FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

NORMAN – The University of Oklahoma is one of 14 colleges included in a long-awaited expansion of the Air Traffic College Training Initiative (AT-CTI) under the Federal Aviation Administration.

AT-CTI-certified schools provide basic air traffic controller training that allows graduates to bypass the first portion of their training at the FAA academy. The FAA does not guarantee employment to graduates of AT-CTI schools. However, the program has evolved to become the primary source of hiring by the FAA for Air Traffic Controller positions.

In 2006, the Department of Aviation at OU, along with 32 other university programs, applied to the FAA for inclusion in the program. Of the 33, the FAA selected nine new schools that met all qualifications for the program. Among those selected, OU met or exceeded all the standards and were ranked second in the country.

“Becoming a part of the Air Traffic College Training Initiative complements our aviation degree programs and supplements the minor in Air Traffic Control available to our students,” said Glenn Schaumburg, director of the OU Department of Aviation. “We are pleased to offer this option which will further enhance our ability to train the next generation of aviation professionals.”

 Under the new program, each school will be required annually to conduct a re-evaluation and will be ranked according to their score in the US News & World Report ranking of colleges and universities.

The AT-CTI program began in the early 1990’s with a test program at four colleges which was expanded to 14 in 1997.

For more information about the OU degree programs in aviation contact Shelly Ainsworth at (405) 325-7231 or Glenn Schaumburg at (405) 325-7017.