About the Program
The Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation Technology and Management is a research-intensive program designed to prepare scholars, industry leaders, and policy experts to address complex challenges in global aviation and aerospace systems. The program integrates advanced research methodologies, systems thinking, operational analysis, sustainability, finance, human factors, regulatory policy, safety, unmanned aerial systems, advanced air mobility, and emerging technologies to develop innovative, evidence-based solutions for the aviation industry.
Students engage in rigorous quantitative and qualitative research preparation, including advanced statistical analysis, Bayesian modeling, geospatial applications, simulation, and evaluation of research design. Emphasis is placed on applying research methods to aviation-specific problems in operations, safety, sustainability, finance, revenue, security, leadership, and organizational performance.
The curriculum supports scholarly development across multiple domains, including:
• Aviation safety, human error, and organizational accident prevention
• International aviation regulatory systems and global policy frameworks
• Aviation sustainability, fuels, emissions, and environmental performance
• Operational assessment, process improvement, and process simulation modeling
• Aviation financial management, asset management, leasing, and revenue optimization
• Transportation security and risk management
• Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) integration, GIS integration and interpretation, data analytics, and machine learning applications
• Leadership, training system design, and multi-cultural team performance
• Critical systems thinking for complex aviation enterprises
Doctoral students develop competencies in research design, statistical reasoning, modeling, evaluation of scholarly literature, grant and funding analysis, and dissertation development. The program emphasizes original research that contributes to theory, practice, and policy within aviation and aerospace systems.
Graduates are prepared for careers in academia, government agencies, regulatory bodies, aviation and aerospace corporations, international organizations, consulting firms, and research institutions.
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GPA Requirements
University requirements state that no grade of “D” or “F” is allowed in a course on the plan of study. Any plan of study course in which a grade of “D” or “F” is received must be repeated and completed successfully; it cannot be dropped from the plan of study. Graduation, Probation, and Dismissal GPA Thresholds:
- Graduation 3.00/4.00
- Probation 2.75/4.00
- Dismissal 2.50/4.00
Each fall and spring semester, graduate student performance is evaluated to ensure that the student is performing well and will graduate with a 3.00/4.00. Procedurally this is done in the following way:
- Graduate student grades and academic progress will be monitored at the departmental level.
- Monitoring will begin after six (6) credit hours have been attempted and every semester thereafter in which the student is enrolled.
- Students are expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 /4.00 with no grade less than “B” and earn grades of “Satisfactory” in core courses and dissertation research credit hours.
There is an expectation that grades should not be below a B-, (B minus) in core courses. If a student has a semester GPA less than 2.75/4.00 or a cumulative GPA less than 3.00/4.00, a letter will be drafted by the department head to the student, with a copy to the major professor, to the Graduate School, and to the student’s file, indicating the last semester was determined unsatisfactory and that they are being placed on probation. Graduate students that receive an incomplete in a course will have one semester and 12 weeks into the following semester to complete the course. If that is not done, the Registrar automatically makes the grade a failure.
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