By Andrea Lannom
Register-Herald Reporter
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Mountain State University and Airline Transport Professionals signed an academic services agreement Wednesday to reflect a new bachelor’s degree for aviation students with flight training to be completed through ATP.
ATP is a flight school with approximately 8,000 hours of flight training and nationwide cross-country flight experience per month. More than 3,300 FAA certificates are issued annually.
MSU President Charles Polk said he was excited for the opportunity.
“This means a lot for both of us,” he said. “We will be penetrating 22 new markets that we didn’t have before.”
ATP President Derrick Dennis said he was happy to be aligned with MSU, saying the two organizations will fit “hand-in-hand.”
“ATP is proud to be part of MSU’s airline program,” Dennis said. “No other degree program is able to offer this level of professional flight training.”
In addition to gaining the necessary FAA pilot certifications, students will be qualified to work as flight instructors and begin working toward their total flight experience time while also pursuing an airline-respected bachelor’s degree, in about 16 months.
Although students will have to transfer to one of the ATP flight schools, Polk says they will still be able to take general studies courses at MSU’s campus or take a few online. Polk estimates the bulk of students will be online.
Polk said the interest in the program has been huge, stating more than 1,000 people have already called MSU asking for more information on the program.
“I anticipate that just within this year we will have 500 to 1,000 students enrolled in this program,” Polk said. “Hopefully, more than this.”
The reason MSU decided to partner with ATP, Polk said, is because of ATP’s 26-year track record of training professional pilots in multi-engine aircraft. Having a joint effort will make aspiring pilots more “well-rounded.”
“Students will still get the training they need from ATP, but they will also take the general studies courses to make them a more well rounded individual.”
Dennis said pilots are in demand. In today’s world, he said, having a degree is “imperative.”
“We will see an increase in the demand for airline pilots, especially around 2012 when many of the pilots will retire,” he said. “With this degree program available, students will be better prepared for the airline business.”
For more information, call MSU at 866-367-6781 or ATP at 800-255-2877.
