Aviation Administration
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, a national leader in aviation education, offers a specialized graduate program in Aviation Administration through the Master of Public Administration Program. This concentration specifically prepares students for careers in aviation administration. It accommodates:
—pre-service students with no professional experience but with an undergraduate major in the aviation field.
—in-sevice students with aviation administration experience whether or not their undergraduate major is in aviation.
Career goals to this concentration include airport management and planning, administration of aviation programs, government positions in aviation safety and regulation, interest in international aviation policies, and private sector aviation consulting firms. Recent graduates have been employed by:
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Denver International Airport
Evergreen Cargo
The Federal Aviation Administration
Landrum and Brown Aviation Consultants
McDonnell Douglas
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Ricondo & Associates
United Airlines
Curriculum
The curriculum—a 43 hour program—is designed to give the student a firm foundation in the essentials of public administration and specialized training through advanced courses in aviation.
Like all MPA students, aviation administration students also write a research paper (3 hours), and all pre-service students complete a one-semester professional internship (6 hours). Those with at least one year of aviation administration experience may be classified as in-service students, and thus write a mid-career paper in lieu of serving in an internship.
Required Aviation Administration Courses
POLS 551– Aviation Policy, Law and Regulation
POLS 552– Advanced Airport Administration
POLS 554– Aviation Planning
POLS 555– International Aviation