PROGRAM IS PENDING APPROVAL FROM the ohio department of higher education. AFTER THAT FINAL APPROVAL, PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS MAY APPLY FOR ADMISSION.
About This Program
Advance your future with a Ph.D. in Aviation Science that blends cutting-edge research in safety, UAS and advanced air mobility with hands-on learning and collaborative residencies. Graduate prepared to lead and innovate across aviation, aerospace and policy on a global scale. Read more...
Contact Information
Program Delivery
Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries*
Please look for available career options from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook or send your own list to Kristi Kamis (kkamis@kent.edu). Please know that I will not be able to attach labor data to your own list.
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
PROGRAM IS PENDING APPROVAL FROM the ohio department of higher education. AFTER THAT FINAL APPROVAL, PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS MAY APPLY FOR ADMISSION.
For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in aviation, engineering or a related discipline from an accredited college or university
- Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
- Official transcript(s)
- Goal statement
- Three letters of recommendation
- English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:1
- Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
- Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
- Minimum 58 PTE score
- Minimum 110 DET score
Application Deadlines
- Fall Semester
- Application deadline: March 1
All application materials (including applicable fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.) submitted after this deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.
- Spring Semester
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
Course List | Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| AERN 75135 | AVIATION SAFETY THEORY | 3 |
| AERN 75250 | AVIATION LAW | 3 |
| AERN 75791 | AVIATION SECURITY AND POLICY SEMINAR | 3 |
| AERN 85087 | AVIATION FUTURES: SAFETY, SYSTEMS AND SOCIETY | 2 |
| BA 74037 | ADVANCED DATA MINING AND PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS | 3 |
| POL 70003 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS I | 3 |
| POL 70004 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS II | 3 |
| POL 70010 | QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS | 3 |
| or RMS 85516 | QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN |
| RMS 85518 | ADVANCED QUALITATIVE RESEARCH | 3 |
| 1 | 4-34 |
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ENGINEERING | |
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ENGINEERING | |
| INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION IN ENGINEERING | |
| |
| ENGR 85199 | DISSERTATION I 2 | 30 |
Graduation Requirements
Graduation Requirements Summary | Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
| - | 3.000 |
Residency Requirement
Ph.D. degree students must meet two residency requirements. For the first requirement, students complete at least one of the program's courses in person on the Kent Campus. AERN 85087 is offered as a six-day, on-campus seminar. The course introduces graduate students to the major forces shaping the future of aviation, including safety management, human-machine systems, advanced air mobility, sustainable and electric aviation, regulatory change and emerging technologies. Activities include expert panels, hands-on labs, scenario modeling and a futures analysis portfolio. Students complete this seminar within their first nine months in the program.
For the second residency requirement (Aviation Research Colloquium: Systems, Methods and Scholarship), students complete a six-day, on-campus event that is focused on advanced research methods, scholarly inquiry, theoretical framing and dissertation concept development. Students engage in research design workshops, systems-level analysis, faculty-led colloquia and academic presentations. These sessions prepares doctoral students for qualifying examinations and dissertation proposal development.
Qualifying Examination
Doctoral students must pass a two-day qualifying examination covering core and specialization subject matter before advancing to dissertation research.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Apply advanced research methodologies to collect, analyze and interpret quantitative and qualitative data in aviation and aerospace contexts.
- Design and evaluate systems, operations or policies that enhance safety, efficiency and human performance in aviation, aerospace, unmanned aircraft systems and advanced air mobility.
- Integrate legal, regulatory and policy frameworks into decision-making processes for aviation operations, management and emerging technologies.
- Produce and defend original scholarly research that contributes new knowledge to the field of aeronautics through publication and professional dissemination.
- Lead interdisciplinary projects and collaborations that address complex challenges in aviation and aerospace at regional, national and global levels.
Full Description
The Ph.D. degree in Aviation Science prepares students to advance knowledge and practice across the aviation and aerospace domains. This interdisciplinary, research-intensive program emphasizes aviation safety, human performance, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), advanced air mobility (AAM), aviation management and aviation law and policy.
Students engage in a curriculum that integrates core coursework, research tools, seminars and residencies, with specializations in aviation human factors, aviation operations management and aviation law and safety. Hybrid delivery combines online learning with on-campus residencies that foster scholarly community, collaboration and professional networking. The residencies foster scholarly community, provide access to specialized laboratories and simulators and support interdisciplinary collaboration and professional networking.
Research opportunities are supported by access to Kent State’s UAS laboratories, advanced flight simulators and AAM infrastructure planning tools.
Graduates of the program are prepared for leadership roles in academia, industry and government, contributing to the advancement of aviation science, safety, operations and policy at regional, national and global levels.
