Best Aviation Management Schools Near Wilmington, DE (2026)

Wilmington, Delaware has 5 accredited schools offering aviation management programs. Wilmington has a population of about 71,124. Median household income is $55,269 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 33.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, the top-earning aviation management-related role is Air Traffic Controllers at a median $198,590 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Aviation Management Schools to Wilmington

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer aviation management programs near Wilmington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wilmington city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

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:

  • 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. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Wilmington. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Delaware State University

Dover, DE 37.9 miles from Wilmington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,307
Avg net price $13,910/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Delaware schools on the Delaware aviation management page.


Aviation Management Wages Near Wilmington

Wilmington is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (BLS area code 37980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Delaware statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $180,330 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $175,760
Commercial Pilots $158,670 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $154,649
Air Traffic Controllers $198,590 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $193,558
Airfield Operations Specialists $81,950 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $79,873
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $121,570 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $118,489
Logisticians $86,900 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $84,698
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $80,820 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $78,772
Flight Attendants $39,520 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $38,519

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Wilmington at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 71,124 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $55,269 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 33.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 102.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Wilmington-Area Cities With Aviation Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited aviation management schools are near Wilmington, DE?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering aviation management programs near Wilmington. The closest is Delaware State University in Dover, DE (37.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lehigh Carbon Community College (64.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying aviation management roles near Wilmington?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying aviation management-related roles near Wilmington are: Air Traffic Controllers ($198,590), Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($180,330), Commercial Pilots ($158,670). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Delaware statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Chester instead of Wilmington?

Chester, PA is 11.3 miles from Wilmington and has its own set of local aviation management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Wilmington an affordable place to study aviation management?

Wilmington’s median household income of $55,269 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wilmington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Delaware public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Aviation Management Programs

Other Programs Available in Wilmington

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Wilmington:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.