Aviation Sciences Program Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Baylor Institute for Air Science began in 1991 with a bachelor of science degree. Courses were designed to form professional pilots, while simultaneously researching aircraft alternative fuels and atmospheric sampling. Today, the pilot training part of the degree remains intact, but Baylor also has added concentrations in aircraft dispatch and air traffic control. The newest members of the aviation sciences program are the aviation administration major and a secondary major and minor in aviation sciences.

“Today, we offer more aviation degree options than ever before to help our students realize their career goals, and we have created new industry partnerships to enhance their opportunities after graduation,” said Dr. Trey Cade III, assistant research professor and director of the Baylor Institute of Air Science. “We are excited about the future and what our students will continue to accomplish, making Baylor University an important contributor to the nation’s aviation community.”

After 25 years, not only have degrees and concentrations been added, but the mission of the Institute for Air Science has expanded to include education and research in atmospheric and space sciences as well. The program includes meteorology and space weather courses, as well as the newly created Space Weather Research Lab (SWERL) at the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), where faculty actively involve undergraduate students in space science research.

“The aviation science department at Baylor is unique because we do offer such a rigorous academic preparation to our students,” said Aaron Dabney, Baylor adjunct lecturer, in a video. “So many programs are just focused solely on the aviation aspect, but our students have an academic preparation that allows them to pursue things in aviation outside the cockpit.”