Air Transportation: is this associate's degree worth it?

National picture across 18 reporting college programs.

MODELED SCENARIO · Strong payoff

+$184,597 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

Observed earnings clearly outpace the comparison earnings and estimated education cost in this scenario.

4.0 yrsModeled economic break-even

+152%Modeled 10-year ROI

$75,637Observed earnings · year 4

Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$75,637Median reported earnings · year 4

$71,187Average reported earnings · year 5

$14,803Median federal debt

93thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

18Reporting programs

15With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $41,061
Federal debt: $6,333
Reporting programs: 4

3 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $75,637
Federal debt: $14,803
Reporting programs: 18

15 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $83,283
Federal debt: $24,500
Reporting programs: 59

54 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $113,161
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 7

7 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median

25th percentile$59,093National median$75,63775th percentile$83,343

15 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Northwestern Michigan College$109,489 2Southern Illinois University-Carbondale$103,606 3Southern Utah University$87,845 4Polk State College$83,657 5Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach$83,343 6Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide$83,343 7Miami Dade College$78,726 8Broward College$75,637 9Montana State University$74,026 10Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology$69,808

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight EngineersSOC 53-2011 · 2 crosswalk linksCommercial PilotsSOC 53-2012 · 2 crosswalk linksTransportation, Storage, and Distribution ManagersSOC 11-3071 · 2 crosswalk linksAir Traffic ControllersSOC 53-2021 · 1 crosswalk linksAirfield Operations SpecialistsSOC 53-2022 · 1 crosswalk linksFirst-Line Supervisors of Passenger AttendantsSOC 53-1044 · 1 crosswalk linksFlight AttendantsSOC 53-2031 · 1 crosswalk linksNO MATCHSOC 99-9999 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR AIR TRANSPORTATION

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	10-year ROI	Verdict
1	Northwestern Michigan CollegeAssociate's Degree	Traverse City, MI	$109,489	$14,803	+529%	Strong payoff
2	Southern Illinois University-CarbondaleAssociate's Degree	Carbondale, IL	$103,606	$21,000	+403%	Strong payoff
3	Southern Utah UniversityAssociate's Degree	Cedar City, UT	$87,845	Not available	+286%	Strong payoff
4	Polk State CollegeAssociate's Degree	Winter Haven, FL	$83,657	$11,197	+255%	Strong payoff
5	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona BeachAssociate's Degree	Daytona Beach, FL	$83,343	$18,750	+122%	Strong payoff
6	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-WorldwideAssociate's Degree	Daytona Beach, FL	$83,343	$18,750	+201%	Strong payoff
7	Miami Dade CollegeAssociate's Degree	Miami, FL	$78,726	Not available	+234%	Strong payoff
8	Broward CollegeAssociate's Degree	Fort Lauderdale, FL	$75,637	Not available	+157%	Strong payoff
9	Montana State UniversityAssociate's Degree	Bozeman, MT	$74,026	Not available	+115%	Strong payoff
10	Vaughn College of Aeronautics and TechnologyAssociate's Degree	Flushing, NY	$69,808	Not available	+46%	Positive payoff
11	Green River CollegeAssociate's Degree	Auburn, WA	$60,031	Not available	+28%	Positive payoff
12	Community College of Baltimore CountyAssociate's Degree	Baltimore, MD	$59,093	Not available	+28%	Positive payoff
13	Mt San Antonio CollegeAssociate's Degree	Walnut, CA	$59,078	Not available	+37%	Positive payoff
14	Texas State Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree	Waco, TX	$54,585	$12,054	-18%	Negative payoff
15	Aims Community CollegeAssociate's Degree	Greeley, CO	$50,507	Not available	-51%	Negative payoff
16	Spartan College of Aeronautics and TechnologyAssociate's Degree	Tulsa, OK	Not available	$19,186	WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive	$29,776
17	Central Oregon Community CollegeAssociate's Degree	Bend, OR	Not available	$13,416	WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive	$12,266
18	Community College of Beaver CountyAssociate's Degree	Monaca, PA	Not available	$13,000	WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive	$6,937

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.