Expert: David A. NewMyer - 4/23/2008

Question
Hi David,
        I am a airline pilot with a leading career for over 10 years now, and I am now a captain. I want to further my career by taking up a management job in the future.

I was wondering if getting a Msc in aviation or a MBA from embry-riddle university would help me in any way, or will it just be a waste of time and effort.

thanks,
mark

Answer
Hi, Mark:

Thanks very much for your question.  I will try to assist.

First of all, I work in aviation education and, in general, if you choose your degree program wisely, it should never be a waste of time and effort.  By wisely, I would say that the most important criteria would be if the degree program is of interest to you---if the basic interest is not there to motivate you, then, it might not be a wise choice.

Second of all, I have no idea who you work for, but, some airlines do value furthering your education and some do not.  From that perspective (the value to the company), you would have to do some investigation to see if they place a value on a particular disciplinary choice or even on getting a master's in the first place.

Third, if you believe that it is time for you to do this in order to grow professionally, that might well be enough to build on.....

As far as specific degree programs, there are on-line MBA in aviation programs available from Embry Riddle, Daniel Webster (Nashua New Hampshire) and from the University of Tennessee (I think that is what I saw recently in an aviation publication).  I understand that they all cost from $20 to $30,000.  There are other schools that offer aviation masters degrees in residency....

Personally, I took two master's programs before I found the path that suited me.....I found graduate study to be much more rewarding that undergraduate work.  I certainly hope that you find it to be the same way.

Let me know via a follow up question if you have any other questions.

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale