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Best Online Aviation Management Degrees (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Key takeaway: Aviation management is the business side of aviation – airport operations, airline and cargo operations, aviation safety, regulatory compliance, and the logistics that move aircraft, passengers, and freight. It is not flight training. An online aviation management degree does not make you a pilot, and it does not issue any Federal Aviation Administration certificate. Pilot certificates and ratings come from FAA-approved flight schools operating under 14 CFR Part 61 or Part 141, paid for and logged separately from the degree. The programmatic accreditor for this field is the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI), and institutional accreditation is the baseline check. In IPEDS 2024, 88 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in aviation management and aviation and airway management CIP codes, and 84 of them reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024). Compare accredited programs below.
The academic core is operations under regulation. You study how an airport is run and funded, how an airline schedules aircraft and crews, how safety management systems catch problems before they become incidents, and how federal rules shape every one of those decisions. Around that core, programs layer business courses – accounting, finance, human resources, operations management – because most graduates manage budgets, contracts, and people. Accredited online programs generally deliver the same degree titles as campus programs; browse the best accredited online colleges to compare schools that offer them. To find programs near you, see aviation management programs by state.
Schools Offering Aviation Management Programs
These accredited schools offer online programs. Request information to compare programs, costs, and formats.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Careers and Wages for Aviation Management Graduates
Aviation management graduates work in airport administration, airline and cargo operations, air service scheduling, ground handling, and aviation safety and compliance. The occupations below are the ones the Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks around this degree. Read them carefully: two of them are flight-deck jobs that require FAA certificates rather than a management degree.
Median annual wage for the highest-paying aviation management careers. Source: BLS OEWS. Chart: Best Online College.View the data behind this chart
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
$107,230
Logisticians
$82,320
Flight Attendants
$63,580
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
$58,170
Airfield Operations Specialists
$56,850
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Projected job growth (2024-2034) for aviation management careers. Source: BLS Employment Projections. Chart: Best Online College.View the data behind this chart
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
6.1%
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
5.2%
Commercial Pilots
5.1%
Airfield Operations Specialists
4.2%
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
3.9%
Air Traffic Controllers
1.2%
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Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight EngineersSOC 53-2011
$232,140Median annual pay
Mean annual$288,650
Employment (US)103,560
Pay range (25-75%)$182,280 - $384,440
Commercial PilotsSOC 53-2012
$123,220Median annual pay
Mean annual$146,080
Employment (US)47,630
Pay range (25-75%)$84,540 - $190,440
Air Traffic ControllersSOC 53-2021
$148,080Median annual pay
Median hourly$71.19
Mean annual$146,490
Employment (US)22,510
Pay range (25-75%)$104,520 - $190,570
Airfield Operations SpecialistsSOC 53-2022
$56,850Median annual pay
Median hourly$27.33
Mean annual$63,610
Employment (US)15,190
Pay range (25-75%)$42,000 - $77,340
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution ManagersSOC 11-3071
$107,230Median annual pay
Median hourly$51.55
Mean annual$121,600
Employment (US)221,180
Pay range (25-75%)$82,440 - $146,770
LogisticiansSOC 13-1081
$82,320Median annual pay
Median hourly$39.58
Mean annual$89,730
Employment (US)251,040
Pay range (25-75%)$64,440 - $106,190
Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsSOC 53-1041
$58,170Median annual pay
Median hourly$27.97
Mean annual$65,010
Employment (US)9,760
Pay range (25-75%)$49,820 - $78,530
Flight AttendantsSOC 53-2031
$63,580Median annual pay
Mean annual$77,440
Employment (US)131,650
Pay range (25-75%)$51,760 - $95,640
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers are the closest management match. They had a median annual wage of $107,230, with the 10th percentile at $65,120 and the 90th at $194,900 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 216,700 in 2024, projected to grow 6.1 percent through 2034, with 18,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Airfield operations specialists – the airport ramp and airfield coordination role – had a median annual wage of $56,850, with the 10th percentile at $35,870 and the 90th at $102,120 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). That occupation employed 16,900 in 2024, is projected to grow 4.2 percent, and has 1,600 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Logisticians, the planning role behind cargo and supply networks, had a median annual wage of $82,320 and the fastest projected growth in this group at 16.7 percent, with 26,400 openings per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034).
The flight-deck occupations pay more and are gated differently. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers had a median annual wage of $232,140 and commercial pilots $123,220 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Neither is unlocked by an aviation management degree. Those jobs require FAA certificates, ratings, medical certification, and logged flight hours earned at a flight school. Air traffic controllers, at a median annual wage of $148,080, are hired and trained by the FAA through its own academy and are subject to a maximum entry age. Individual outcomes vary by employer, airport size, geography, and experience.
Quick Answers
What is an aviation management degree?
An aviation management degree is a business and operations degree applied to the aviation industry. Coursework covers airport operations and planning, airline operations, aviation safety management systems, air transportation regulation, aviation law, and the accounting, finance, and human resources needed to run an airport department or an airline station. It trains you to manage the operation, not to fly the aircraft.
Does an aviation management degree make me a pilot?
No. Nothing in an aviation management curriculum issues a pilot certificate. Pilot certificates and ratings are issued by the FAA after training at a flight school operating under Part 61 or Part 141, with written exams, a medical certificate, logged flight hours, and a practical test. Some universities pair a professional flight program with an aviation management major, but that flight training is a separate, separately priced sequence. If you want to fly, verify in writing that the program you are looking at includes flight training, because most online aviation management degrees do not.
Is aviation management accredited by a programmatic body?
Yes. The Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) accredits aviation programs, including aviation management degrees. AABI accreditation is optional, and many legitimate programs do not carry it. Institutional accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor is the check that matters first; verify it through the U.S. Department of Education database.
What jobs does this degree actually lead to?
Airport operations coordinator or manager, airline station or ramp supervisor, cargo operations supervisor, air service development analyst, aviation safety or compliance specialist, and scheduling and dispatch support roles. Many graduates move into general transportation and logistics management, where transportation, storage, and distribution managers earned a median annual wage of $107,230 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS).
Do I need to work at an airport to get in?
No, but experience helps more in this field than in most. Airports and airlines hire heavily from ramp, gate, customer service, and operations centers, and an internship or a part-time station job while you study is the most common way graduates reach a supervisory posting. Ask each program whether it places students in airport or airline internships and whether it accepts prior industry work for credit.
What you’ll study
Aviation management curricula generally move through three layers, and the regulatory layer is the one that surprises students who expected a business degree with airplanes on the cover.
The first layer is the industry itself. You learn how commercial aviation is structured: airlines, regional carriers, cargo operators, fixed-base operators, general aviation, and the airport authorities and municipalities that own the runways. Courses cover air transportation history and economics, aircraft and airport terminology, and how revenue actually reaches an airport – landing fees, terminal leases, concessions, parking, and federal funding programs. Without that layer, the rest of the degree is abstract.
The second layer is regulation and safety. This is the spine of the field. You study the federal rules that govern airport certification, airline operating certificates, security requirements, hazardous materials handling, and accident and incident reporting. Safety management systems get their own course at most schools: hazard identification, risk assessment, safety assurance, and the reporting culture that keeps hazards visible. Aviation law covers liability, contracts, labor agreements, and international conventions. Expect to read regulations directly, not summaries of them.
The third layer is management practice. Airport and airline operations courses cover capacity, gate and stand allocation, ground handling, irregular operations recovery when weather or a mechanical issue breaks the schedule, and the planning cycle that produces an airport master plan. Alongside that sits standard business coursework in accounting, finance, marketing, human resources, and operations management, plus a heavy dose of logistics if the program leans toward cargo. At the bachelor’s level, expect roughly 120 credits with the aviation core concentrated in the junior and senior years. Confirm each school’s credit total and calendar rather than assuming they match.
Online formats handle this material well, because the work being taught is analytical and document-driven rather than hands-on. What online programs cannot replicate is time on an airfield, which is why internships matter. See how online aviation management degrees work before you enroll.
Careers for aviation management graduates
The work splits into a few recognizable shapes.
Airport operations is the core path. Airfield operations specialists inspect runways and taxiways, coordinate ground vehicles, respond to airfield incidents, and keep the airport in compliance with its operating certificate. The median annual wage was $56,850, with 16,900 employed in 2024 and 1,600 openings per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Entry is often possible without the degree; the degree tends to matter for the move into supervision and airport administration.
Airline and cargo operations is the second path. Station managers, ramp and cargo supervisors, and operations controllers run the daily schedule. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors had a median annual wage of $58,170, with 5.2 percent projected growth and 1,100 openings per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Above that layer, transportation, storage, and distribution managers had a median annual wage of $107,230 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS).
Logistics and air cargo planning is the third, and it is the fastest growing. Logisticians had a median annual wage of $82,320, with 16.7 percent projected growth from 2024 to 2034 and 26,400 openings per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). If freight is the appeal, pair this degree with supply chain management coursework.
Safety and compliance is the fourth. Aviation safety, quality assurance, and emergency management roles sit inside airlines, airports, and maintenance organizations, and they draw on the same discipline taught in occupational safety programs applied to an aviation setting.
How to choose an online aviation management program
Accreditation – confirm recognized institutional accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education database, then check whether the program holds AABI accreditation. AABI is a plus, not a requirement.
Management, not flight – confirm what the degree includes. If you want to fly, the flight training is a separate FAA-approved program with its own cost, and you should get that in writing before enrolling.
Degree level – decide between a bachelor’s and a master’s. The bachelor’s is the standard entry credential; the master’s is for people already in the industry moving toward airport director, safety leadership, or corporate roles.
Course list – look for named courses in airport operations, aviation safety management systems, air transportation regulation, and aviation law. A business degree with two aviation electives is a different product.
Internships and industry access – ask how online students reach airport or airline internships, and whether the school has employer relationships in your region.
Cost – compare total program cost including fees, not the advertised per-credit rate, and review how to evaluate affordability.
Aviation management or a related field? Choose aviation management if you want to run airports, airline stations, or air cargo operations under FAA regulation. Choose business administration if you want a general management degree that keeps every industry open. Choose supply chain management if freight and networks are the appeal and aviation is only one mode. Choose operations management for process and capacity work across industries, occupational safety if safety systems are the draw, or hospitality management if the passenger-service side of the terminal is what interests you.
