Schools in Okaloosa County, FL, Support Aviation and Aerospace Industries

Colleges and universities keep pipeline of talent flowing to the region's growing aviation and aerospace sectors.

By Teree Caruthers on January 8, 2024

Northwest Florida State College

Home to Eglin Air Force Base, one of the largest and most diverse U.S. military installations, Okaloosa County, FL, has experienced significant growth in the aviation and aerospace industries, attracting a wide range of companies and organizations focused on research, development and testing of military aircraft and equipment. 

The region has also become a hub for aerospace manufacturing and technology development. To keep pace with the growing demand or a workforce skilled in avionics, the area’s colleges and universities have invested in innovative programs to train emerging talent and bolster the workforce. 

The Ace Advantage

Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) has an Aviation Center of Excellence (ACE) that offers students an opportunity to prepare for lucrative careers in aviation and aerospace. Students benefit from the guidance of industry experts and gain hands-on experience in state-of-the-art facilities equipped with aircraft, simulators and advanced laboratories. 

“The practical exposure students receive reinforces the concepts taught in the classroom, enabling students to develop comprehensive skills,” says Bryan Brooks, associate vice president of communications and community engagement at NWFSC. “We take pride in ACE’s reputation as one of the finest programs in the nation for preparing students for local, high-demand careers in the aviation and aerospace sectors, and we are committed to ensuring our students acquire the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to thrive in these dynamic industries.” 

Hard at Work

The University of West Florida (UWF) in Pensacola offers an MBA program with a specialization in aviation economics and a certificate in aviation supply chain logistics. 

Graduates of the MBA program can pursue careers as directors of transportation, commercial airports or aviation supply chain operations, to name a few. UWF also offers a certificate program that trains students for positions within air freight operations, passenger airport operations and air freight forwarding operations. 

UWF partners with the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) to host a summer flight academy for high school and college students from across the country. Students who successfully complete the academy earn six college credits and private pilot certifications. 

“This region has been the cradle of aviation education and training since the early 1900s. It is important to continue that tradition. Aviation and aerospace is a more than $50 billion industry for Florida, and that industry is expected to grow rapidly,” says Bill Huth, professor in UWF’s Department of Commerce and a licensed aviator. “The local area has a competitive advantage given the aviation resources that are already located in the region. Those resources can be leveraged to increase the area’s share of the growth in aviation and aerospace to the benefit of the regional community and its residents. UWF can help facilitate that growth.” 

University of Florida/Reef Director, Richard Vigeant

Lofty Ambitions

With a support center in Fort Walton Beach, Troy University offers a minor in aviation operations. The 18-credit-hour program allows students to earn FAA certification and licensure in areas such as private pilot, commercial pilot and flight instruction. 

Likewise, Daytona Beach-based Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University offers online learning opportunities and boasts a Virtual Aerial Robotics Lab that enables students to build unmanned aircraft systems, test flight capability and analyze results from their own computers. 

The University of Florida Research & Engineering Education Facility (REEF) in Shalimar offers courses for students pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in areas such as mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical and computer engineering and industrial systems engineering. 

The REEF works closely with Eglin Air Force Base, allowing students to work alongside some of the top researchers at both UF and the Air Force. 

REEF’s major goal is to help the Eglin Air Force Base community of engineers and scientists be better prepared to solve problems, formulate mathematical engineering and experimental model development, and other areas of technology, including physics analysis and theoretical and numerical solutions, says Richard Vigeant, REEF’s director. 

“The capability to provide on-site graduate education to Air Force civilian employees, military employees and Air Force support contractor employees at the UF REEF is a valuable contribution to the professional development, lifelong learning, training and workforce development necessary for the U.S. Air Force to maintain a workforce and leadership structure of the highest quality,” he says.