines the idea of education and aviation, there is only one conclusion - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

On December 17, 1925, exactly 22 years after the historic flight of the Wright Flyer, barnstormer John Paul Riddle and entrepreneur T. Higbee Embry founded the Embry-Riddle Company at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio. The following spring, the company opened the Embry-Riddle School of Aviation. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University began with a simple plan to train airplane pilots in a thorough, efficient manner, based on a booming post-World War I interest in flying. Today, Embry-Riddle leads the world in aviation and aerospace higher education.

Embry-Riddle has created a unique combination of graduate degree programs, which are specifically aviation-related, drawing upon links within high technology industry. On the Daytona Beach campus, the Master of Aeronautical Science, Master of Business Administration in Aviation, Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering, Master of Software Engineering, and Executive Master of Business Administration programs enroll nearly 300 students. On the Prescott, Arizona campus, students can enroll in the Master of Science in Safety Science program.

The Master of Aeronautical Science (MAS) program is designed to provide a rigorous academic approach to a generalist education-oriented degree. It provides an opportunity for flight crewmembers, air traffic control personnel, flight operations specialists, industry technical representatives and aviation educators to enhance their knowledge and pursue additional career opportunities.

Entry Requirements

Entry into the MAS program requires an undergraduate foundation in college-level mathematics, introduction to computers, economics, behavioral science, and aviation legislation, rules, and regulations. Students may choose from five specializations: Aviation/Aerospace Education Technology, Aviation/Aerospace Management, Aviation/Aerospace Operations, Aviation/Aerospace Safety Systems, and Human Factors in Aviation Systems. Although aviation experience is desired for entry, pilot qualifications are not necessary. Graduates are typically employed as human factors specialists and systems engineers, and in flight operations, flight management, and research. The Master of Business Administration program is designed to emphasize the application of modern management concepts, methods, and tools to the challenges of aviation and general business. The special intricacies of aviation are woven into a strong, traditional business foundation and examined in greater detail through the variety of specified electives.

The MBA/A curriculum is oriented towards the needs of the strategic decision-maker in the management hierarchy. Versatility and analytical resourcefulness are two key aims. While the curriculum is highly structured, part of it can be individually molded to satisfy personal interests.

The Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering (MSAE) and the Master of Aerospace Engineering (MAE) provide formal advanced study, preparing students for careers in the aerospace industry. Both programs are planned to augment the individual student's engineering and science background with adequate depth in areas of aeroacoustics, aerodynamics, propulsion, aerospace structures, or other areas of aerospace engineering. Degree candidates can select courses to build a graduate program that supports their professional interests or prepares them to continue for doctoral studies. Aerospace engineering graduates have obtained positions such as stress and structural engineers, or test engineers with major aviation and aerospace companies.

The Master of Software Engineering (MSE) program is designed to give graduates the opportunity to enhance their careers at the cutting edge of modern software development. Software engineers who complete the program can rapidly assume positions of substantial responsibility within a software development organization.

The MSE program achieves its purpose by providing students with the technical tools and techniques of the field, as well as necessary skills in communication, group interaction, management, and planning. The program emphasizes a process-centered quantitative approach to the engineering of software systems, preparing graduates for the management of software development, elicitation and analysis of requirements, architecture and design, implementation verification and validation of software systems.

The Master of Science in Human Factors and Systems (MSHFS) program is designed to develop a graduate with the capacity to design, conduct, and apply human factors or systems research in support of simple and complex system design. It will develop student ability to work as systems professionals in the aviation and aerospace environments, and offers two distinctive tracks: human factors engineering and systems engineering.

The program adheres to guidelines established by the Committee for Education and Training of the American Psychological Association's Division 21, and the accreditation requirements of the Education Committee of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Graduates of the MSHFS program are employed by Boeing, IBM, General Motors, AT&T, and General Electric.

The Executive Master of Business Administration (Executive MBA) program enables working professionals in the aviation and aerospace industry to earn a master's degree with minimal disruption. The program is designed for experienced business managers and supervisors who already have a solid knowledge of their functional area, but wish to expand their grasp of advanced management and strategic decision-making principles.

The Master of Science in Safety Science program is designed to provide the safety and aviation professional with a practical educational experience to enhance the practice of safety. The degree will produce educated safety professionals who are skilled in providing safety management expertise, able to provide leadership and guidance in compliance issues involving organizations such as FAA, OSHA, and DOD. These safety professionals will be prepared for service in a variety of organizations, including government (military or industry), insurance, and any other aviation-related business in which the prevention of accidents significant.

The University has the ideal environment for learning. It combines an impressive faculty with state-of-the-art buildings, laboratories, classrooms, and a diverse student population. The Daytona Beach campus offers associate and bachelor's degrees in 27 areas of aviation and aerospace studies in addition to the above master's degrees The Prescott campus offers eight baccalaureate programs and one master's degree program. Graduate enrollment is approximately 4,700, with students representing all 50 states and more than 100 nations.

Embry-Riddle's programs prepare students for the ever-changing, fast-paced aviation industry and high tech community of the 21st Century.

 

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University