{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"EducationalOccupationalProgram","data_version":"1.0","generated_from":"2026-10-12","license":"Free to reuse with attribution: cite \"EducationGuide.com\" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/western-michigan-university/majors/air-transportation","ids":{"ipeds_unitid":172699,"cip4":"49.01","school_slug":"western-michigan-university","major_slug":"air-transportation"},"school":{"name":"Western Michigan University","city":"Kalamazoo","state":"MI","control":"Public","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/western-michigan-university","data":"https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/western-michigan-university.json"},"major":{"name":"Air Transportation","area":"Trades & Applied Technology","credential":"Bachelor's degree"},"outcomes":{"median_earnings_1yr":34872,"median_earnings_4yr":89564,"median_debt":27000,"debt_to_earnings_4yr":0.301,"year":{"earnings_1yr":"Treasury AY2018-19, AY2019-20 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars","earnings_4yr":"Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars","debt":"NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort"},"source":"College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)"},"national":{"colleges_reporting":52,"median_earnings_4yr":83448,"median_debt":24615},"compared_with_same_major":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","state":null,"us":{"colleges_reporting":52,"median_earnings_4yr":83448,"difference":6116},"note":"State and U.S. medians are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major (4 years after graduating); a state median is published when at least 3 colleges in the state report earnings."},"value":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","time_to_finish":{"average_years_among_graduates":4.61,"finished_in_4_years":0.2898,"finished_within_6_years":0.5777,"cohort":3133,"entering_class":"Fall 2017","source":"IPEDS Graduation Rates (bachelor's-seeking cohort)"},"baseline":{"median_earnings_high_school_graduates":33411,"geography":"MI","ages":"25-34","years":"2020-2024","respondents":10552,"description":"high school graduates ages 25-34 in MI (Census ACS 2020-2024)","source":"U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year PUMS (microdata): ages 25-34, high school diploma or GED as highest level, not enrolled, earnings > 0; EducationGuide calculation"},"earnings_used":89564,"earnings_basis":"median earnings of this major's graduates 4 years after graduating (College Scorecard field of study); school-wide net price","by_family_income":{"0-30k":{"net_price_per_year":5263,"cost_to_finish":24262,"payback_years":0.4,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"under 1 year"},"30-48k":{"net_price_per_year":5734,"cost_to_finish":26434,"payback_years":0.5,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"under 1 year"},"48-75k":{"net_price_per_year":13833,"cost_to_finish":63770,"payback_years":1.1,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.1 years"},"75-110k":{"net_price_per_year":18307,"cost_to_finish":84395,"payback_years":1.5,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.5 years"},"110k+":{"net_price_per_year":23625,"cost_to_finish":108911,"payback_years":1.9,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"1.9 years"}},"method":"cost_to_finish = max(0, net price per year) x average years graduates took; payback_years = cost_to_finish / (earnings_used - baseline), one decimal; status over_cap above 20 years, no_premium when earnings do not exceed the baseline. 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In-state net price for public colleges.","method_url":"https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value"},"state_rank":{"rank":2,"of":2,"by":"median earnings 4 years after graduating"},"state_comparison":[{"ipeds_unitid":169798,"name":"Eastern Michigan University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":91648,"median_debt":29750,"net_price_average":15407,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.464,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/eastern-michigan-university/majors/air-transportation"},{"ipeds_unitid":172699,"name":"Western Michigan University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":89564,"median_debt":27000,"net_price_average":15273,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.576,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/western-michigan-university/majors/air-transportation"}],"careers":[{"soc":"53-2011","title":"Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers","median_wage_metro":null,"metro":"Kalamazoo-Portage, MI","median_wage_state":428570,"median_wage_us":232140,"us_job_growth_2025_2035_pct":8.3,"typical_entry_education":"Bachelor's degree","source":"BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35"}],"school_context":{"net_price_average":15273,"net_price_by_family_income":{"0-30k":5263,"30-48k":5734,"48-75k":13833,"75-110k":18307,"110k+":23625},"acceptance_rate":0.846,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.576,"year":{"net_price":"AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25"}},"methodology":"https://educationguide.com/how-we-score"}