Social Sciences Air Transportation (BA) Pre-Major
Students interested in majoring in Social Sciences Air Transportation will begin in the pre-major program in the Department of Geography. As a pre-major student, you will be fulfilling critical introductory coursework, preparing you to apply to either the Social Sciences Air Transportation major OR the Social Sciences Air Transportation major with the Professional Pilot Certification (PPC) Specialization.
Students are required to apply for admission to the major after completion of pre-major coursework. The competitive admissions process is based on cumulative grade point average and performance in the following foundational courses: AVIATN 2000, AVIATN 2100, GEOG 2400 and GEOG 3300. Applications are accepted each semester.
See below for the different pathways in becoming a Social Sciences Air Transportation major:
New First Year Students (beginning Autumn 2023)
Beginning in the Autumn 2023 semester, new first-year students will begin their first year at OSU as a Pre-Air Transportation major. During the first year, students typically complete the pre-major course requirements and apply for admission to the major (with or without the PPC specialization) at the end of their second semester.
Current OSU Students (beginning Spring 2023)
Current OSU students interested in majoring in Social Sciences Air Transportation should reach out to an academic advisor in the Department of Geography to change to the pre-major. Pre-major students will complete the pre-major course requirements and apply for admission to the major usually within 1-2 semesters after declaring the pre-major.
Transfer Students (beginning Spring 2023)
Beginning in the Spring 2023 semester, transfer students will begin their first semester at OSU as a pre-Social Sciences Air Transportation major. Depending on the starting semester, students may take one or two semesters to complete the pre-major course requirements and apply for admission to their major and optional specialization at the end of that semester. Direct equivalents to the pre-major requirements are permitted but credit for these courses must be posted to the student’s Ohio State record by the Major Application deadline.
Pre-Major Requirements
Students must complete four pre-major courses. A grade of C- or better is required in all courses for a student to be eligible for the Social Sciences Air Transportation major. If the student is interested in adding the Professional Pilot Certification (PPC) Specialization, they must earn a B- or better in AVIATN 2100.
- AVIATN 2000 – Intro to the Aviation Industry (C- or better)
- AVIATN 2100 – Private Pilot Fundamentals
- Major without PPC (C- or better)
- Major with PPC (B- or better)
- GEOG 2400 – Social & Economic Geography (C- or better)
- GEOG 3300 – Transportation Security (C- or better)
Entry to the Major
Pre-Major to Major review does not begin until final grades have been posted for the semester. Currently, there is not a formal application process. Students who successfully complete the pre-major requirements to the major will be moved into the major.
Students who are interested in the PPC specialization but do not earn a B- or above in AIVATN 2100 may re-take AVIATN 2100 once and re-apply.
Eligibility for the Professional Pilot Certification (PPC) Specialization:
The PPC specialization now has a competitive admissions process and not all Air Transportation majors will ultimately be eligible to fly at Ohio State. Students who successfully complete the Pre-Major courses and earn a B- or better in AVIATN will have the opportunity to declare the Air Transportation major with the Professional Pilot Certification Specialization and enter into the flight slot application process.
Follow this link, to view ENROLLMENT UPDATES FOR PPC Specialization
Process for Enrollment in Flight Labs
- Successfully complete the Pre-Major requirements with a B- or above in AVIATN 2100
- Confirm interest in Flight Education by completing the Flight Education Interest Survey (this must be done every semester until you are enrolled in the flight program).
- You will be assigned a spot on the wait list based on the following rubric, which will be re-calculated each semester:
- Cumulative Ohio State GPA
- Aviation Courses GPA
- Class rank (determined by earned hours)
- Grade in AVIATN 2100
Please note: Aviation is experiencing an unprecedented demand for flight laboratory courses relative to the supply currently available. Aviation continues to work to increase our capacity, through acquisition of aircraft, hiring of additional flight instructors, new flight simulators, and improvements in maintenance and scheduling operations.
Issues & Topics:
Flight
- Flight Fundamentals
- Navigation
- Cross-Country Flight Plans
- Commercial/Business/Cargo
Airport Safety & Security
- Aviation Regulation
- International Aviation
- Aircraft Performance
- Accident Investigation
Airport Planning
- Aviation History
- Airport Design
- Airline Routing
- Airline Scheduling
Weather Data
- Weather Theory
- Weather Patterns
- Aerodynamics
- Flight Performance
Business of Aviation
- Business Models
- Aviation Management
- Marketing Strategies
- Communications
Careers:
- Pilot (Charter, cargo, airline, corporate, or medical)
- Flight Instructor
- Flight Dispatcher
- Flight Attendant
- Airport Operations Planner
- Air Traffic Control
- Safety Inspector
- Airline Scheduler
- National Transportation Safety Board Accident Investigator
- Airport Director