Purdue to offer 100% online aviation financial management graduate certificate

WEST LAFAYETTE – Financial professionals in the aviation industry have specialized skills in finance, leasing, and trading that set them apart from their peers in other industries.

As airline revenue managers, for example, they juggle slippery fares that shift continually with supply and demand while aiming to maximize profit at the end of the day. As asset managers, they deal with airline fleets, half of them with the added complication of being leased, and with other aviation facilities representing assets worth billions.

That makes personnel with expertise in aviation and the elements of aviation financial management in-demand professionals. Purdue University is moving to meet this demand with a new 100% online graduate certificate in aviation financial management. The new graduate certificate should be offered in the spring of 2023, and applications are being accepted now. The courses also are available to residential students on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus.

The certificate from the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology at the Purdue Polytechnic Institute will prepare aviation professionals to evaluate financial operations, develop strategies for maximizing revenue, proactively manage aviation capital assets and effectively use financial tools to manage risk. All courses are delivered fully online and taught by expert Purdue faculty with a background in aviation financial management. The four required courses can be completed in as little as 12 months. Students have up to five years to finish the certificate program.

The curriculum is practice-based and designed for working professionals. Students learn key competencies in finance, management, analytics, communication, and strategic thinking to build interdisciplinary skills.

Purdue works with industry partners including airlines, airports, and aircraft leasing companies in both developing and refining the program’s curriculum and providing learners opportunities to gain hands-on experience.

In addition, the 12 credit hours required to earn the graduate certificate in aviation financial management may be applied to Purdue’s online Master of Science in aviation and aerospace management if a student decides to go on and earn a master’s degree. Purdue also offers a specialized graduate certificate in aviation safety management that can be applied to the master’s degree.

Purdue’s history in aviation and aerospace education is long and storied. It includes the first university-owned airport, opened in 1930 and designated a historic landmark, as well as Amelia Earhart as a former career counselor and more than two dozen alumni astronauts. Purdue developed a four-year aviation degree with options in flight, maintenance, and management in the 1940s. Not surprisingly, the university developed a 100% online master’s degree in the field early on as well.

“We are the leading university in collegiate aviation education and training,” said Associate Professor Yi Gao, who helped develop the graduate certificate in aviation financial management and teaches the topic. “Our faculty is recognized for its expertise, not only in the United States but internationally as well.”

For more information on Purdue’s graduate certificate in aviation financial management, visit the program website.

Information: Greg Kline, gkline@purdue.edu

Source: Yi Gao, gao5@purdue.edu