A student and instructor in an air traffic controller class at Aims Community College.

Next Steps

This program has a multi-step application process.

How to Apply

Do you have questions?

Meet with an Enrollment Coach!

Degree at a Glance

Degree Type

Associate of Applied Science

Location

Windsor Campus

Flight Training Center

Credits

Tuition*

In-District

$6,560

In-State

$9,875

WUE

$14,360

Out-of-State

$33,210

Est. Lab/Course Fees

$6,000

*Check Cashier’s Office for current tuition rates and lab/course fees and your program for any additional costs.

Air Traffic Control

Earn an Air Traffic Control Associate Degree at Aims

Do you enjoy solving puzzles in a fast-paced environment? If so, a career in air traffic control could be fulfilling and exciting. Air traffic control is a highly competitive field, so a thorough hands-on education can make all the difference.

Learn to use state-of-the-art simulation equipment at one of only 30 air traffic control schools in the country with an FAA-designated Enhanced AT-CTI flight control program of this caliber. Aims is also the first community college in the nation authorized to offer both Terminal (Tower) and Enroute air traffic control training pathways. The program is a partnership designed to modernize air traffic controller training and help address a long-term national controller shortage by expanding high-quality collegiate training options under FAA oversight.

Coursework subjects include:

Air Traffic Control Procedures
Instrumentation
Air Traffic Control Phraseology
Aviation Meteorology
Radar & Non-Radar Simulation

Set yourself up for a successful career keeping passengers and pilots safe as they travel around the world with an air traffic controller associate degree from Aims Community College.

See Air Traffic Control Associate Degree Requirements

"It's very rare in the college community to actually be in a lab like this one, where you're given the opportunity in a simulated environment to do exactly what an air traffic controller does."

--Patti Phillips, Lead Faculty Member, Air Traffic Control

Make a Career of Solving Puzzles

Aims Degree Video - Aviation - Air Traffic Controller

Patti Phillips, Air Traffic Controller Instructor, describes how the air traffic controller associate degree at Aims prepares you for success.

Learn Practical Skills Using Real Equipment

While pursuing your air traffic control associate degree, you’ll gain the technical skills that will prepare you to enter the FAA academy. With three semesters of hands-on practice in a lab setting using state-of-the-art simulators, you can learn everything required to be successful in this fast-paced, exciting career.

Learn how to:

Speak and understand air traffic communication
Route planes using radar and non-radar techniques
Read and understand FAA instruments
Recognize and interpret atmospheric weather for flight
Succeed at the FAA academy and in your future career

Mission Statement

Empowering students to become successful aviation professionals.

An Aims air traffic controller program instructor with student in a control tower

An Aims air traffic controller student using a computer

An Aims instructor and student in an air traffic controller classroom

A student practices on a computer in the Aims air traffic controller degree program

Aims Community College has invested in modern simulators for pilots and air traffic controllers that provide students real-world training, second-to-none.

Launch Your Air Traffic Control Career

Controlling air traffic is a detail-oriented, high-pressure career where lives are on the line. These challenges can be both fulfilling and lucrative. Getting into this high-intensity job has several steps:

Successfully complete an air traffic control degree program
Pass the air traffic control aptitude test
Apply to the FAA
When accepted, attend the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Pass the required courses at the Academy
Report to your assigned ATC facility, where your training continues in an operational environment

Because Aims holds the Enhanced AT-CTI designation, graduates can experience faster workforce entry, reduced training redundancy and direct alignment with FAA hiring needs.

The Enhanced AT-CTI designation allows qualified Aims students to access a direct, specialized pathway into the air traffic control workforce, significantly shortening the traditional training timeline. Graduates of the program who pass the FAA Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) and meet all medical and security requirements may bypass training at the FAA Air Traffic Control Academy in Oklahoma City and proceed directly to facility-specific training if hired as Air Traffic Control Specialists.