Aviation Maintenance Degree Guide: Certificate, Associate or Bachelor's

Aviation Maintenance Degree vs. the FAA Mechanic Certificate

An aviation maintenance degree and the FAA mechanic certificate get mixed up constantly, so start here. The certificate carries Airframe and Powerplant ratings, and with both it's known as the A&P. You earn it by passing the General, Airframe and Powerplant knowledge tests, then an oral and practical test with a Designated Mechanic Examiner. A degree is an academic award from a college. It never replaces those FAA tests.

The FAA recognizes two ways to build the training for the tests: an FAA-approved aviation maintenance technician school, or documented experience of at least 18 months for one rating or 30 months for both (14 CFR 65.77). In ATEC's 2025 Pipeline Report, two-thirds of new mechanics came through an aircraft mechanic school.

Every FAA-approved school must give each graduate an authenticated document showing the graduation date and curriculum completed (14 CFR Part 147). That document is what gets you to the test. Whether the school also awards a college certificate, a diploma or a degree depends on the school. Our guide to how to become an aircraft mechanic covers the full route.

Certificate vs. Associate vs. Bachelor's Degree

We checked the credential each of the 225 schools in our aircraft mechanic school directory lists on its own program page, then matched schools to IPEDS, the federal college data system. Here's how often each aviation maintenance degree level shows up.

Lengths as published on each school's program page, retrieved Sep 2026.

Associate Degree in Aviation Maintenance

The associate is the most common aviation maintenance degree. 130 FAA-approved schools award one, and IPEDS counted 2,286 associate degrees in the three aviation maintenance fields in 2023-24, against 125 bachelor's degrees. Here's how those programs break down by field and award level.

The most common name is the Associate of Applied Science (AAS), listed by 84 schools. You'll also see an Associate of Science at Broward College, an Associate of Arts at Liberty University, an Associate of Occupational Studies at Spartan College's Inglewood campus, and an Associate in Specialized Technology at Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics.

What an associate aviation maintenance degree adds is general education. Arkansas State University Mid-South's AAS runs 70 to 73 credits: 16 general education credits plus 54 to 57 aviation credits. Those extra credits are what a bachelor's program can build on later.

Aviation Maintenance Degree Cost and Time

Start with tuition for an associate aviation maintenance degree. Across the 106 colleges with an aviation maintenance associate program in IPEDS that publish in-state tuition, the median is $4,449 a year for 2024-25. That's the midpoint of the 53rd and 54th values, $4,440 and $4,458. It's college-wide tuition, not the aviation program's full price.

Program fees are where the real cost sits. Aims Community College lists $10,050 in in-district tuition for its 70-credit AAS, plus an estimated $25,500 in separate lab and course fees. Here's what other schools publish for their associate programs, in their own terms.

Costs as each school publishes them, retrieved Sep 2026. Periods differ, so compare with care.

On time, the FAA puts most FAA-approved programs at 18 to 24 months, depending on the ratings you want. With general education added, the associate programs in the table above run from 20 months to six semesters.

A bachelor's runs about four years, and the 42 colleges with an IPEDS aviation management bachelor's that publish tuition have a median in-state tuition of $14,594 a year (the midpoint of $14,158 and $15,030). Public colleges sit at $8,052 (18 colleges) and private ones at $31,760 (24 colleges). See our guides to aircraft mechanic school cost and how long aircraft mechanic school takes for more.

Bachelor's in Aviation Maintenance

A bachelor's in aviation maintenance is rare. 14 of 225 FAA-approved schools list one on their program pages or report one to IPEDS. These are the schools and the degree each one names.

Degree names from each school's program page, retrieved Sep 2026. Schools found only through IPEDS appear in the next table.

The programs differ more than the names suggest. LeTourneau pairs the major with an aviation minor such as Aviation Management or Aviation Safety. MTSU requires 45 hours of aerospace coursework plus a minor. Vincennes feeds its aviation maintenance associate into Purdue's bachelor's, about four years in total.

Aviation Maintenance Management Degree Programs

Look for an aviation maintenance management degree and most programs sit in a different federal category: Aviation/Airway Management and Operations, CIP 49.0104. IPEDS lists 43 bachelor's programs with 1,016 completions in 2023-24, and 10 master's programs with 110. It's a broader field than maintenance, so check each curriculum for maintenance coursework before you apply.

IPEDS C2024_A completions and COST1_2024 in-state tuition (college-wide, not a program price).

10 of these colleges also run an FAA-approved aviation maintenance program, so you can train for the certificate and the management degree at one school: Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Lewis University, Liberty University, Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, Middle Tennessee State University, Hallmark University, Southern Utah University, Utah State University, LeTourneau University and California Aeronautical University.

When a Degree Matters and When It Doesn't

Whether an aviation maintenance degree is worth the extra semesters depends on the job you want. For some roles it's required. For others, experience and the mechanic certificate decide it.

Military Officer Roles

This is where a four-year degree carries the most weight. The Navy's Aviation Maintenance Duty Officers lead flight support teams and make sure aircraft maintenance has been done correctly. The Navy lists a degree from a four-year college as the minimum education for commissioned officers, with possible exceptions for extensive service experience.

Enlisted maintainers are a different story. The FAA may credit military aviation maintenance experience toward the mechanic certificate, but only time spent working in the specialty counts, not time spent training for it. Our military aircraft mechanic guide explains how that works.

FAA Inspector Jobs

OPM's qualification standard for Aviation Safety Inspectors lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the education requirement, plus one year of specialized experience. Airworthiness inspector jobs also require aircraft maintenance experience within the last 3 years and an FAA mechanic certificate with both ratings. Here, hours on aircraft carry the weight.

Inspection Authorization

The same goes for IA. Under 14 CFR 65.91 you need both ratings in effect for at least 3 years, 2 years of active maintenance right before you apply, a fixed base of operations, and a passing written test. Our Inspection Authorization guide has the details.

Pay and Moving Up

BLS publishes aircraft mechanic pay by industry, and the spread is wide. The national median is $79,870 (May 2025), ranging from $72,910 in support activities for air transportation to $98,300 at scheduled airlines. See the full aircraft mechanic salary data and airline mechanic pay.

A bachelor's is the entry point for officer programs and graduate study, and schools such as Kansas State Salina and MTSU build maintenance management into their bachelor's tracks.

Stacking a Degree on Your Mechanic Certificate

You can also finish an aviation maintenance degree after the certificate. Ivy Tech Community College offers an accelerated AAS for FAA-licensed mechanics, 16 credit hours over one or two semesters. Middle Georgia State University says mechanics who hold both ratings may receive up to 27 credit hours toward its Bachelor of Applied Science in Technical Management.

How we match schools to IPEDS and verify program facts is explained in our data methodology.