Aviation - Aviation Safety, MSA (Online)

Get a Master's in Aviation Safety Online

For professionals already working in public, private and military aviation-related professions, advanced knowledge of aviation safety is essential. Florida Tech's master's degree in aviation safety is designed for students that need the skills to go beyond uncovering the causes of accidents, but insight in how to predict and prevent them. Students study important topics such as safety policy, risk management, and promotion of employee safety, to name a few.

Convenient Online Learning!

Florida Tech makes it easy with a convenient online learning program that brings students and faculty together – even from thousands of miles away. Engaging discussion boards and live chat sessions with professors and peers provide a sense of academic closeness that is sometimes missing from other online programs. Earning a master's degree in aviation safety degree online is the perfect solution for working professionals or for individuals who do not live close to a university that offers advanced degrees.

A Respected Aviation Program

Florida Tech has one of the leading university-based aviation programs in the country, training students in this important field and preparing future leaders with the expertise they need. Florida Tech is also among several elite universities selected to be part of the FAA Center of Excellence Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility and Sustainability to gain research funding to improve aviation safety.

Experienced Faculty – Many of them Pilots

Students earning a master's degree in aviation safety online receive guidance from experienced mentors who have literally "written the book" on aviation safety. Florida Tech professors have written and co-authored aviation safety textbooks, journal articles and hundreds of citations. Experts in the air as well as on the ground, most professors are experienced commercial, private and military pilots – a unique collaborative of expertise not often found in similar online programs.

Career-Driven Research

Florida Tech's proven expertise in engineering and science provides students with many research resources while studying for a master's degree in aviation safety. Aviation safety is a wide-reaching field that encompasses everything from aircraft maintenance to employee training to airport design.
As a result, student research work comes together in the form of a 3-credit capstone course at the end of the second year. With guidance from professors and an academic advisor, students choose the research topic that best fits their career goals.

For the past 45 years, Florida Tech has been recognized as one of the top university-based aviation programs in the nation. This success and a unique "one-of-a-kind" curriculum position the university as a first choice among aviation students for aviation safety programs.

Convenient Online Learning

This accelerated 30-credit aviation safety program provides students with Florida Tech's extensive aviation expertise in a convenient online setting. The program culminates with a capstone research experience instead of a thesis, giving students the freedom to conduct research that aligns with their career goals. The program brings faculty and students together through discussion boards and live chat sessions with professors and peers, creating a collaborative academic environment often missing in other online aviation safety programs. By combining traditional aviation expertise with a high-tech learning environment, Florida Tech gives students the best of both academic worlds.

Learn From Aviation Experts

Professors have many hours of experience as commercial, private and military pilots, and are experts in at least one other area such as aviation law or avionics – making it different from other online aviation safety programs in the country. Florida Tech professors also have written and co-authored textbooks, journal articles and hundreds of citations on topics such as aviation safety management systems, aviation security, situation awareness and aeronautical decision making, as well as operational requirements for traffic awareness and avoidance.

As a national research university, Florida Tech's commitment to making tangible advances in aeronautics ensures students have cutting-edge tools and facilities for high-tech research. Florida Tech was among a few elite universities with aviation safety programs selected to be a part of the FAA Center of Excellence Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility and Sustainability (PEGASAS). PEGASAS provides participating universities with research funding that faculty and students alike can utilize to improve aviation safety.

Expert Preparation for an Aviation Career

Graduates from aviation safety programs like Florida Tech find jobs such as safety inspectors for airlines, airports and the government, or as a quality assurance and control expert to ensure that the necessary facilities maintenance and employee training are in place to keep passengers and employees out of harm's way. Government agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration hire safety experts and consultants' to create and maintain regulations and mandates that affect millions of travelers each year.

By delving into safety management systems and other related risk management topics, Florida Tech delivers one of the best aviation safety programs available online.

For international commercial airlines, small private aviation firms and military fleets alike, safety is the number one priority. Research opportunities help students gain real-world experience in safety issues.

The Florida Tech online aviation safety degree program also offers students this opportunity. This research work is designed in the form of a 3-credit capstone course at the end of the second academic year, requiring industry and company research.

Because aviation safety is a wide-reaching field that encompasses everything from aircraft maintenance to employee training to airport design, students choose a research topic that fits their careers goals with the guidance from professors and an academic advisor. Some potential capstone topics include:

• Airline safety programs
• International safety processes and procedures
• Safety management systems
• Airport security and design
• Air traffic control efficiency

As part of the PEGASAS Center of Excellence Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility and Sustainability (PEGASAS), Florida Tech receives research funding that faculty and students utilize to improve aviation safety through a university aviation safety degree program. Some of the research topics funded by PEGASAS may include:

• Airport technology
• Propulsion and structures
• Airworthiness
• Flight safety
• Fire safety
• Safety management systems (SMS)

If you're a working professional and want to expand your skills, or are continuing your education after getting your undergraduate degree, a convenient online course curriculum is a flexible option that provides all the benefits of a traditional classroom program.

An aviation safety job is one of the most challenging, interesting and exciting jobs available for those in the aviation industry. A Master of Science degree in Applied Aviation Safety opens the door to new career possibilities in the private sector, commercial airlines and the military.

Florida Tech's College of Aeronautics professors boast diverse backgrounds in aviation, giving students a wide view of aviation careers in air transportation, airport planning and management, business, flight and aviation safety. Because safety experts are needed in every aspect of the aviation industry, graduates seeking an aviation safety job will find a variety of options available.

Safety experts are needed in every part of the aviation industry. Private, commercial and military airlines and airports rely on applied aviation safety graduates to keep their aviation systems running smoothly and safely. Through this unique online learning experience, graduates with a master's degree in aviation safety are able to find new career opportunities includes such position as safety inspectors for airlines, airports and the government, quality assurance and control, or even as safety experts and consultants to maintain regulations that impact safer travel. Florida Tech's high-tech learning environment gives students access to a well-respected aviation program to earn a master's degree in aviation safety.

Career Outlook

The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provides information about specific jobs including median annual pay, working conditions and job outlook, among other things. The handbook does not discuss aviation safety specifically, but does have information on related aviation careers including aviation management, air traffic control, pilot, airport manager, avionics technician, aerospace engineer, airfield operation specialist, and more.

Career Options

In addition to an aviation safety job, other positions such as:

• Aviation Management
• Avionics Technician
• Airport Manager
• Airport Security Manager
• Air Traffic Controller
• Systems Management
• Freight and Cargo Management

Potential Aviation Safety Employers:

• Commercial Airlines: American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines, etc.
• Federal Department of Transportation
• Flight Safety International
• National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
• Department of Homeland Security
• International airports around the world