Dowling College School of Aviation

The first lesson you will learn at Dowling’s School of Aviation is that there are many exciting careers in aviation besides flying airplanes. Our graduates are intensely recruited because employers know they have a balanced liberal arts background as well as experience with the industry’s most advanced
equipment. The Dowling College School of Aviation operates out of Brookhaven’s Calabro Airport in Shirley, New York. Dowling’s 105-acre Brookhaven Campus is located adjacent to the airport, which enables extensive flying opportunities not present at other collegiate aviation programs. Three FRASCA flight simulators are available 24-7, and we maintain our own fleet of Piper and Cessna aircraft, including the first all-glass cockpit planes at any school in the world.

Dowling is one of only 23 approved colleges & universities in the U.S. that participates in the AT-CTI program, providing students an opportunity to become Air Traffic Controllers.

Degree Programs in Aviation

The mission of the School of Aviation is to provide a liberal education leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in a variety of aviation disciplines. The degree programs prepare students for further research and study in management, technology, mathematics and for entry into commercial and military aviation, airports, air traffic control and other areas of the air transport and aerospace industry. Flight training courses lead to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Private and Commercial certificates, the Instrument and Multi-engine ratings, the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certificate and CFI Instrument and CFI Multi-engine ratings. Students planning to become professional pilots should enroll in the Professional Pilot Minor and start flight training in their first semester. Students interested in non-professional flying are encouraged to enroll in the Executive Pilot Minor which leads to the FAA Private Pilot certificate with the Instrument rating. Students in the other Schools of Dowling College are encouraged to enroll in the Executive Pilot Minor. The School of Aviation participates in the FAA Air Traffic Control Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program which is the primary source for hiring air traffic controllers.

B.S. in Aerospace Systems Technology

The faculty in the Aerospace Systems Technology Program are dedicated to providing students with an understanding of the nature, functions, structures and procedures of the air transportation industry from the perspective of theuse of technology in providing safe, efficient, economical transportation. Students will develop the ability to work on multiple complex problems in acollaborative environment developing skills to formulate technological solutions, working alone and in teams. Within the Dowling College environment, the students are provided a comprehensive liberal education from selected courses in the School of Arts and Sciences. In addition, those who desire to become pilots will receive additional ground and flight training leading to FAA certificates and ratings, by registering for the Professional Pilot Minor. Those who desire to become Federal air traffic controllers will receive training in preparation for the FAA Air Traffic Control school.

B.S. in Aviation Management

The faculty in the Aviation Management Program are dedicated to providing students with an understanding of the nature, functions, structure and procedures of the air transportation industry. Students are educated to excel as administrators managers and operators in the variety of businesses related to flying. Within the Dowling College environment, students are provided a comprehensive liberal education from selected courses in the School of Arts and Sciences and an understanding of the nature of business from selected courses in the School of Business.In addition, those who desire to become pilots will receive additional ground and flight training leading to FAA certificates and ratings, by registering for the Professional Pilot Minor. Those who desire to become Federal air traffic controllers will receive training in preparation for the FAA Air Traffic Control school.

First-Rate Facilicities

Students in Dowling College’s School of Aviation learn on the latest equipment in the world’s most varied and demanding airspace.

We maintain our own fleet of Piper aircraft, including nine Piper Warriors,an Arrow and a twin-engine Seminole and five Cessna 172SP aircraft.

You can practice your pilot skills at any hour of the day or night in our FRASCA flight simulators, which match the controls of our planes.

Dowling has received $5 million from NASA to construct a unique Virtual Airport Operations System, a ground-level simulator depictingairport systems, roadways, terminals and taxiways with simulated offices and work centers for various airport personnel positions.

Dowling was the first college in the nation to feature the NEW PIPER WARRIOR III aircraft equipped with the Avidyne Entegra Flight MaxSystem (Glass Cockpit Technology) and Garmin GTX 330 Mode S transponders with traffic alert.

Dowling provides nationwide internship opportunities and outstanding job placement.

For additional information or to speak with our Enrollment staff, please call 1-800-DOWLING, visit www.dowling.edu or send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it