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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in Air Transportation worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 18 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Strong payoff

+$184,597 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

4.0 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+152%Estimated return after 10 years
$75,637Observed earnings · year 4
$108,185Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0

The price benchmark is $92,299 per year below this threshold.

Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$75,637 observed annual earnings · 2 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$75,637Typical earnings four years after completion
$71,187Average earnings five years after completion
$14,803Typical federal student debt
93thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
15College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 1 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Air Transportation

How much do Air Transportation associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $75,637 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $14,803. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Air Transportation?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $59,093 to $83,343 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Air Transportation?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 8 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$41,061
Federal debt
$6,333
Programs in the comparison
4
3 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$75,637
Federal debt
$14,803
Programs in the comparison
18
15 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$83,283
Federal debt
$24,500
Programs in the comparison
59
54 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$113,161
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
7
7 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$59,093National median$75,63775th percentile$83,343
15 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$83,34375th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$14,803Median federal debt across programs that report it
2Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Northwestern Michigan College

$109,489 four years after completionTraverse City, MI · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Polk State College

$11,197 among completer borrowersWinter Haven, FL · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide

309 reported awards in 2024–25Daytona Beach, FL · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$103,606Observed year-4 earnings$50,507
$5,463Annual college-wide average net price$39,986
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

18 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 18 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Northwestern Michigan College$109,4892Southern Illinois University-Carbondale$103,6063Southern Utah University$87,8454Polk State College$83,6575Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach$83,3436Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide$83,3437Miami Dade College$78,7268Broward College$75,6379Montana State University$74,02610Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology$69,808

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$232,140 median wage103,560 jobs nationwide+8.3% projected growth through 2035 · 11,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$106,710–$463,830 typical wage rangeCommercial Pilots$123,220 median wage47,630 jobs nationwide+5.2% projected growth through 2035 · 5,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$58,850–$266,620 typical wage rangeTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$107,230 median wage221,180 jobs nationwide+6.1% projected growth through 2035 · 18,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$65,120–$194,900 typical wage rangeAir Traffic Controllers$148,080 median wage22,510 jobs nationwide+1.7% projected growth through 2035 · 2,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$78,420–$215,610 typical wage rangeFlight Attendants$63,580 median wage131,650 jobs nationwide+8.8% projected growth through 2035 · 18,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$35,110–$136,430 typical wage rangeAirfield Operations Specialists$56,850 median wage15,190 jobs nationwide+7.8% projected growth through 2035 · 1,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$35,870–$102,120 typical wage rangeFirst-Line Supervisors of Passenger AttendantsUnreported jobs nationwideNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

FL5 programs$80,941 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.