MTSU has conducted pilot training since World War II and has developed into a comprehensive,
accredited aviation program that prepares students for careers in industry.

MTSU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on
Colleges (SACSCOC).

Regarding the Aerospace Department, each undergraduate degree program is accredited
by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). The Professional Pilot concentration has
specialized program accreditation by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI).

The Professional Pilot concentration is also recognized by the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) as an approved institution for certifying graduates for the Restricted Airline
Transport Pilot (RATP).

MTSU operates 38 Diamond DA40 airplanes for primary flight training. The private pilot
certificate, instrument rating, and commercial pilot certificate (ASEL) are all earned in the
Diamond DA40. For multi-engine training, we operate five Piper PA44 Seminoles. For elective
flight labs, we operate one Diamond DA20 for CFI spin training and operate a Piper J3 Cub for
the conventional landing gear lab. Details can be found on the web site:
https://aerospace.mtsu.edu/mtsu-aircraft/

MTSU Admission Standards apply to all incoming MTSU students. The Department of
Aerospace does not have additional screening or testing requirements to declare the Aerospace
Major or to declare the Professional Pilot concentration.

Once admitted, Professional Pilot students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all
Aerospace and supporting coursework. To qualify for a flight lab, a student must have a college
GPA of 3.0 or higher. Specific flight lab application requirements can be found in the MTSU
undergraduate catalog Pro Pilot Requirements website.

Once a student is accepted to MTSU, that student will then be able to declare Aerospace
as their major, and professional pilot as their concentration. After participating in the
appropriate freshman or transfer student orientation session (known as New to Blue at MTSU) the
student can register for aerospace and general education courses.

Professional pilot students must complete the flight labs in sequence to earn the FAA
certificates and ratings necessary to complete this degree program. The application process for
flight labs opens every semester. Students must have a competitive college GPA to be eligible
for a flight lab award. Enrollment in flight labs is competitive, and selection is made from eligible
candidates who are best qualified based on cumulative GPA. Please see the Flight Lab Guide for
more specific application and award information.

MTSU has restrictions and deadlines for applicants, which the professional pilot
concentration follows. Our flight lab application deadlines can be found here: https://aerospace.mtsu.edu/flight-training-information/

Check our current Professional Pilot, B.S. Academic Map, and use the MTSU Transfer
Equivalency site to see which of your completed courses will transfer. We cannot guarantee
transfer credits. Students must supply the university with prior transcripts to allow us to do an
evaluation. Once that is complete, the academic advisors and concentration coordinators
(faculty) determine whether prior credits will transfer.

Generally, if you transfer with one year of credit from a previous institution and have
completed transferable general education credits, it will take an additional three years to
complete the program. If two years of credit from a previous institution is transferred in, it will
likely still take three years to complete the Pro Pilot degree requirements due to the course
sequencing requirements of flight training.

Check our Degree Requirements and use the MTSU Transfer Equivalency site to see
which courses will transfer. We cannot guarantee transfer credits; students must supply the
university with prior transcripts. Once that is complete, the Academic Advisors and
Concentration Coordinators (faculty) determine whether prior credits will transfer. It is
recommended to contact your future academic advisor (see subsequent question about
advisors).

If an incoming student already holds a bachelor’s degree, it usually takes that person 2.5-
3.5 years to complete our program. They must complete 60 credit hours of FAA-recognized
coursework and labs, in addition to any other required supporting classes or general education
course requirements.

Check our current Professional Pilot, B.S. Academic Map, and use the MTSU Transfer
Equivalency site to see which of your completed courses will transfer. Students must supply the university with prior transcripts to allow us to do an evaluation. Once that is complete, the academic advisors and concentration coordinators (faculty) determine whether prior credits will transfer.. See our Degree Requirements for a list of courses in our degree, and you can then use the MTSU catalog search to see descriptions of those courses.

We recommend you first review our International Students Admissions page. In addition,
there are additional TSA requirements for international students to receive flight training in the
U.S. This information can be found in the Flight Lab Guide.

Incoming freshmen and transfer students will attend new student orientation, called
New to Blue. During that orientation, the department’s academic advisors will walk students
through the class registration process. Below are special registration processes for the
Professional Pilot course/lab sequence:

The AERO 2230 Professional Pilot I ground school class does not require any
prerequisites or pilot certificates/ratings to register. Students may take this course prior to the
Professional Pilot I Flight Lab, although simultaneous completion is recommended. For all other
flight lab/course combinations, the flight lab and corresponding ground school class must be
taken in the same semester. For example, the Professional Pilot Flight Lab II (2 credit hours)
corresponds to the Professional Pilot II course (3 credit hours) and these must be taken
simultaneously as corequisites. The sequence for Professional Pilot II, III, IV, and V require
completion of previous labs and classes as pre-requisites prior to continuing to the next
course/lab in sequence.

Flight labs require permission to register for the lab by the MTSU Flight School. After
applying for and being awarded a flight lab and meeting all pre-requisite requirements for that
lab, a student will receive permission to register for the associated class and flight lab. If a flight
lab is not awarded, a student will not have permission to register for either the lab or the
corresponding class.

MTSU employs academic advisors specific to your department and concentration
(Aerospace – Professional Pilot). These advisors assist incoming students during orientation,
advise students from semester to semester about which courses they should take, and perform
many other duties for the college and department. You can find your advisor here: https://cbas-advising.mtsu.edu/advisors/

The MTSU estimated cost of attendance rates vary based upon whether students are
classified as in-state or out-of-state. For tuition-only costs, please see the MTSU Tuition Costs
website.

There are programs available to reduce tuition rates for out-of-state students. The
Academic Common Market allows students to attend universities in states other than their own
at the in- state tuition rate, provided that their home state does not have an equivalent program.
To see if your state participates in the MTSU Professional Pilot program, please see the MTSU
Academic Common Market Programs website. Please note, each state determines their
participation in this program, not MTSU.

If your state does not participate in the Academic Common Market program but you live
within 250 miles of MTSU, or within one of the 8 contiguous states to TN, you may qualify for
reduced tuition rates if you meet certain academic criteria. Please see the MTSU Regional
Scholars Program website for more details. Flight training costs are in addition to tuition, fees,
and room and board.

The required flight lab sequence totals approximately costs $71,000, which is spread over
5 semesters of flight training. Students may spend more or less depending upon many variables,
including student performance, weather delays, and scheduling of check rides. For more
information on flight lab costs, see the Flight Lab Guide.

There are both University Scholarships and Aerospace Department scholarships available.
Aerospace scholarship applications close in February and are awarded during the spring
semester. We highly recommend that Pro Pilot students pursue additional external
scholarship/grant opportunities not listed at these sites.

The MTSU Pro Pilot concentration is approved by the Veteran’s Administration to accept
educational benefits for flight training. We are proud that our degree program has the highest
concentration of veteran students on campus at MTSU. There are many different versions of
Veteran’s Administration educational funding programs, so please contact the MTSU Veteran’s
Center for more details.

To be eligible for award of a Flight Lab, students must have completed at least 12 hours of
academic credits after high school graduation at a college or university, have earned at least a
3.0 GPA, and students must complete AERO 1010 & AERO 1020 with a B or Higher. Transfer students with 12 or more credit hours earned after high school graduation may qualify for a flight lab during their first semester, but again must have at least a 3.0 GPA, and students must complete AERO 1010 & AERO 1020 with a B or higher.

Our curriculum is designed for incoming students with no aviation background. During
their first semester, these students establish a foundation of aviation knowledge and familiarity
with the department. The first semester provides the student time to adjust to a collegiate
academic workload and establish a strong GPA.

This document outlines all requirements, procedures, and policies for flight training at
MTSU. It is updated often. Students should refer to it frequently for any questions they have
about flight training at MTSU. It can be accessed at here.

See the Flight Lab Guide for detailed information about the flight lab award process.

Flight labs are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Application deadlines
can be found at https://aerospace.mtsu.edu/flight-training-information/.

During the fall and spring semesters, MTSU Flight Lab students are required to fly at least
four times per week. During the summer session, this is increased to five times per week.

Incoming students may earn their Private Pilot license at any flight school but are
cautioned to wait for instrument training until they begin flying in our program (see the
Instrument Rating FAQ below). Training for the instrument rating, commercial certificate,
and multi-engine rating must be conducted by our flight school. Outside of these
requirements, there are no restrictions on flying outside of our flight labs. However,
training, ratings, certificates, endorsements, and other pilot training performed outside of
the MTSU flight school will not result in academic credit toward our bachelor’s degree.

If an incoming freshman has already earned a Private Pilot license, there are
several local businesses that offer airplane rental. This creates an opportunity for students
to fly elsewhere during their first semester if they wish do proficiency flying.

Many students can complete a certificate or rating during the semester in which they
enroll in that course. The frequency of required meetings during flight labs are designed to allow
for this, which allows students to make good progress in completing the required certificates and
ratings. However, weather, maintenance, illness, check ride availability, and other factors can
cause delays in flight training; the FAA requirements for a particular course do not always fit
within the confines of an academic semester. If a student does not complete their lab in the
semester in which they started it, they are provided with an additional semester to do so, during
which their Flight Lab grade will be “Incomplete.” Should a student fail to complete the
certificate/rating during the subsequent “incomplete” semester, the flight lab grade will be
changed to “F”. The Flight Lab Guide provides more details.

Unfortunately, student enrollment and demand for flight instructors and aircraft prevent us
from offering flight training to students who are not enrolled in the Professional Pilot degree program.

The total flight time a student will have at graduation varies since courses are proficiency
based. If students only fly in our aircraft and our required flight labs, they typically will have
between 180-200 hours of total time. However, most students choose to engage in additional
elective labs, resulting in more flight time. In addition, those that obtain their Certified Flight
Instructor (CFI) certificate are eligible to apply for flight instructor positions at the MTSU Flight
School while they are still a student. The MTSU Flight School hires MTSU students and outside CFI
candidates that have trained elsewhere.

Many of our flight instructors are undergraduate students and still taking classes toward
their bachelor’s degree. If hired, students will be able to continue building their flight time while
completing their undergraduate coursework. While not common, some students have been able
to reach 1,000 hours total time prior to or shortly after graduation.

Providing flight instruction as a CFI is a great way to build flight time while being paid to do so.
This can be done at MTSU or at the many flight schools in the Middle Tennessee region. Another
popular way to build flight time is to do banner towing, which is popular around coastal areas.
Though expensive, aircraft ownership is another option.

Approximately 50% of our students enter our Professional Pilot program with a FAA Private
Pilot Certificate. In that case, the student is still required to take the AERO 2230 Professional Pilot
I (Private ground school) course but is not required to take the AERO 2201 Professional Pilot I
Flight Lab (Private lab). This will leave a two-hour Aerospace academic credit gap for the student,
which can be resolved by taking 2 credit hours of optional flight labs, or additional FAA- approved
courses. Professional Pilot students are required to take the AERO 2230 course for two purposes:

(1) The student needs the 3 credit hours for graduation and Restricted ATP purposes, and (2) the
department must ensure that all applicants for the instrument flight lab meet our standards
for private pilot knowledge and skills.

(2) Normally, the flight lab courses are sequenced as prerequisites. For example, to register for
the AERO 3210 Professional Pilot II (Instrument ground) course, a student must have
previously completed the AERO 2230 Professional Pilot I (Private ground) course. However,
when a student enters the program holding a Private Pilot certificate, that student will be
allowed to take the Professional Pilot I and II courses simultaneously in their first semester if
they are also beginning flight training in the AERO 3203 Pro Pilot II (Instrument) flight lab.

No, you will not receive academic credit for a private rating received outside MTSU.
However, your first MTSU flight lab will be the instrument flight lab.

Unfortunately, no. The FAA’s regulation regarding the Restricted Airline Transport Pilot
certificate (FAR 61.160) requires graduates to have completed instrument and commercial pilot
training at the associated institution – where the student earned the bachelor’s degree. As stated
in our “Additional Requirements” in our catalog at https://www.mtsu.edu/program/aerospaceprofessional-pilot-concentration-b- s/#requirementsSec, “Students entering MTSU who already
hold an FAA Instrument-Airplane Rating and/or an FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate are not
eligible for the Professional Pilot Program.”

University programs like ours have received authorization from the FAA to reduce the ATP
time requirement if students complete an FAA-approved bachelor’s degree program with at least
60 credit hours of specific courses. The rule also states that such students must earn their
instrument and commercial rating/certificate at the flight school associated with the University
which grants their degree, in addition to completing the degree. Thus, our graduates can qualify
for a “Restricted” ATP with 1,000 hours – this means they can get an entry level airline position
with 500 hours less experience than graduates of unapproved programs. Not all our graduates all
seek airline jobs, but most do.

Commercial pilots must hold at least a second-class FAA medical certificate to exercise
their commercial pilot certificate. Thus, we require our students to show evidence of at least a
second-class medical for flight lab applications. A first-class medical is suggested, as this is the
standard medical for most professional pilots. Students are required to maintain a valid first or
second-class medical throughout the program. More information on MTSU and medical
requirements can be found on the Flight Lab Guide.

You can find an Aviation Medical Examiner by using the FAA’s AME Locator site.

The reason that a third-class medical isn’t sufficient for our program is that commercial
pilots must hold at least a second-class FAA medical certificate to exercise the privileges of their
pilot certificate. It would be quite a surprise for a Professional Pilot student to learn they are not
medically qualified to be a commercial pilot after completing this degree program, so we
incorporate that requirement into the program.

Graduates must complete the following FAA certificates/ratings by completing check rides
once they have completed each flight lab:

1. AERO 2201 Professional Pilot Flight Lab I – Private Pilot (may be earned
   prior to joining program)
2. AERO 3203 Professional Pilot Flight Lab II – Instrument Rating (must be completed at
   the MTSU flight school to earn the Restricted Airline Transport Pilot Certificate after
   graduation)
3. AERO 3204 Professional Pilot Flight Lab III – Commercial Certificate (SEL) (must be
   completed at the MTSU flight school to earn the Restricted Airline Transport Pilot
   Certificate after graduation)
4. AERO 3261 Professional Pilot Flight Lab IV – Multi-Engine Rating (added to
   Commercial SEL, and must be completed at the MTSU flight school for graduation
   purposes)

The AERO 3240 Pro Pilot IV and AERO 4250 Pro Pilot V courses are required for the Pro
Pilot degree. In these two courses, students transition into the Department’s CRJ-700 flight
training device, where they learn skills such as crew resource management, advanced turbine
systems, and high altitude/high airspeed operations.

Optional flight labs include the Certified Flight Instructor, Instrument Flight Instructor,
Multi-engine Flight Instructor, Conventional Landing Gear (Tailwheel) Lab, and Cross-Country
Lab. These result in obtaining specific pilot endorsements and certificates. More details
regarding costs can be seen in the Flight Lab Guide.

Your course credits may transfer. We will request a copy of the FAA Letter of
Authorization from your previous institution. Your prior flight training will not count for
academic credit, but applicable coursework may, pending a review of the LOA and how well the
credits align with our degree requirements. You must earn the instrument rating at the MTSU
flight school to qualify for the Restricted ATP after graduation.

Yes. Your degree did not include 60 credit hours of FAA-recognized coursework
but did include more than 30. This means you qualify for a RATP at 1,250 hours total
time. Email tyler.babb@mtsu.edu with your MTSU M# and your FAA pilot certificate #
and he can generate your certifying statement of eligibility.

If you are a graduate from 2024 and on, your statement of eligibility is included in your transcript.

We are partners with Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines and provide students the opportunity to join the Delta Propel Program and Southwest Destination 225 program.

Yes. This process requires that you meet with your academic advisor. Fortunately,
many of the general education requirements are common among the department’s six
undergraduate degrees. In addition, all Aerospace students take the five core Aerospace
classes, so some previous aerospace credits will apply to the Professional Pilot degree
program.

There is no shuttle system to transport students from the main campus to the Murfreesboro Airport.
The Murfreesboro airport is less than five miles from campus, and it typically takes about 15
minutes to drive there from campus, although 30 minutes should be allowed to accommodate
parking and walking to/from academic buildings on campus.

If the student’s flight training is conducted at Shelbyville airport, the department now provides shuttle service to and from the Shelbyville Airport. The schedule follows:

It is recommended that Professional Pilot students have a car for transportation. First year freshmen can have cars on campus.

MTSU offers a specific dormitory opportunity for first semester aerospace freshmen
students. These students can choose to live in the Aerospace Learning Community. In this on campus dormitory, men and women live on separate floors.

MTSU Aerospace graduates fly for every U.S. major airline. Many of our graduates are first
employed by regional airline carriers, and then later move to major carriers after building
experience. We also have graduates that fly for the military or fly as charter pilots.

Yes. MTSU Aerospace Student Organizations travel to national conferences, visit large
airports like Memphis and Atlanta, tour ATC facilities, and more.

Tours of the Department of Aerospace are conducted by select Aerospace Ambassador
Students. You can schedule an Aerospace tour here. Tours of the University can be scheduled here.

Professional Pilot students must acquire certain pilot equipment for flight labs to including
a headset, logbook, kneeboard, checklists, aeronautical charts, and more. A comprehensive list
can be found on the Flight Lab Guide.

Many students purchase laptops for coursework and tablets for flight training. Most
professional pilot students use ForeFlight Mobile, an electronic flight bag software available on
Apple iPad/iPhone devices. MTSU has established an Educational Licensing Program with
ForeFlight Mobile, which allows student a small discount for the software and allows students to
view MTSU Flight School documents, checklists, and other materials while using the application.
Students must be admitted to the program and taking coursework to qualify for the ELP version
of ForeFlight Mobile.