Bachelor in Aviation Specialization Pilot Training
Loretto, USA
Bachelor's degree
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2027
STUDY FORMAT
Blended, Distance Learning
Key Summary
About: Saint Francis University’s Aviation Specialization with Nulton Aviation Services trains students with no flight experience for pilot careers. You can earn Private and Commercial Pilot licenses within 3.5 years and join the SkyWest Pilot Pathway for up to $17,500 tuition reimbursement. The 21-credit concentration fits many majors and study modes and is also available to traditional, continuing, online, or non-degree students. Keywords: pilot training, flight school, flight operations, airline pathways, aviation concentration.
Career Outcomes: Graduates qualify for roles like Commercial Pilot, Corporate Pilot, and Flight Instructor, and for positions in air charter, air ambulance, tourism, powerline/pipeline patrol, and law enforcement aviation. With extra flight hours you can pursue regional and major airline roles.
Ready to take flight? Find your path in Aviation.
The Aviation Specialization, provided in coordination with Nulton Aviation Services, catapults a student with no past flight experience to the edge of commercial aviation.
Through the specialization, you can:
- obtain a Private Pilot License and a Commercial License within 3.5 years.
- prepare for a career in commercial aviation by leveraging Saint Francis University's Elite Partnership with SkyWest Airlines.
- enhance your marketability in law enforcement, engineering, and many other fields
Admissions paths are open for both traditional undergraduate students and working professionals.
SkyWest Airlines Pilot Pathways Program
Did you know that the Saint Francis University Aviation program is an Elite Partner with SkyWest Airlines?
The SkyWest Pilot Pathway Program is designed to help meet the growing demand for pilots across the aviation industry. Those who join the pathway are eligible to receive tuition reimbursement of up to $17,500 from SkyWest as they achieve certain program milestones.
The Traditional Undergraduate Path
Bachelor's Degree + Private Pilot's License
The 21-credit specialization in Aviation can be taken as part of many majors at Saint Francis. Please talk with your admissions counselor or academic advisor about whether the concentration is feasible with your choice of major.
Flexible Approaches for Working Professionals
If you need a more flexible approach to coursework you can enroll in the Aviation Specialization through the Francis Worldwide School of Continuing Studies.
Online Degree + Private Pilot's License
This 21-credit specialization in Aviation can be taken as part of an online degree program at Saint Francis. Please talk with your enrollment counselor or academic advisor about whether the concentration is feasible with your choice of major. Ground School courses are typically offered on campus, but other options can be discussed.
Flight School Only
If you already have your degree but are interested in pursuing your pilot's license we can talk you through how to apply to the Aviation Specialization as a non-degree student. Ground School courses are typically offered on campus, but other options can be discussed.
The SFU Aviation Specialization is designed to take a student with no past flight experience and train them such that they can fly, professionally, a single-engine, land-based aircraft in a variety of flight conditions. With minor additional training, graduates from this specialization may also provide flight instruction. This specialization also opens a pathway toward future employment as regional and major commercial airline pilots. However, if a student is simply seeking to learn to fly, they can exit the program after any year with a valid license to fly.
Program Snapshot
- 21 total credits
- 3 theory courses and 6 flight labs
- Ground school courses are taught on the SFU campus, but other options can be discussed.
- All flight training is held at the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport near Johnstown. (transportation required)
Curriculum
Courses in the specialization prepare the aspiring career pilot for immediate entry-level employment in the aviation industry. Coursework covers aerodynamics, aircraft systems, federal aviation regulations, aircraft performance, aeronautical decision-making/human factors, flight physiology, and navigation.
Each year of the specialization corresponds to a different set of privileges, as shown below.
Year 1 - Private Pilot License
Successful completion of this license grants the ability to fly legally in the US. License holders can fly single-engine, land-based aircraft in visual flight conditions (e.g., no rain, snow, etc.) and with passengers. License holders may not fly for hire and cannot be compensated for more than half the cost of a given flight.
Year 2 - Instrument Pilot Rating
The instrument rating confers additional privileges to a licensed pilot: namely, the ability to fly in instrument conditions. This rating does not confer additional privileges with regard to carrying passengers, cargo, etc. or being compensated for flying, but increases the variety of flight conditions one can fly in.
Year 3 - Commercial Pilot License
The commercial pilot license confers the ability to use one’s skills as a pilot for compensation or hire. Upon reception of this license, pilots can fly missions for an employer (e.g., inspection, survey, cargo hauling, etc.) as required, and in a larger variety of aircraft than before as completion of the commercial pilot license also confers certification in complex and high-performance aircraft.
At the successful conclusion of the Aviation Concentration, students will achieve the following programmatic learning objectives:
- Comprehend the role of the Commercial Pilot within an airline or corporate flight department.
- Know the basic theories of aerodynamics and apply them to the various flight scenarios encountered in the field.
- Understand and apply aircraft systems knowledge to the various equipment that a Commercial Pilot may manage.
- Apply human factors, crew resource management, flight physiology, and aeronautical decision-making concepts to the flight deck environment.
- Recognize potentially hazardous atmospheric conditions and assess the risk of flight in various weather scenarios.
- Navigate the U.S. National Airspace safely through the use of all available resources.
Many fields are seeking pilots with deep industry knowledge.
It takes a special kind of dedication to persevere in flight school while working toward your bachelor's degree, yet for the select few who are willing to put in the effort, the rewards are like no other. Here are a few industry examples:
- Engineers use aviation to take their work into remote job sites.
- Cybersecurity experts can benefit from understanding threats to aviation from a pilot’s perspective.
- Both law enforcement and communication fields depend on pilots.
- And of course, commercial pilots are in high demand with small and large airline
Career Outlook
Careers in Aviation that those who successfully complete the program would be qualified for:
- Commercial Pilot (with additional flight hours)
- Corporate Pilot
- Tourism and Sight Seeing Operations
- Powerline and Pipeline Patrol
- Law Enforcement
- Air Charter
- Air Ambulance
Opportunities after additional flight hours include jobs as regional and major commercial airline pilots. Those with proper certification may also teach flight instruction.
