UND ATC Ranked #1
University of North Dakota’s Air Traffic Control Program Ranked Top in Nation
(Grand Forks, North Dakota, – Oct. 21, 2009) The University of North Dakota’s (UND) Air Traffic Control Training program has been ranked No. 1 in the nation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for two consecutive years. Incorporated into the most advanced aviation curriculum of any university campus in the world, the undergraduate degree program is designed to place students directly into the field of air traffic control.
“Our curriculum is FAA certified as the best program of its kind in the nation,” said Dr. Bruce Smith, dean of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences (UND Aerospace). “UND Aerospace meets rigorous federal requirements and offers the most advanced training facilities and equipment available, including advanced tower and integrated radar simulators with incredibly realistic visuals, voice recognition, and weather and environmental sound effects.”
Students enrolled in the program receive both classroom and simulator instruction, with additional training at the FAA Flight Control Center. The curriculum includes instruction in flight control; the use of radar and electronic scanning devices; plotting of flights; radio communication; interpretation of weather conditions; flight instrumentation; and maintenance of flight control center and control tower log books.
The FAA ranked UND’s air traffic control program first among 33 other schools in the nation evaluated in the areas of leadership, faculty, expertise, curriculum, facilities and equipment, and student assessment and testing, among other criteria.
About UND Aerospace
UND Aerospace is an international leader in collegiate and contract aviation education and training services. Flying over 100,000 hours annually, UND Aerospace also has facilities in Spokane, Wash., with Spokane Falls Community College;; Phoenix, Ariz., in conjunction with Chandler-Gilbert Community College; and Crookston, Minn., with the University of Minnesota.
With more than 1,900 students from all over the world, undergraduate and graduate programs—including several distance-learning degree programs— that lead to a variety of rewarding careers in aerospace are offered through five different academic departments: aviation, atmospheric sciences, computer science, earth system science and policy, and space studies. The UND Aerospace complex is the most technologically advanced environment for aerospace education, training and research in the world. For more information, visit http://www.aero.und.edu/.
