WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue University Global continues to make its popular professional flight program more easily accessible to students by partnering with regional flight schools. The latest joint venture is with AeroGuard Flight Training Center, which has four locations: Phoenix and Chandler, Arizona; Austin, Texas; and Fort Myers, Florida.
“Partnering with qualified regional flight schools is key to the continued growth of our professional flight program, in order to better serve our students and keep their costs in check,” said Sara Sander, Purdue University Global vice president and dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the School of Education. “With its four locations, AeroGuard provides another attractive choice, and we are pleased to have them join our group of affiliates.”
“AeroGuard is very excited about this new partnership with Purdue University Global to offer our world-class training to a wider range of students,” chief executive officer Joel M Davidson said. “Combining our accelerated flight training and the Purdue Global professional flight degree should give our graduates a great start to a long and successful airline pilot career that is in great demand.
“The AeroGuard and Purdue Global program will be offered at our campuses in Arizona, Texas, and Florida, making the Purdue Global degree available to more students across the U.S. through its online platform. Performing flight training within a degree program also opens new financing options to applicants, making this great career more accessible.”
Purdue University Global’s professional flight degree program is a collaboration between Purdue University Global and Purdue University’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology – announced in 2019. It combines the quality of Purdue’s legendary aviation program spanning more than six decades with the flexibility and affordability that Purdue University Global offers.
Students accepted into the program, with a private pilot certificate, will complete their Bachelor of Science degree courses online through Purdue University Global, which includes aviation and general education classes while completing professional flight training at one of the Purdue University Global affiliates’ training centers across the country. During flight training, students will be working toward earning certificates and ratings in the instrument, commercial, multi-engine, and certified flight instructor.
As students progress in their flight training to become certified flight instructors, they will have the foundation necessary to serve as flight instructors and accrue additional flight experience required by airlines and corporate flight departments to get hired as professional pilots. Upon reaching certified flight instructor status, students enrolled in the program can begin working full-time teaching others and earn compensation for their work, which can help with education costs and living expenses.
Purdue’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, one of six departments and schools in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, is recognized worldwide as a leader in aviation education and provides its expertise in curriculum development, faculty hiring, and accreditation by the Aviation Accreditation Board International.
As U.S. airline pilots approach the federally mandated retirement age of 65, the industry faces a shortage of pilots. Reports forecast a need for more than 800,000 pilots over the next 20 years, and airlines are already finding it hard to fill open positions. This partnership is designed to get students flying immediately, shortening the timeline for professional pilots in order to meet this demand.
About Purdue University Global
Purdue University Global delivers personalized online education tailored to the unique needs of adults who have work or life experience beyond the classroom, enabling them to develop essential academic and professional skills with the support and flexibility they need to achieve their career goals. It offers personalized paths for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits, and other considerations – no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue University Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue University’s flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana, as well as serving science, engineering, and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. For more information, visit purdueglobal.edu.
About AeroGuard Flight Training Center
AeroGuard Flight Training Center is one of the largest flight schools in the U.S. with four campuses, over 1 million flight hours of training experience, and graduating over 7,000 cadets for more than 20 years. Offering accelerated commercial pilot training in a professional, safety-focused environment, AeroGuard partners with airlines across the globe, including a domestic agreement with SkyWest Airlines that includes establishing seniority during training, a guaranteed First Officer interview, and tuition reimbursement following initial operating experience.
Purdue University Global: Tom Schott, tschott@purdue.edu
AeroGuard Flight Training Center: James Constable, 623-580-7934
Sources: Sara Sander and Joel M Davidson
