Marks Alabama’s First HBCU to Offer an Aviation Degree Pathway

Tuskegee University recently received accreditation and opened applications for its new aviation degree program. This will make it the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) in Alabama to offer an aviation pathway.

The program is an addition to Tuskegee University’s existing aerospace avenue. It launched its EAC/ABET accredited aerospace science engineering program in 1983 and currently provides a Bachelor of Science degree.

The university received $6.7 million in federal funding for the new flight program earlier this year. Enrolled students will be working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Science while simultaneously earning FAA pilot certifications. The flight training portion will be conducted at Morton Field: the primary training location for the Tuskegee Airmen.

Tuskegee University is also hoping to allow high school students interested in aviation to participate in the program in the future.

“We have responded to the demand for pilots,” stated S. Keith Hargrove, Tuskegee provost and senior VP of academic affairs. “There are more than 10,000 to 15,000 pilots that are needed here in the US.”

Studies show that, as of 2022, approximately 2.59% of the pilot and flight engineer workforce are Black -- or about 5,000 of the 200,000 pilots nationwide. This is a part of the industry that Tuskegee University is working to change.

Alabama’s Tuskegee Airmen were a part of the college’s inspiration for this project. These aviators broke the standard in 1945 by becoming the first Black pilots in the US military. They have received worldwide praise for their service, including a Congressional Gold Medal, Distinguished Unit Citations, Bronze Stars, Air Medals, and Purple Hearts.

Tuskegee University was home to the Airmen’s Detachment 015 and has since worked to carry on their legacy. It donated land to build the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Museum and has generated the “largest number of Black aerospace science engineers” of any institution since its creation, it states.

The program is slated to launch next January, with applications for its first class due by October 30.

FMI: www.tuskegee.edu