Florida Tech’s faculty members are established experts in all aspects of aviation. They are pilots and experts in aviation law, safety, avionics and environmental science. We have faculty with expertise and experience in airport consulting, design and management, airline or general aviation management, aviation human factors, meteorology and air traffic control.  Their experience translates to a robust curriculum and hands-on learning opportunities for our students.

Florida Tech continues to expand our reputation as a world-class aviation university. We are designated as a core team university for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Center of Excellence (COE) for General Aviation. The center focuses its research and testing efforts on safety, accessibility and sustainability to enhance the future of general aviation.

You can join our many students who take part in various advanced simulations during their time at Florida Tech, including a semesterlong exercise in running a simulated airport. You can tap into state-of-the-art computer labs for airport design and planning or fly the desktop simulator in the Basic Aviation Training Device (BAT-D) computer lab.

Our 130-acre campus is located in a high-tech corridor on Florida’s Space Coast—NASA-Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral is just north of us—and many high-tech corporations and government and military organizations are located nearby. Our location provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities for our students.

If you like to fly, the sky’s all yours—we have over 300 days of ideal flying weather each year, and our College of Aeronautics is ranked as one of the safest flight schools in the U.S. Our aviation majors especially appreciate that Melbourne is home to an international commercial airport that is just a 10-minute drive from campus.

There’s plenty to do on the ground, as well! Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean, with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, minutes from the Indian River Lagoon, the most biodiverse estuary in North America, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs and social activities.

Florida Tech is a world-class aeronautics school—and one of the top institutions for engineering and science. Students benefit from our excellent facilities and aircraft fleet and a wide range of high-tech tools for hands-on learning and research, from wind tunnels and air quality monitoring systems to advanced modeling software.

At the Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research, just minutes from campus at Melbourne Orlando International Airport, students have access to our state-of-the-art aircraft fleet, featuring Piper planes equipped with cutting-edge glass cockpits. The center also houses facilities for weather and flight planning, simulators and more, providing a comprehensive environment for aviation training and research.

The College of Aeronautics’ Skurla Hall houses a first-rate computer lab equipped with a wide range of applications and networking capabilities, offering hands-on learning in aviation subjects such as airport design and planning.

Using computer-aided design (CAD) programs, you can complete projects in designing airports and airport terminals, and conduct experiments, such as noise studies. In the Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD) Lab, you can fly desktop simulators under the guidance of a flight instructor and practice air traffic control (ATC) operations, enhancing your aviation skills.

An air traffic control (ATC) specialization is offered in conjunction with the B.S. in aviation management.

This specialization provides in-depth knowledge of ATC and the aviation industry and hands-on experience with industry-standard air traffic control programs to ensure graduates have the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to succeed as air traffic controllers. The ATC specialization meets the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program and is FAA-approved.

Graduates of the AT-CTI program may be eligible to bypass the Air Traffic Basics Course covered during the first five weeks of qualification training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. You must successfully complete all required training at the FAA Academy for employment with the FAA.

Learn more about air traffic control at Florida Tech.