St. Thomas announces new aviation program

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St. Thomas University students will soon be able to take to the skies on the way to becoming commercial pilots, thanks to a new four-year bachelor of arts program.

The university announced the Bachelor of Arts (Aviation Stream) degree on Thursday, offered in partnership with Moncton Flight College Training’s Fredericton campus.

The courses will be available in 2024. Graduates will earn a commercial pilot’s licence, a multi-engine class rating, and a Group 1 instrument rating, while also taking other courses at STU.

“The addition of a university degree to professional flight training will enhance career opportunities for graduates in addition to serving a desire among students to access a more traditional and full university experience,” Dr. Nauman Farooqi, STUs president and vice-chancellor, said in a news release.

Along with various credit-hour requirements in the classroom, students will have to complete 200 hours of flying and hundreds of hours of ground training, according to the STU website. They’ll also need to understand navigation, airplane instruments, weather and aviation regulations.

By their second year in the program, students will aim to have a private pilot’s licence. In total, students require 120 completed credit hours.

The Fredericton campus of MFC Training is 10 minutes from the STU campus.

The university says the degree can lead to various careers, most notably as airline, corporate, charter or cargo pilots.

Dr. Kim Fenwick, vice president (academic research) at STU, said in an emailed statement that there will be 30 spots available in the program.

“This new program will provide enhanced opportunities for STU in areas of recruitment and enrolment growth, provide new opportunities for experiential learning, and lead to new job opportunities for STU graduates,” said Fenwick.

Only two other schools in Canada offer similar programs, said Fenwick.

Mount Allison University, also in partnership MFC Training, has an aviation program where students receive training while also pursuing bachelor’s degrees in arts, science or commerce. The University of Windsor offers an Aeronautics Leadership program as as a bachelor of arts honours degree.

“It will also help to address increased interest and demand from flight students for a more robust and versatile degree that will benefit them personally and professionally in addition to their formal flight training and ground school education,” said Fenwick.

“This degree opens job opportunities for graduates within the air transportation industry in areas such as airport operations, instruction, airline management, aviation finance and economics, and sustainability management in aviation.”