# Air Transportation

> A program that focuses on the general study of aviation and the aviation industry, including in-flight and ground support operations. Includes instruction in the technical, business, and general aspects of air transportation systems.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/air-transportation
- CIP code: 49.01 (Transportation and Materials Moving)
- Colleges offering it: 133 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 119 | $35,683 | $41,061 | $12,000 |
| Associate's | 133 | $43,040 | $75,637 | $16,538 |
| Bachelor's | 114 | $54,039 | $83,448 | $21,250 |
| Master's | 25 | $96,169 | $113,161 | $30,750 |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 2 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 7 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| First professional | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 11 | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Bachelor's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [Utah Valley University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/utah-valley-university-3103) | Orem, UT | $106,001 | $20,375 |
| [University of North Dakota](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-north-dakota-2996) | Grand Forks, ND | $104,472 | $25,250 |
| [Utah State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/utah-state-university-3102) | Logan, UT | $103,989 | $24,375 |
| [Minnesota State University-Mankato](https://www.collegesref.com/college/minnesota-state-university-mankato-1721) | Mankato, MN | $103,858 | $21,500 |
| [Eastern New Mexico University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/eastern-new-mexico-university-main-campus-872) | Portales, NM | $103,617 | $19,143 |
| [Liberty University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/liberty-university-1481) | Lynchburg, VA | $102,096 | $20,500 |
| [Ohio University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ohio-university-main-campus-2008) | Athens, OH | $99,701 | $25,000 |
| [Middle Georgia State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/middle-georgia-state-university-1687) | Macon, GA | $93,627 | $19,035 |
| [Eastern Michigan University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/eastern-michigan-university-869) | Ypsilanti, MI | $91,648 | $27,000 |
| [University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-oklahoma-norman-campus-main-campus-3007) | Norman, OK | $91,081 | $20,218 |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/airline-pilots-copilots-and-flight-engineers): $232,140 median pay
- [Air Traffic Controllers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/air-traffic-controllers): $148,080 median pay
- [Commercial Pilots](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/commercial-pilots): $123,220 median pay
- [Supply Chain Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/supply-chain-managers): $107,230 median pay
- [Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/transportation-storage-and-distribution-managers): $107,230 median pay
- [Flight Attendants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/flight-attendants): $63,580 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-passenger-attendants): $62,890 median pay
- [Airfield Operations Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/airfield-operations-specialists): $56,850 median pay

## More in Transportation and Materials Moving

- [Ground Transportation](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/ground-transportation): 209 colleges
- Marine Transportation: 12 colleges
- Transportation and Materials Moving, Other: 4 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/