Nova Southeastern University (NSU) will begin offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services Administration with a concentration in Human Factors in Aviation in fall 2012 in partnership with American Flyers.
The program includes two areas of concentration: Basics in Aviation and Professional Development in Aviation. The concentrations will provide opportunities for students to gain knowledge and experience in the areas of human behavior and the technical aspects of flight, officials said.
Beginning this fall, the program will be available online, supplemented with flight training offered through American Flyers. American Flyers has been established within the flight training industry since 1939 and operates nine pilot training facilities in six states, as well as national and international career training centers, including locations in Florida, California, and Texas.
The new program was created in anticipation of a predicted worldwide pilot shortage, company officials said. According to some industry experts, more than 5,000 qualified pilots will be in demand each year for the next 20 years in the United States alone.
“Most people are unaware of the serious pilot shortage… some airlines have actually grounded aircraft because of a lack of crew,” said Don Harrington, CEO, American Flyers. “NSU’s program is unique in that they want to teach the human factors of crew resource management as well as utilize American Flyers’ seventy year pragmatic approach to educating pilots.”
American Flyers will provide simulator and actual flight training, allowing students to earn their private pilot’s license and instrument rating. An advanced flight training and aviation career curriculum is also being offered, in which students can earn their commercial, multi-engine and flight instructor certificates.
The program, housed in NSU’s Institute for the Study of Human Service, Health and Justice, will offer courses on topics covering communication, critical thinking, problem-solving and resource management. NSU Provost and Executive Vice President Frank De Piano, Ph.D. commented, “Human factors in aviation meets a critical need in the industry to develop sound judgment and decision-making while engaged in aircraft operations. The human factors in aviation remain a major source of accidents and flight mishaps.
For more information: NOVA.edu
