Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Flight operations specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a flight operations specialist. Flight operations specialists usually study business, aviation, or general studies. 44% of flight operations specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 437 real flight operations specialist resumes to see exactly what flight operations specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for flight operations specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online flight operations specialist courses to help get the education required to be a flight operations specialist.
What education do you need to become a flight operations specialist?
What degree do you need to be a flight operations specialist?
- Bachelor's, 44%
- Associate, 20%
- High School Diploma, 20%
- Master's, 8%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a flight operations specialist?
- Business, 19%
- Aviation, 19%
- General Studies, 7%
- Criminal Justice, 6%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for flight operations specialists
| Flight operations specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 18.42% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.89% |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach | 7.89% |
| Texas Southern University | 5.26% |
| Northwood University | 5.26% |
Best majors for flight operations specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 19.4% |
| 2 | Aviation | 19.4% |
| 3 | General Studies | 7.3% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 6.5% |
| 5 | Liberal Arts | 5.6% |
Best colleges for flight operations specialists
The best colleges for flight operations specialists are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A flight operations specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for flight operations specialists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become flight operations specialists.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
2. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
5. University of Minnesota - Crookston
Crookston, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$11,822
Enrollment
1,834
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
7. Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$11,105
Enrollment
13,729
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. Siena Heights University
Adrian, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$27,124
Enrollment
2,035
10. Arizona State University at the Polytechnic Campus
Mesa, AZ • Private
In-state tuition
$9,840
Enrollment
4,495
20 best online courses for flight operations specialists
Advertising disclosure
1. Looker Data Explorer - Qwik Start
This is a Google Cloud Self-Paced Lab. In this lab, you will create a series of visualizations from the Airports and Flights datasets and save them to a dashboard in Looker...
2. Paleontology: Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds
Paleontology: Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds is a five-lesson course teaching a comprehensive overview of the origins of birds. This course examines the anatomy, diversity, and evolution of theropod dinosaurs in relation to the origin of birds. Students explore various hypotheses for the origin of flight. Watch a preview of the course here: https://uofa.ualberta.ca/courses/paleontology-theropod-dinosaurs...
3. Airline Operations: Flight Planning and Flight Dispatch
Airline Operations: Master the essentials of aviation - aircraft operational control and dispatch...
4. Flight Mechanics - From Theory to Certification of Aircraft
Modeling theory, aircraft 6DOF simulation, flight dynamics, flight simulators and aircraft certification...
5. Navigating Healthcare Supply Chain Operations
This course is the continuation of "Introduction to Healthcare Supply Chain Operations". If you have not visited the first part yet, please check it out before starting this course. If you have finished the first part of this series: Introduction to Healthcare Supply Chain Operations, you will be able to apply what you learned to your own career. The foundational knowledge and project plan from the introduction are carried through in this deeper dive into healthcare supply chain operations. In...
6. Advanced Algorithms and Complexity
In previous courses of our online specialization you've learned the basic algorithms, and now you are ready to step into the area of more complex problems and algorithms to solve them. Advanced algorithms build upon basic ones and use new ideas. We will start with networks flows which are used in more typical applications such as optimal matchings, finding disjoint paths and flight scheduling as well as more surprising ones like image segmentation in computer vision. We then proceed to linear...
7. Phantom & Mavic Flightschool - flight training & Go4 app
Master your flying skills & the DJI Go flight modes like Tapfly, Active Track, Waypoints, Point of interest & more!...
8. Part 1 FAA Private Pilot Ground School (Part 61)
Introduction to flight training, Aircraft Structure, Systems and Flight Instruments...
9. Aerospace Engineering: Aircraft Fundamentals and Advanced
Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering: Master the Mechanics of Airplanes - Aerodynamics, Flight Maneuvers, JET Engines...
10. Introduction to 2 & 3D Drone Modeling With Agisoft Metashape
Building 2D & 3D Models with drone images and Metashape. Drone flight setups and basic modeling with Metashape...
11. Executive Travel Planning for Virtual Assistants
Manage flights, hotels, and car services for corporate travel like a pro! PLUS travel changes during a global crisis...
12. Aerospace Engineering: Aircraft Systems and Avionics
Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering: Master the Systems of Airplanes - Hydraulics, Avionics, Electric, Propulsion...
13. Amadeus GDS Training Amadeus Course Amadeus Tutorial
Amadeus Course Step by Step Amadeus Course Amadeus GDS Training Amadeus GDS Reservation Course...
14. (Core) 4hr FAA Part 107 Knowledge Test Prep for Drone Pilots
Save time, skip fluff & learn the important stuff...
15. UAS FAR 107 FAA Drone Exam Preparation - INCLUDES NEW RULES
Prepare to pass the FAA knowledge test for UAS Remote Pilot Certification (RPC)...
16. Aerospace Engineering: Airplanes, Airlines and Airports
Understand how Airplanes generate Lift, how Airlines and Airports operate and what is Aerospace Engineering today...
17. API Crash Course: How to Create, Test, & Document your APIs
Everything you need to know to understand what an API is...
18. Project Schedule: Monitor & Control Specialist (Accredited)
Schedule Management: Monitor & Control Schedule, Analyze Schedule, Solve Project Schedule Problems Earn CPDs & PDUs...
19. Computational Fluid Dynamics Fundamentals Course
Fundamentals and First Principles...
20. Sabre GDS Training Sabre GDS Course Sabre GDS Tutorial
Sabre GDS Course from Basics to Advance Level Sabre Reservation Course Sabre GDS Course...
Top 10 most affordable universities for flight operations specialists
The most affordable schools for flight operations specialists are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - los angeles.
If the best universities for flight operations specialists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for flight operations specialists.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
9. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
10. York College of the City University of New York
Jamaica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,158
Cost of attendance
14,204
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for flight operations specialists
The hardest universities for flight operations specialists to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for flight operations specialists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for flight operations specialists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
10. Brandeis University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
31%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for flight operations specialists
The easiest schools for flight operations specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and notre dame college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a flight operations specialist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for flight operations specialists.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
7. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
8. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
9. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
10. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
Average flight operations specialist salary by education level
| Flight operations specialist education level | Flight operations specialist salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $45,069 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $55,582 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $53,369 |
Flight operations specialist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common transportation questions.
Search for flight operations specialist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025