marcomr

I'm a rising junior in high school and I've looking at my options for college. I'm really interested in airline management and I would like to work for an airline in corporate/management. I'm also really interested in business, economics, and finance.

First I thought about going to Embry-Riddle for aviation management, but then I fell under the impression that the school revolves around pilot-training, so I scrapped that idea as I'm not interested in becoming a pilot. So after that I thought of getting a BBA at a first tier undergrad school and then hope that an airline will pick me up and then get an MBA after a few years.

But now I've found plenty of aviation management programs at a number of undergrad colleges across the US. So I would like to get someone's opinion on this: Should I go for aviation management or business administration?

Some of the schools offering aviation management majors are:
-Embry-Riddle
-Purdue
-Florida Institute of Technology
-West Michigan University

And if I pursue a BBA I could go to a far more renowned school, like Columbia, NYU, Georgetown, or Berkeley. Also, working in an airline is not utterly necessary, but I would prefer to.

And if I do major in aviation, which school offers the best program?

terenc

I'm not in the aviation industry, obviously, but in my opinion a BBA at a top school would be better not only for getting into airline management, but also because it offers more flexibility (in case your mind changes while in college, which there is a good chance it will). An airline management degree does not appear particularly advantageous to me.

I'm actually a little curious as to why you particularly want to work as management with an airline company? It's not like you'll actually be working with planes or anything.

This is just my opinion.

marcomr

Yeah, I see your point. I just don't know how I could get into airline management without taking any aviation-related courses since most job opportunities at airlines' websites require aviation-related studies, especially the college internships.

As for why I want to work for an airline, it's because it really appeals to me. I've been flying on my own since I was 12 (just taking the flight on my own to go visit relatives or whatever) and the flights are always part of the vacation. And it's not just traveling that I love, but everything operations-related too. I've been playing this "game" for a few years called AirwaySim (AirwaySim Airline Game - Online Airline Management Simulation) where you basically build and manage your own airline and I love it.

marcomr

I forgot to mention, there are also some universities offering a Master's in Aviation Management, like Griffith University in Australia. So maybe I could go for a BBA and get one of those in addition to an MBA? So maybe I could get one of those immediately after college and the MBA down the road.

terenc

I'm not aware of any entry level aviation management jobs that specifically require aviation courses. Are you sure this is the case? I mean, a company like Proctor and Gamble is not going to require that people have taken classes in "consumer products" or something...

blueapple

I think you're trying too hard. Number one, airlines aren't a booming business, and there are lots of budget cuts. For instance, Delta announced today they are cutting 1900 employees. Number two, the others are right. Business is business, just the product is different. Branding in the airlines is pretty similar to branding for Subway, for example. Focus on business, finance, or economics, and go from there. If you're a good leader, you can succeed in the airlines industry just as well as you could for WalMart.

Market yourself as a business person with airplane experience, not an airplane person with business experience. So get an internship at an airline over your summer. Get your pilots license. Read websites such as FlyerTalk Forums. Follow industry news. Good luck.

rcoll90

I went to Embry Riddle for undergrad and I don't feel like it put me at an advantage or disadvantage compared to any state school for aviation jobs or non-aviation jobs. The difference in Embry Riddle's management curriculum is that EVERY class and EVERY paper was through the lense of an aviation or aerospace business. The core is the same, the case studies were aviation focused. This may be advantageous in classes like strategic management but certainly not in every class.
For me it was too much. Like I said my bachelors is from Embry Riddle, but my masters is not!