Middle Tennesee State University

Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University offers six aerospace Bachelor’s degree paths, from flight training to maintenance management. The history of flight training at MTSU dates back to World War II, when flight training took place right on campus. Its newest program, Unmanned Aerial Systems, is dedicated to helping aviation professionals adapt to future technology and the growing amount of jobs in that space.

Program Highlights

Middle Tennessee State is an FAA-approved Part 141 pilot school and flight operations are conducted at the City of Murfreesboro Airport (KMBT), a short 10-minute drive from the main campus. This allows students to conveniently have flight blocks and core classes on the same day.

Programs MTSU offers include:

• Bachelor of Science
  • Aviation Management
  • Flight Dispatch
  • Maintenance Management
  • Professional Pilot
  • Technology
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operations
• Master of Science
  • Aviation Education
  • Aviation Management
  • Aviation Safety and Security Management
• Minors
  • Aerospace
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operations
  • Air Traffic Control (ATC) Minor

Middle Tennessee State teams up with Delta to bring students access to its Collegiate Pilot Career Path. This gives students the opportunity to gain conditional employment offers from Delta while they are training at MTSU.

The professional flight degree is accredited by Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). The school is also part of Region 8 of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association.

Value

MTSU has higher tuition than most state universities. In-state base tuition starts at about $14,000 before any flight hours, and out-of-state starts at $43,000. If a student is a resident of one of the Southern states from Maryland to Texas, they may be eligible for an in-state tuition waiver.

On top of base tuition, flight students will have additional costs for flight courses. Over the course of four years, to complete all flight certificates MTSU has to offer, students will need an additional $80,000.

The school offers dozens of aviation scholarships to help mitigate the cost of tuition and flight and also provides links to outside scholarships for aviation students.

Some scholarships include:

● Randall C. Wood USAF Ret. Scholarship
● Donald and Frances McDonald Endowed Aerospace Scholarship
● Deaver Phoenix Foundation Annual Scholarship

The school also accepts veteran’s benefits such as the GI Bill.

Fleet and Facilities

Middle Tennessee State University primarily flies Diamond aircraft for flight training. The school’s fleet includes:

● One Diamond DA20
● 30 Diamond DA40s
● Three Piper Seminoles
● One Piper Super Cub

Twenty of MTSU’s DA40s have the Garmin G1000 suites equipped with the GFC Automated Flight Control System and Garmin’s Synthetic Vision Technology.

Graduates from MTSU’s Part 141 flight training program are eligible for the restricted ATP of 1,000 hours.

Campus Life

Middle Tennessee State is a midsized state university with an enrollment just under 20,000 students. Given its size and history, MTSU is able to offer students a rich campus life. It offers more than 350 student clubs and organizations. Greek life is also very prominent at MTSU, and students can find a home away from home within one of the many sorority or fraternity houses.

For students looking to study abroad, MTSU offers programs in dozens of countries, including:

● Brazil
● China
● Greece

MTSU also provides financial assistance and scholarships to study-abroad students.

The school is dedicated to making students feel included through diversity initiatives. Through these, they offer many services and programs to support students.

The Bottom Line

Middle Tennessee State University is a midsized state school that has been training pilots since World War II. It is dedicated to churning out professional pilots and aviation management. At MTSU, students will have the opportunity to join many clubs or organizations, participate in Greek life and have the benefit of going to a school that makes inclusion a priority.