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Prepare for the highest levels of aviation leadership while applying new knowledge to your current role.
Florida Tech’s 100% online Doctor of Aviation (Av.D.) helps aviation professionals strengthen expertise and improve effectiveness while remaining fully engaged with evolving industry demands.
Students in the program are full-time working professionals across the aviation and aerospace industry. Some pursue the Av.D. to meet credential requirements, while others seek advanced insight to broaden their capabilities and leadership impact.
Through professionally focused coursework and applied research, you will learn to plan, conduct and communicate research that addresses complex challenges in aviation—and build expertise you can apply immediately in practice.
Florida Tech’s College of Aeronautics is consistently recognized for offering one of the most comprehensive university-based aviation programs in the country. With decades of industry experience, faculty who are experienced aviation leaders and a curriculum designed to strengthen expertise and leadership, Florida Tech prepares Av.D. graduates to advance their careers and influence the aviation industry at the highest levels.
The Av.D. experience is online, yet highly interactive. Discussion boards, live chat sessions and collaborative projects connect you with faculty and peers, building lasting professional relationships.
The program follows a cohort structure, so you progress through the curriculum with the same group of professionals, benefiting from Florida Tech’s decades of excellence in aviation education, training and research—all in a fully online format.
Our faculty include experienced pilots as well as experts in aviation law, safety, avionics and environmental science. Their professional experience encompasses airport consulting, airline management, human factors, meteorology and air traffic control, providing a multidisciplinary perspective on contemporary aviation challenges.
Florida Tech faculty have authored textbooks and peer-reviewed journal articles on aviation management, safety and applied research. Their work examines aeronautical decision-making, traffic awareness and avoidance, G-force-induced loss of consciousness, accident investigation, aviation computer applications and haptic feedback in aviation systems.
As a result, your coursework is informed by current scholarship and grounded in active engagement with the field.
Designed for working professionals, the Doctor of Aviation (Av.D.) program can be completed in as few as three years.
The program is cohort-based, with new groups beginning each fall. You will take six credit hours per term for the first two years, progressing through core coursework with your cohort, followed by a third year devoted to the dissertation.
This structure keeps cohorts connected while providing a clear path from applied learning to independent research and dissertation completion.
The Doctor of Aviation, Av.D., and the Ph.D. in aviation sciences are both terminal degrees, each designed for a distinct professional focus within aviation.
The Av.D. is a professional doctorate designed for working aviation professionals, offered 100% online. While also research-oriented, its dissertation centers on applied, practitioner-driven problems—research that addresses real-world challenges and is intended for direct use in professional practice.
The Ph.D. is offered on campus and is strongly focused on research and theory, preparing graduates to contribute to the academic study of aviation. Its dissertation emphasizes conceptual frameworks, theory development and the advancement of knowledge within the discipline.
Although some course content overlaps, the programs are distinct, with different structures, learning experiences and research expectations.
Applicants to the Av.D. program must be full-time aviation or aerospace professionals with a master’s degree in an aviation-related field from an accredited institution (or the international equivalent).
Application materials include transcripts, letters of recommendation, a résumé/CV and a statement of objectives. For complete details, see graduate application requirements.
Florida Tech Av.D. graduates are prepared to take on senior leadership and technical roles across the aviation industry. From executive positions in airlines and airport operations to research and policy roles in government agencies, graduates apply their expertise to complex challenges in safety, performance and operational effectiveness.
Our alumni influence emerging trends in commercial aviation, the private sector and the military, serving as consultants, industry advisors and trusted leaders in aviation practice.
Note: Employment data reflect positions commonly associated with this field. Av.D. graduates often go on to leadership and advanced technical/analytical roles not captured here.
Florida Tech Career Services helps students, alumni and employers connect through career planning, job search support and recruitment resources.
For information on job outlook, pay and working conditions in this field and related fields in the United States, see the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Av.D. dissertations are applied, practitioner-oriented projects that address real-world challenges in aviation. Students investigate topics ranging from air traffic control and disaster resilience to flight training and operational performance, using research methods that produce actionable insights.
Each dissertation is designed to inform practice and decision-making, building on existing knowledge while contributing solutions that aviation professionals can use to improve safety, efficiency, and operational effectiveness.
Browse recent dissertations in the Florida Tech Scholarship Repository.
The Doctor of Aviation, Av.D., program combines coursework, research and a dissertation to prepare you for leadership in aviation.
Coursework builds the skills needed for advanced applied research. You will study aviation research fundamentals while developing a strong foundation in statistics, quantitative reasoning and modeling. The curriculum also emphasizes strategic analysis through tools such as game theory, along with qualitative and survey-based research methods.
In the research and dissertation phase, you will develop a proposal, conduct a study, analyze results and write and defend your dissertation. You will complete independent, rigorous research that addresses real-world challenges and advances practice in aviation.
The Av.D. requires 42 semester credit hours beyond a master's degree.
Check the catalog for a description of all courses. Check the catalog for detailed degree requirements.
In the Av.D. program, student research helps make aviation operations safer, more efficient and better prepared for the unexpected.
You will learn to analyze and address complex issues such as airline accidents, service disruptions, technical challenges, pilot shortages and fluctuating fuel costs.
Your work will contribute to advancing aviation knowledge while translating research into real-world applications.
Learn more about Aviation at Florida Tech on the College of Aeronautics website.