Best degree programs for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, ranked by enrollment
2 college programs and 108 schools train Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $232,140 median wage, 103,560 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
2 college programs at 108 schools train airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers, graduating 2,593 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight Crew. The job pays a median of $232,140 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. Requires Federal Air Transport certificate and rating for specific aircraft type used. Includes regional, national, and international airline pilots and flight instructors of airline pilots.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
2 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 49.0102 | 2,557 | 98.6% | 105 | $41,774 | $23,500 |
| 2 | CIP 49.0108 | 36 | 1.4% | 5 | $41,774 | $23,500 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utahlimited | $174,590 | 1,880 | 1.62× | 2 | 393 |
| California | $353,900 | 10,670 | 0.88× | 11 | 279 |
| Indiana | $171,260 | — | — | 6 | 182 |
| Texas | $215,150 | 10,930 | 1.17× | 8 | 160 |
| Florida | $225,020 | 7,760 | 1.17× | 7 | 152 |
| Oregon | $173,190 | 750 | 0.57× | 5 | 146 |
| Illinoismoderate | $293,490 | 6,460 | 1.59× | 4 | 129 |
| North Carolina | $151,540 | 2,240 | 0.68× | 5 | 119 |
| Coloradomoderate | $307,490 | 5,830 | 3.05× | 3 | 115 |
| Alabamalimited | $136,990 | 360 | 0.26× | 2 | 89 |
| Missourimoderate | $97,680 | 120 | 0.06× | 4 | 88 |
| Kentuckylimited | $350,950 | 6,260 | 4.70× | 1 | 80 |
| Washington | $229,900 | 3,450 | 1.46× | 5 | 73 |
| Arkansaslimited | $168,970 | 250 | 0.29× | 2 | 61 |
| Iowalimited | $131,730 | 100 | 0.10× | 2 | 55 |
| Kansasmoderate | $143,580 | 80 | 0.08× | 4 | 47 |
| Michiganmoderate | $428,570 | — | — | 3 | 47 |
| Arizonalimited | $227,870 | 2,200 | 1.02× | 2 | 32 |
| Ohiolimited | $204,170 | 1,550 | 0.42× | 1 | 30 |
| New Yorkmoderate | $255,240 | 6,900 | 1.07× | 3 | 27 |
| Pennsylvaniamoderate | $164,990 | 2,270 | 0.56× | 4 | 26 |
| Minnesotalimited | $211,470 | 2,960 | 1.51× | 2 | 23 |
| Nevadalimited | $192,460 | 2,160 | 2.09× | 1 | 18 |
| Louisianalimited | $120,740 | 150 | 0.11× | 1 | 17 |
| Mississippilimited | $143,580 | 360 | 0.46× | 1 | 15 |
| Wyominglimited | — | 80 | 0.44× | 2 | 11 |
| Oklahomalimited | $133,680 | 180 | 0.16× | 1 | 8 |
| Alaskalimited | $232,140 | 1,350 | 6.21× | 2 | 6 |
| Massachusettslimited | — | 2,240 | 0.93× | 1 | 4 |
| Mainelimited | $147,930 | 40 | 0.09× | 1 | 4 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.
- Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
- Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.
- Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions.
- Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.
- Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
- Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
- Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed.
Skills
- Monitoring4.1
- Active Listening4.1
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Active Learning3.8
- Speaking3.8
- Writing3.1
- Mathematics3.1
Knowledge areas
- Transportation4.8
- English Language3.9
- Public Safety and Security3.7
- Geography3.7
- Mechanical3.7
- Mathematics3.4
Abilities
- Response Orientation4.9
- Problem Sensitivity4.8
- Control Precision4.6
- Reaction Time4.3
- Far Vision4.3
- Near Vision4.3
Core activities
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.9
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.8
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.7
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.7
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.7
- Getting Information4.7
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Airline Pilot
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 49.0102Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight Crew
- 49.0108Flight Instructor
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become an Airline Pilot?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight Crew, which awarded 2,557 degrees in 2024-25, 98.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Airline Pilot?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Air Transportation. Together they graduate about 2,593 people a year.
How much do airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers earn?+
The median is $232,140 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $106,710 at the 10th percentile to $463,830 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers growing?+
BLS projects a +3.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 11,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
108 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Pilot, Captain, Airline Captain, First Officer (FO) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 53-2011.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card