what airlines dont require a bachelor to work there i know united does
Brandon,
All the Major airlines in the US want a 4yr degree. They do not care what your degree is in as long as it’s from a legitimate accredited college. If you do not get a 4yr degree you will be severely limiting your career growth and options.
Adam
Brandon,
All of the legacy majors like American, Delta, FedEx, etc require a four year degree. Some of the low cost majors like Spirit might not, but all prefer it.
Chris
Brandon,
The regionals don’t require a degree. But I’m sure you don’t want to limit yourself so early on in your career.
-Hannah
This follow-up question is mostly for my own curiosity, as I already do have a degree (non-aviation related). Why do the airlines require a degree if they don’t care what it is in? Is it more a showing of responsibility/maturity, or are they following government regulations, or something else entirely? I’ve seen it mentioned on these forums many times that they actually don’t prefer degrees in aviation at all. In that case, why do people get those degrees?
Logan,
Having a degree is about competitiveness and also being able to show that you are teachable and can follow through with your commitments.
The list of reasons why people do what they do is endless, but I would suspect a few of the main reasons people earn an aviation degree, even though it is not necessary or required, is because
- they don’t know that it isn’t necessary or required
- they can apply for financial aid which sometimes covers not just tuition but also flight training
- they are not interested in any other subject and just don’t know what else they could major in
- they get the flying bug and see aviation colleges as a way to fly sooner (but not necessary quicker)
But to know for sure you’d have to talk to someone who attended an aviation college.
Tory
Logan,
The degree isn’t about what you actually major in because they will teach you and train you for the job. It’s more about what the degree says about your character. Are you motivated, committed, do you have the discipline and the work ethic to commit to something and achieve it?
From a Human Resources point of view, it’s also a way to filter a pool of applicants. Unfortunately the job market is getting more and more competitive each generation. It used to be that a high school diploma was the prerequisite for most jobs. Then it became a college degree and now in many fields it’s a graduate degree.
-Hannah
Logan,
As the others have said, the degree is more amount maturity and commitment. People get aviation degrees because they incorrectly believe it’ll be beneficial since they aspire to be pilots. As someone who’s participated in hiring at 2 airlines I can tell you for certain it will not. Further again if aviation should not work out for any reason an aviation degree will be even less useful.
Adam
Logan,
Good question. The airlines want to see that somebody can be dedicated to something for four years and actually finish what they start. Furthermore, and I cannot fully speak for the airlines, but many people feel that college educated people are more likely to represent their company well and to take care of their equipment better. Now whether that is true or not is up for debate, but many people feel that way.
Chris