Prospective Students

Thank you for your interest in the bachelor's degree programs at the Department of Aviation and Technology at San Jose State University! 
If you enjoy working with technologies and are interested in a degree that will prepare you for an exciting and well-paying career, we can help.  Have you chosen your major yet?  Are you unhappy with your current major?  Does you major offer you good prospects of an interesting career that pays well?  Do you need more information about our programs in the Department of Aviation and Technology?  What specific courses will you need to take?  This page is for you!

A new student at SJSU has many questions about both their plan of study and their chose career. We include this page to give you more information about these careers and to answer some of the questions you might have. You can always email our Chair, Dr. Seth Bates at sbates@sjsu.edu or call the department at 408-924-3190.  Or, you might want to view some of the links below.

Q & A for future Aviation students

  • Q: What does it take to become a pilot?

A: Go to the FAA web site at http://www.faa.gov and click on Frequently Asked Questions.

  • Q: I am currently a senior in high school and I am interested in attending SJSU and majoring in aviation operations, but I have some questions regarding the program. I would like to know if the aviation degree is accredited and if I will receive any flight training as part of the program. 

    A: The Department offers four different options under the BS in Aviation: Avionics, Aviation Management, Operations, and Maintenance Management. All students take the same courses under preparation for the major.  Also, there are 9 core classes that are taken by all Aviation majors. After a student completes the core classes, there are an additional 51 units in each option. The Aviation Management option prepares students to work in either a public or private airport or a general aviation company. The Operations option is designed for those students who wish to work in the operations side for a commercial airline, including the position of pilot. In these two options, the students acquire a strong foundation of business and management principles, finance and accounting, information systems, communication skills, and teamwork. The Avionics option is an entirely new area for the aviation program. This option provides basic and advanced courses in electronics and adds specialized courses in Avionics. The Maintenance Management option is a 2+2 program for students from local community colleges.

    We do not include flight as part of the curriculum here at SJSU. However, we do graduate many students who go on to become pilots for major airlines. Most students gain their flying hours through an affiliated club, the Flying 20s (http://www.flying20.com/). SJSU is accredited by WASC however the BS in Aviation is not accredited separately by any agency.

  • Q: Hi, I have questions. Is there any flight school nearby the campus?  Is the Bachelor degree program includes the flying lessons?

    A: There are several flight schools located at Reid Hillview airport (see http://www.reidhillviewairport.com/). The BS in Aviation does not included flying lessons, though there is an active and successful SJSU Flying Club as well as many other student organizations that you will enjoy and will help you!

Q & A for future Industrial Technology  students

A:  Industrial Technology is a field of study designed to prepare technical and/or management oriented professionals for employment in business, industry, education, and government. Industrial Technology is primarily involved with the management, operation, and maintenance of complex technological systems while Engineering and Engineering Technology are primarily involved with the design and installation of these systems.  Industrial Technology programs are represented nationally by the National Association of Industrial Technology (nait.org).  Our program has been accredited by NAIT since 1967.

  • Q: How many students graduate from the Industrial Technology program each year?  How well do they place in industry?

A:  SJSU distributes a report yearly that shows the number of graduate in each major. To view the current report, click on the link below. 5-year graduation history.  Placement data for BSIT graduates show that over 90% of our graduates find successful placements in careers directly related to their degree program!

  • Q: What are the educational achievement rates of students in the IT program?

A:  SJSU collects information on student grades in all of their courses. This report shows the number of grades given in all the departments in the College of Engineering. To access the Engineering report, please click here. You can download information about all the departments in the university from the Institutional Research web site (http://www.ipar.sjsu.edu/).

 

 

This page is managed by Ms. Supriya Gurjar and Dr. Seth Bates at the Department of Aviation and Technology.
They can be reached at sbates@sjsu.edu or by phone at 408 924-3227.
For more information, please contact the Aviation and Technology Department office at 408-924-3190.