To make it to the major Airlines do you need a bachelor's degree?

Airline Pilot Questions & Answers
1

Hi, i have been thinking on going to Aviator College, which it has a 2year degree program. Is it necessary to have a 4year degree program in order to make it in major Airlines? as an example American Airlines or Delta…

2

Juan,

As always we ALWAYS recommend people take a moment and look through the FAQ section as there’s a ton of great info including this question which gets asked daily. Short answer, YES YOU DO.
https://airlinepilot.life/t/do-i-need-a-college-degree-to-be-an-airline-pilot/8059

Adam

3

Juan,

With few exceptions, yes, you will need a four year degree for the majors.

Chris

4

Chris,

Thanks for replying, i was thinking about entering embry- riddle aviation university, so when i finish my 4 year program, is it necessary to go into a flight school, like ATP to finish my training. Or, o can finish the bachelor’s degree and obtain flight hours in the majors or regionals

Juan

5

Juan,

That depends what you study at Riddle. If you take one of their Professional Pilot programs that includes flight training then no, you wouldn’t need any additional flight training after you graduate (you would however need to build flight time somehow before you could be hired by an airline). Things to keep in mind are 1) ER is VERY expensive and 2) there’s not much you could do with an aviation degree if for some reason flying doesn’t work out. Personally I prefer people to have a degree in something other as a back up plan since while you need a degree, it need not be in aviation.

Adam

6

Juan,

No, you cannot obtain flight hours in the majors or regionals. You will need 1,500 flight hours to fly for the airlines in the US. Most people get this by flight instructing.

Chris