Degrees for Pilots

[MrDomrow]

Just a quick Q for all those Airline pilots and Recruitment Officers. Is a university degree all that necessary and if it is what sort of degree would be beneficial. Is an aviation degree all that much better than say an ordinary, Physics, Maths, Science or Business degree. I was under the impression that Airlines prefer pilots with a degree so that if anything ever does happen to the airline they know that their pilots can fall back onto something. Any comments? Also If there are any pilots that have done or are doing a degree, I'd like to hear what your choice was. Thanks for any replies.

[5150]

Don't think that Airlines actively recruit degree-educated pilots just so they have 'something to fall back on' should the worst happen

If you're looking to get sponsored then a degree would certainly count in your favour - personally I'd pick something that you're interested in! Doing a degree in Aeronautical Engineering will certainly help you in some subject areas for written exams, but at the same time (from my experience) it can also hinder you due to differences between how the CAA interpret stuff theoretically and what you might learn at Uni.

I studied Sport and Fitness at Uni (glorified Biology), which I thought would have helped for Human Performance, but to be honest with you, you might as well forget what you've learnt at Uni and do it their way.......

If you're going for direct entry into a job, I think they're more interested in hours/experience/licence type as oppose to academic qualifications.