Do Pilots Need a College Degree?

Airlines had their reasons for requiring a college degree in the past. A long time ago, they hired pilots mostly from the military, and military pilots were officers, and military officers had Bachelor degrees. Many had higher degrees. 

Airline pilot hiring has always been a matter of supply and demand. In times of high supply of pilot applicants, the airlines are able to select from the pilots with a variety of qualifications. Why bother with a civilian-trained pilot who didn’t finish college, when you have so many other qualified applicants holding degrees? 

Also, finishing college indicates studiousness, discipline, determination, perseverance. A college degree proves your ability and perhaps desire to learn, and an ability to express oneself in writing. All this translates well to the airline environment, because being a professional pilot means constant learning, including in-depth study of topics you don’t necessarily enjoy. A college degree proves that you’re up for that.

This was how airlines approached pilot hiring in the past. 

Fast Forward to Today

Now there really is a pilot shortage. The cost to learn to fly is astronomical. Retirements are peaking. Everybody seems to need pilots. The major airlines quietly dropped the college degree requirement in recent years, calling it “optional” or “preferred” or not mentioning it at all on the list of minimum requirements to apply. 

One reason for this is because they want to widen the pool of candidates for hiring, to include for example Army helicopter pilot Warrant Officers, who often moved up from the enlisted ranks to the pilot-officer seat and lack that degree. Also, many flow-through pilots coming to legacy airlines from their associated regional airlines do not have it. 

However . . . if you don’t plan to flow through, rather will apply “off the street” to your dream airline, then you should understand that the major airlines use computerized application processes with a point system and algorithm that bring the most highly qualified pilots with four-year college degrees to the top of the list for interviewing and hiring. 

If you aren’t ready to commit to a four years of college for a Bachelor degree, consider going to a local community college for a two-year Associate degree. You can complete a Bachelor degree later, in an online college degree program.

This is the situation at this moment in time. In another few years, things may change again. 

Get There Faster

The ability to complete all the training and requirements to achieve the Airline Transport Pilot certificate as quickly as possible is a big motivation for young people to go to college in an FAA-approved aviation degree and flight training program (check the approved list here). In these structured college programs, it’s possible to achieve the Restricted ATP at age 21 with 1000 or 1250 total flight hours in an aviation-related Bachelor degree program (normally four years), and with 1250 flight hours in an Associate degree program (two years). 

Outside of these college programs, a pilot must be age 21 and have 1500 flight hours to get the R-ATP, or age 23 and 1500 hours for the regular, unrestricted ATP. Military-trained pilots have other requirements and minimums for the R-ATP.

College Majors

If you’re enrolled in a college R-ATP program, you must take the required number of credit hours in aviation subjects, and have an aviation major.

If you’re not enrolled in an R-ATP program, then it really doesn’t matter what you major in. You will find airline pilots holding college degrees with majors in engineering, business, geography, and medieval Spanish literature. Pursue a degree in whatever interests you.

What If I Can't or Don't Want to Go to College?

You can still make your way in a professional pilot or airline pilot career.

If your goal is to fly for a major airline, they still generally favor pilots with college degrees, but you can still get there without it. Here are two ways: Get into the airline's cadet academy (ab initio flight training program), or get your pilot ratings and then get hired at a wholly-owned subsidiary airline with a guaranteed flow-through to the mainline airline. See the 5 Paths to an Airline Pilot Careers for more information.

What About a H.S. Diploma or G.E.D?

You can finish the Commercial Pilot certificate at age 18 and the ATP at age 23, regardless of your education. But to work in nearly any professional pilot job, you do need to finish high school or pass the General Educational Development test.

© 2023 Jenny Beatty. All Rights Reserved.

Photo credit: Ekrulila