Aviation/Airway Management and Operations Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Aviation/Airway Management and Operations maps to BLS occupations averaging about $147,669, with roughly 1,385,390 workers nationwide in those roles. About 1,062 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $5,656.
Key Statistics
Aviation/Airway Management and Operations: what the data shows
Common questions about aviation/airway management and operations degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a aviation/airway management and operations degree?
A Aviation/Airway Management and Operations program is classified under NCES CIP 49.0104 in the Air Transportation field family (49.01).
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to the management of aviation industry operations and services. Includes instruction in airport operations, ground traffic direction, ground support and flightline operations, passenger and cargo operations, flight safety and security operations, aviation industry regulation, and related business aspects of managing aviation enterprises
IPEDS counted 1,062 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of aviation/airway management and operations degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 49.01 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology, General (CIP 49.0101)
- Air Traffic Controller (CIP 49.0105)
- Airline Flight Attendant (CIP 49.0106)
- Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight Crew (CIP 49.0102)
- Flight Instructor (CIP 49.0108)
- Remote Aircraft Pilot (CIP 49.0109)
How long does it take to get a aviation/airway management and operations degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 49.0104 in our file:
- 195 Associate (14.3% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 1,062 Bachelor's (77.7% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 110 Master's (8.0% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 49.0104, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a aviation/airway management and operations degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Aviation/Airway Management and Operations to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Database Administrators | 73,180 | $104,620 |
| Sales Managers | 603,710 | $138,060 |
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | 319,630 | $104,070 |
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary | 176,420 | $103,960 |
| Public Relations Managers | 76,060 | $138,520 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a aviation/airway management and operations degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Air Transportation bachelor's program family: median debt $54,664, median earnings $85,825 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.27.
About 3.6% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $5,656 and median net price is $12,547.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$5,656 Median In-State Public
$34,227 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations majors are, on average, $5,656 for in-state public colleges, and $34,227 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 3 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 4 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 5 | Liberty University | VA | 50,012 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Aviation/Airway Management and Operations programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Miramar College | CA | $1,146 |
| 2 | San Diego Miramar College | CA | $1,146 |
| 3 | Cypress College | CA | $1,150 |
| 4 | Cypress College | CA | $1,150 |
| 5 | Fullerton College | CA | $1,150 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Christian College | CA | $992 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-Central Texas | TX | $1,300 |
| 3 | Trident Technical College | SC | $1,406 |
| 4 | St Petersburg College | FL | $1,471 |
| 5 | Carroll Community College | MD | $2,725 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations is in IL (224 completions). That state represents about 21.1% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is ND (0.52% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL | 224 | 21.1% | 0.16% |
| NY | 137 | 12.9% | 0.05% |
| AL | 89 | 8.4% | 0.13% |
| OH | 83 | 7.8% | 0.06% |
| VA | 71 | 6.7% | 0.06% |
| FL | 67 | 6.3% | 0.03% |
| ND | 64 | 6.0% | 0.52% |
| TX | 59 | 5.6% | 0.02% |
| IN | 39 | 3.7% | 0.04% |
| NM | 33 | 3.1% | 0.21% |
| WA | 33 | 3.1% | 0.05% |
| PR | 30 | 2.8% | 0.10% |
| LA | 27 | 2.5% | 0.06% |
| MI | 25 | 2.4% | 0.02% |
| SD | 18 | 1.7% | 0.15% |
| IA | 17 | 1.6% | 0.04% |
| MO | 11 | 1.0% | 0.01% |
| CA | 8 | 0.8% | 0.00% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 49.01 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology, General CIP 49.0101
- Air Traffic Controller CIP 49.0105
- Airline Flight Attendant CIP 49.0106
- Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight Crew CIP 49.0102
- Flight Instructor CIP 49.0108
- Remote Aircraft Pilot CIP 49.0109
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 49.0104 in the survey year used in our extract (1,367 total across levels below).
- 195 Associate (14.3% of IPEDS total)
- 1,062 Bachelor's (77.7% of IPEDS total)
- 110 Master's (8.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $147,669. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Aviation/Airway Management and Operations graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $88,062 | 136,390 |
| Database Administrators | $122,296 | 73,180 |
| Sales Managers | $160,084 | 603,710 |
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $150,347 | 319,630 |
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $141,801 | 176,420 |
| Public Relations Managers | $182,777 | 76,060 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Air Transportation CIP family (18 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Aviation/Airway Management and Operations graduate.
- $54,664 median federal loan debt among completers
- $85,825 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.27 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 3.6% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$147,669 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations majors is $147,669.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations majors.
Occupations by Share
1,385,390 2023 Workforce
The number of Aviation/Airway Management and Operations graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations.
Age distribution for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
1,062 Total Degrees Awarded
846 Male (79.66%)
216 Female (20.34%)
Gender distribution of Aviation/Airway Management and Operations degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
625 White (58.85%)
155 Hispanic or Latino (14.60%)
97 Black or African American (9.13%)
66 Asian (6.21%)
28 Two or More Races (2.64%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Aviation/Airway Management and Operations degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Aviation/Airway Management and Operations field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Aviation/Airway Management and Operations majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Aviation/Airway Management and Operations majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to the management of aviation industry operations and services. Includes instruction in airport operations, ground traffic direction, ground support and flightline operations, passenger and cargo operations, flight safety and security operations, aviation industry regulation, and related business aspects of managing aviation enterprises
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Aviation/Airway Management and Operations.
CIP Code
49.0104 - Aviation/Airway Management and Operations
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $54,664 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $85,825, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.27. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Aviation/Airway Management and Operations graduate.
Men earned 20.0% of 1,786 Aviation/Airway Management and Operations completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $147,669. The largest mapped role by headcount is Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (136,390 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $5,656 in-state at public colleges and $34,227 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.