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GRADUATE
PROGRAM
OVERVIEW
Aviation
MASTER OF SCIENCE
IN AVIATION (M.S.A.)
Options in: Airport Development
and Management
Applied Aviation Safety
Master of Science in Aviation
Dean
Kenneth P. Stackpoole, Ph.D., ATP
Admission Requirements
The applicant to the Master of Science in Aviation program must have earned a bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent, from an institution of acceptable
academic standing. To be considered for admission, the student’s academic and professional record must indicate a high probability the applicant will be
able to pursue graduate work satisfactorily. Undergraduate degrees need not be in aviation; however, preparatory course work may be required in specific areas to assure successful pursuit of the M.S.A. degree. Such course work is determined by the College of Aeronautics before admission. The student
is advised of any such requirements before final acceptance.
General admission requirements and the process for applying are presented in the Graduate Information and Regulations section of the University Catalog.
Assistant Dean
Director, Aviation Studies Division
John H. Cain, Ph.D.
Director, External Programs and Center for
Airport Management and Development
Ballard M. Barker, Ph.D.
Director, F.I.T. Aviation LLC
Albert M. Thomas, M.S.
Chair, Graduate Programs
Nathaniel E. Villaire, Ed.D.
Chair, Flight Education Program
Donna F. Wilt, Ph.D.
Professor
John E. Deaton, Ph.D.
Nathaniel E. Villaire, Ed.D.
Associate Professors
Ballard M. Barker, Ph.D.
Kenneth E. Crooks, J.D.
Kenneth P. Stackpoole, Ph.D., ATP
Tom Utley, Ph.D.
Donna F. Wilt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professors
John H. Cain, Ph.D.
Paul B. Davis, M.B.A.
P.G. Dunn, M.S.
Korhan Oyman, Ph.D.
Professors Emeriti
Alan L. Devereaux, M.B.A.
Edmund B. Everette, M.B.A.
William R. Graves, M.B.A.
N. Thomas Stephens, Ph.D.
The Master of Science in Aviation (M.S.A.) is designed to help meet the professional growth needs of persons interested in a wide range of aviation
careers.
The degree is especially relevant for those who have earned baccalaureate degrees in aviation and those who have worked in the aviation field and now
require more specialized knowledge. Generally, persons interested in careers in airport or airline management, airport consulting and governmental
organizations involved in the management or regulation of airports should select the airport development and management option. Persons interested
in aviation safety, accident investigation, technical aviation consulting and educational, regulatory or investigative positions in government or trade
organizations would find the applied aviation safety option most appropriate.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Science in Aviation degree is conferred on students who complete 33 (airport development and management option) or 36 (applied
aviation safety option) graduate credits as listed on the student’s approved Graduate Program Plan (GPP), in conformity with one of the curricula listed
below. Each curriculum includes six credits of Thesis (AVM 5999), an in-depth study of a specific aviation issue. A non-thesis option is available for the
airport development and management curriculum. The non-thesis option adds three credit hours for an aviation research project, and six hours of electives are completed in lieu of the thesis.
Curriculum
Airport Development and Management Option
The adviser assists the student in devising a program of study. Each student must complete a GPP with a declared area of concentration by the end of the
first semester of enrollment. The resulting GPP requires the approval of both the graduate program chair and the division director. Each student must
complete and defend an appropriate thesis or take a total of 36 credit hours, including Advanced Aviation Research Project (AVM 5998) and a program
examination. Thesis defense and examination policy and procedures are covered in the Graduate Policies of the College of Aeronautics.
Summary of Program Requirements
AVM5101 Legal and Ethical Issues in Aviation..............3
AVM5102 Airport Development...................................3
AVM5103 Airport Operations.......................................3
Additional Course Work (minimum)...........15
Graduate Statistics (Restricted Elective).......3
Thesis (maximum).......................................6
TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED 33
Typical Graduate Program Plan
AVM5101 Legal and Ethical Issues in Aviation..............3
AVM5102 Airport Development...................................3
AVM5103 Airport Operations.......................................3
AVM5104 Aviation Economics and Fiscal Management...............................................3
AVM5105 Aviation Planning and Analysis Techniques...................................................3
AVM5999 Aviation Issue Analysis (Thesis)...................6
BUS5023 Management and Administration of Contracts.................................................3
CVE 5040 Urban Planning...........................................3
EDS 5070 Educational Statistics...................................3
ENM5200 Project Engineering.....................................3
Applied Aviation Safety Option
The adviser assists the student in devising a program of study. Each student must complete a GPP appropriate for the declared area of concentration by
the end of the first semester of enrollment. The resulting GPP requires the approval of both the graduate program chair and the division director. Each
student must complete and defend an appropriate thesis.
Summary of Program Requirements
AVM5101 Legal and Ethical Issues in Aviation..............3
AVS 5204 Aviation Safety Analysis...............................3
AVT 4301 Aviation Safety............................................3
Additional Course Work (minimum)...........18
Graduate Statistics (Restricted Elective).......3
Thesis (maximum).......................................6
TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED 36
Typical Graduate Program Plan
AHF5101 Human Factors in Man-Machine Systems....3
AHF5201 Human Performance 1.................................3
AVM5101 Legal and Ethical Issues in Aviation..............3
AVS 5201 Aviation Meteorology Theory and Practice........................................................3
AVS 5203 Impact of Aviation on Human Physiology....3
AVS 5204 Aviation Safety Analysis...............................3
AVS 5999 Thesis Research............................................6
AVT 4301 Aviation Safety............................................3
AVT 5301 Complex Aviation Systems...........................3
AVT 5302 Accident Investigation.................................3
EDS 5070 Educational Statistics...................................3
For information on International Programs see page 2.
College of Aeronautics
150 West University Boulevard
Melbourne, Florida 32901-6975
(321) 674-8120
http://coa.fit.edu
GA-488-807
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AVIATION
Financial Aid
International Programs
Graduate student assistantships for
instruction and research are available
to well-qualified­ master’s and doctoral
degree students. Assistantships carry
stipends plus a tuition waiver. In some
cases, a tuition waiver alone may be
awarded for a limited amount of service.
Assistantships for master’s degree
students are normally for an academic­
year; assistantships for doctoral students
are renewable on a yearly basis.
The College of Aeronautics is partnered with France’s prestigious École Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC). At ENAC, Florida Tech graduate students
enter one of five master’s diploma programs while paying tuition at Florida Tech. These programs include two taught in English (Aircraft Safety—Aircraft Airworthiness and Satellite-Based Communication, Navigation and Surveillance) and three that require French language proficiency (Airport
Management, Air Transport Management and Aeronautical Operations and Air Traffic Management). While paying tuition at ENAC, French graduate
students are offered the opportunity to complete Florida Tech’s Master of Science in Aviation, Airport Development and Management option, and receive
two separate degrees, the IENAC diploma from ENAC and the M.S.A. from Florida Tech.
Florida Tech is also partnered with the Universidad Tecnologica de Panama (UTP) in the Republic of Panama to offer Florida Tech’s aviation management
program including flight options. Aviation-related courses are taught by College of Aeronautics faculty who travel to Panama, and the balance of courses
are taught by UTP faculty at a dedicated academic facility near the Panama Canal.
Additional information on these programs and others may be obtained from the Office of Graduate and International Programs. See “Study Abroad” in
the Welcome to Florida Tech section of the University Catalog.
The university
Florida Institute of Technology is a distinc­
tive, independent university, founded in
1958 by a group of scientists and engineers
to fulfill the need for specialized,
advanced educational opportunities
on Florida’s Space Coast. Florida Tech is
the only comprehensive, independent
scientific and technological university
in the Southeast. Supported by both
industry and the community, Florida Tech
is the recipient of many research grants
and contracts, a number of which provide
financial support for graduate students.
Location
Melbourne is located on the central
east coast of Florida. The area offers a
delightful year-round subtropical climate
and is 10 minutes from the ocean and
beaches. Kennedy Space Center and the
massive NASA complex are just 45 minutes
north of Melbourne. The city of Orlando,
Walt Disney World, EPCOT and many other
attractions are one hour west of Florida
Tech’s main campus.
For More Information
To obtain more detailed information
about this Graduate Program or to obtain
application materials, visit our home page
at www.fit.edu/grad or the University
Catalog at www.fit.edu/catalog, or
contact:
Florida Institute of Technology
Office of Graduate Admissions
150 W. University Blvd.
Melbourne, FL 32901-6975
(321) 674-8027
(321) 723-9468/Fax
(800) 944-4348
Florida Institute of Technology is an independent
university located in Melbourne, Florida. Florida Tech
is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate,
master’s, education specialist and doctoral degrees.
Florida Tech admits students of any race, color,
national or ethnic origin, and does not discriminate
on the basis of disability in admission or access to
its programs.
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