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Air Transportation is a degree category that consists of the following common degrees:
- Read more about Aerospace Technology
They help engineers prepare technical drawings, diagrams, blueprints, and scale models of missiles, rockets, airplanes, and helicopters. They make calculations and computations and run computer simulations involving aerodynamics and structural design. They build and install components, equipment, and systems. They calibrate instruments. They evaluate flight tests.
Degree programs in aerospace technology prepare students for this important role in the aerospace industry. The curriculum spans engineering mathematics, aircraft systems, propulsion and control systems, aerodynamics, aircraft structures and manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and management.
- Read more about Air Traffic Control
Air traffic control (ATC) degree and training programs prepare individuals to work as air traffic controllers. Here are the principal learning outcomes of these programs:
• Monitor and direct the movement of aircraft on the ground and in the air, using radar, computers, and visual references
• Issue takeoff, ascent, descent, and landing instructions to pilots
• Inform pilots of weather conditions, runway closures, and other issues
• Control ground traffic at airports, including baggage and other vehicles
• Advise airport first responders of emergenciesAt the core of the ATC curriculum is an understanding of the United States airspace and the U.S. Air Traffic Control system:
The 21 zones of US airspace (divided into sectors)
The five air traffic control system divisions:
• Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC)
• Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC)
• Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON)
• Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT)
• Flight Service Station (FSS) - Read more about Aviation
Aviation is about more than piloting aircraft. Therefore, the discussion of earning a degree in the field must necessarily include the wide spectrum of roles that it includes – because the position determines the kind and the level of degree required. The course of study chosen by an aspiring pilot will differ from that selected by someone who wants to be an air traffic controller, dispatcher, or aircraft mechanic; or play a part in aviation management or in the research, design, testing, and building of aircraft.