Air Traffic Controller
Featured Air Traffic Controller Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BS in Operations Management - Logistics & Transportation
Enhance your Bachelor of Science in Operations Management with a concentration in Logistics and Transportation at Southern New Hampshire University.
Featured Air Traffic Controller Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BS in Operations Management - Logistics & Transportation
Enhance your Bachelor of Science in Operations Management with a concentration in Logistics and Transportation at Southern New Hampshire University.
What Air Traffic Controller Majors Need to Know
In an O*NET survey, air traffic controller majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.
Knowledge Areas for Air Traffic Controller Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in air traffic controller should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

- Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Skills for Air Traffic Controller Majors
A major in air traffic controller prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Abilities for Air Traffic Controller Majors
As you progress with your air traffic controller degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Related Programs
Learn about other programs related to Air Traffic Controller that might interest you.
BS in Operations Management - Logistics & Transportation
Enhance your Bachelor of Science in Operations Management with a concentration in Logistics and Transportation at Southern New Hampshire University.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Air Traffic Controller
Some degrees associated with air traffic controller may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to air traffic controller have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 0.8% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 26.4% |
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) | 17.1% |
Some College Courses | 6.6% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 16.7% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 27.6% |
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 3.5% |
Online Air Traffic Controller Programs
The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
---|---|---|
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 0 | 0 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 0 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 17 | 0 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Master’s | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
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Majors Related to Air Traffic Controller
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to air traffic controller.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
General Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science & Technology | 5,709 |
Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew | 2,029 |
Aviation/Airway Management & Operations | 1,864 |
Other Air Transportation | 310 |
Remote Aircraft Pilot | 142 |
Flight Instructor | 93 |
Airline Flight Attendant | 53 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
More about our data sources and methodologies.