Florida Tech Launches Online Professional Doctorate in Aviation

Adam Lowenstein May 4, 2017

Av.D. is First Residency-Free, Fully Online
Aviation Doctoral Degree to be Offered

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Aeronautics is pleased to announce the launch of a doctorate in aviation degree designed for aviation professionals and built on the college’s 50-year legacy as one of the top university-based aviation programs in the country.

Ideal for aviation executives, aviation academics looking for a professional terminal degree and aviation professionals who want to advance their careers, Florida Tech’s innovative Doctor of Aviation, or Av.D., is the first 100-percent online, residency-free aviation doctoral degree offered anywhere.

Starting in the Fall 2017 semester, the year-round, research-based program can be completed in three years. Ten students will be admitted into the inaugural cohort. The curriculum consists of a minimum of 42 semester credit hours partitioned into two main components: a 24-hour core consisting of research design, statistics, and aviation content courses; and a minimum of 18 semester credit hours of dissertation research.

“This is a historic event for the Florida Tech College of Aeronautics,” said Dean Korhan Oyman. “The Av.D. program will enable working aviation professionals who seek a doctorate in aviation to complete the program without having to interrupt their career.”

The online Av.D. program complements the college’s current resident-only Ph.D. program in aviation sciences by offering prospective students the choice between an academic doctorate (Ph.D.) and a professional doctorate (Av.D.) in aviation. The primary difference between the programs is in the focus of the dissertation. Instead of being theory-driven, as is the case with the Ph.D. program, the Av.D. dissertation research will be oriented for business/industry practitioners and typically will involve a practical field problem.

For more on the degree program, visit http://www.fit.edu/programs/9105/avd-doctor-of-aviation or contact Michael A. Gallo, Ph.D., at gallo@fit.edu or 321-674-7634.

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