Expert: David A. NewMyer - 12/4/2007

Question
Mr. NewMyer:
I have a bachelor degree in business and a master in international economics.  I am interested in going back to school for a Ph.D.. in public administration with concentration on aviation administration.  What are the prospects and opportunities for my plan?
Thank you for your generosity.

Answer
Hi,

This sounds like a good plan in general, however, think of these two things:

1.  There are only two or three universities in the USA that offer the MPA-A(masters in public administration in aviation) and I do not know of any that offer it at the PHD level.....possibly Georgia State, but, I am not sure about them. So, that is one problem:  Finding a school that offers what you are interested in taking;

2.  The second problem is that any graduate degree in aviation might require that you have some sort of background in aviation before enrolling....I did not see that you have background in aviation.

Finally, in the USA, the prospects for using a PHD in Aviation Administration would be primarily at larger aviation consulting firms and at government agenices such as the FAA.  There are about 175,000 pulic administration jobs related to aviation in the USA....

I hope that this helps you in your planning,

Sincerely,

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