Aviation Management · Illinois

Aviation Management colleges in Illinois

CampusPin lists 134 U.S. colleges in Illinois that offer Aviation Management programs. Compare tuition, acceptance rate, and enrollment in the table below, every figure links back to the institution's official IPEDS data.

Aviation Management trains students in the business and operations side of air travel, from airport and airline operations to ground, cargo, safety, and regulatory work.

Schools in Illinois that offer Aviation Management

Aviation Management programs in Illinois: by the numbers

A quick comparison of the 50 schools (of 134 total) listed above, drawn from each institution's published IPEDS data.

Schools listed

134

Public / private

23 / 27

Universities / 2-year

29 / 21

Cities represented

30

In-state tuition range

$3,180–$55,704

Median in-state tuition

$16,606

Lowest published in-state tuition

Elgin Community College

$3,180

Most selective

Chicago State University

41% acceptance

Largest by enrollment

DeVry University-Illinois

29,175 students

Figures reflect the schools currently listed and each institution's most recent reported data. Verify current tuition and admissions details with the school before applying.

What you'll study in a Aviation Management program

  • Airport operations and terminal and airfield management
  • Ground traffic direction and flightline operations
  • Ground support, ramp, and aircraft handling procedures
  • Passenger and cargo operations and service coordination
  • Flight safety, risk management, and safety management systems
  • Aviation industry regulation and regulatory compliance
  • Aviation scheduling, capacity, and resource planning
  • Aviation business management, finance, and economics
  • Customer service and operations within aviation services

Where a Aviation Management degree can lead

  • Airport Operations Manager
  • Airline Operations Coordinator
  • Ground Operations Supervisor
  • Cargo Operations Manager
  • Aviation Safety Officer
  • Fixed-Base Operator Manager

Typical pay: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 transportation, storage, and distribution managers median $102,010).

Aviation Management is the business and operations discipline of the aviation industry, preparing students to apply technical knowledge and management skill to the running of airports, airlines, and aviation services. Coursework grounds students in airport operations, ground traffic direction, ground support and flightline operations, passenger and cargo handling, flight safety, and the body of regulation that governs the industry. The emphasis is on coordinating people, aircraft, and facilities efficiently rather than on flying or repairing the aircraft. This is a key distinction from a piloting-focused Aviation degree, which centers on operating aircraft from the cockpit, and from Aviation Maintenance, which centers on inspecting and repairing them. Aviation Management instead asks how an airfield, a terminal, or an airline schedule is planned, staffed, kept safe, and held to regulatory standards, treating the airport and the air carrier as complex operations to be managed.

The major is usually offered as a bachelor's program, often housed in a business or aviation school, and combines management and regulatory coursework with applied work in passenger and cargo operations, flightline and ground support, and aviation safety. Programs commonly include labs, simulations, or an internship at an airport, fixed-base operator, or carrier so students practice scheduling, ground handling, and compliance in realistic settings. It is worth being clear about credentials, because the closely related federal occupation reports a typical entry-level education of a high school diploma, yet the academic pathway into aviation management is generally a four-year degree, and the two simply describe different things. Any specific program's accreditation, and any certificate a particular operations or safety role may expect, should be verified directly with the school and the relevant aviation authority. Graduates work for airports, airlines, charter and cargo operators, ground-handling firms, and aviation service companies.

In federal data for the closely related occupation of transportation, storage, and distribution managers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $102,010 and projects employment to grow about 6.1% from 2024 to 2034; a high school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.

Aviation Management in other states

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Use CampusPin's filter-first search to narrow 134+ Aviation Management programs in Illinois by tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting.

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