Is it possible to earn a maintenance degree online? Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology has begun to explore this question. According to the FAA, the school is “the first authorized to conduct a distance learning program.” The school has created a hybrid aircraft maintenance technician program that combines online courses with traditional courses in person at its Tulsa, Oklahoma facility. The first class to complete this new program graduated in December 2017.
Spartan College’s partially online aviation maintenance program is separated into two parts: a 10- to 13-month online section to learn the fundamentals of aviation maintenance and a 7- to 9-month on-ground section for advanced learning. The school provides each student with a Microsoft Surface tablet for online learning such as simulation programs. While students learn at their own pace, it can take approximately a year and a half to earn an FAA-approved AMT degree. The hybrid course potentially reduces loans for students, who can continue to live at home and keep their jobs during the online portion.
Boeing’s 2017-2036 Pilot and Technician Outlook Forecast predicts a need for 648,000 new mechanics in the industry over the next 20 years, and Dr. Dan Peterson, Spartan Education Group president and CEO, told AIN he sees a flexible program like Spartan's as essential to meet this demand. The school worked with Computerized Training Systems to create the online platform for the distance education section of the program. Spartan College’s program advisory board—made up of representatives from American Airlines, Bell Helicopter, and Northrop Grumman—oversee the course along with the FAA. As technology advances, the course will shift to meet expectations.
Universities in other countries are also interested in the program. Peterson told AIN that two universities in China as well as universities and organizations in South Korea, the UAE, and Vietnam have been in contact with Spartan College. The schools have shown interest in having their students complete the online section and then attend Spartan College to complete the traditional courses. Spartan itself is interested in expanding its hybrid program to its other facilities in the U.S.
“We want to expand our fully ground programs in Tulsa; Denver; Los Angeles; and Riverside, California,” Peterson told AIN. “We also want to expand our hybrid program, which is currently in Tulsa, but will grow to Colorado and California as well. [The expansion] is subject to the department of education, our creditor ACCSC, and the FAA. We are conducting exploratory research to figure out where and how fast we can expand.”
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology is also exploring more airline partnerships for its students. The school recently started a partnership with Delta Airlines through which students could be eligible to be hired by Delta once they receive their degree. Spartan College has a similar partnership with Envoy’s Cadet Program for pilot training once they receive their degree.
