Purdue Global Partnership 2026: Earn a Degree While You Train
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Summit Flight Academy Team
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8 min read
The lesson ends at 10 a.m. You push the Cherokee back into the hangar, sign your student’s logbook, and debrief your student in the office at Lee’s Summit Airport (KLXT). That evening, you open your laptop and log into a course toward a bachelor’s degree. If you’ve been searching for a Purdue Global aviation degree flight school pairing, this is the schedule it makes possible.
At Summit Flight Academy, we partner with Purdue Global, the online university in the Purdue University system. Its School of Aviation offers two online bachelor’s degrees, and you can work toward one while you train with us or while you instruct full time. Below, we explain both degrees, how your certificates can count as credit, what the partner tuition reduction covers, who this fits, and how to get started.
Two Online Degrees You Can Pair With Your Flight Training
The partnership gives you a choice of two bachelor’s degrees, and they lead in different directions.
The B.S. in Professional Flight is for pilots building a flying career. Purdue Global offers it in collaboration with Purdue University’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology. It’s the degree that pairs most directly with the certificates you earn here, from your private pilot certificate through your commercial certificate.
The B.S. in Aviation Management combines aviation operations with business management. Purdue Global describes it as fully online and aimed at managerial roles, taught by faculty with backgrounds as pilots, executives, managers, and military personnel. It fits a pilot who wants a path into operations or leadership later.
Here’s how the two degrees compare at a glance:
| Degree | Built for | How it connects to your training at Summit |
|---|---|---|
| B.S. in Professional Flight | Pilots heading toward a flying career | Your Commercial Pilot and Instrument Rating work can earn transfer credit |
| B.S. in Aviation Management | Pilots and aviation staff aiming at management | Pairs with any program, from Private Pilot to Career Track |
Both are fully online, so neither asks you to move to a campus. If you’ve been looking for a professional flight degree online, the first one is it. If you’re still weighing the bigger picture, our flight school and university comparison explains how the two paths reach the same FAA certificates.
How Your Certificates Turn Into Degree Credit
Purdue Global offers up to 45 transfer credits for professional pilot certificates and ratings toward its B.S. in Professional Flight. Purdue Global applies that certificate credit to the Professional Flight degree only, so it’s a strong reason to choose that degree if you plan to fly for a living.
Take a student on our Career Track, which runs from private pilot through Multi-Engine Instructor. The professional pilot certificates and ratings they’d earn anyway can count toward the degree plan. Purdue Global evaluates your certificates and ratings, and the credit it grants reduces the coursework left to finish.
Purdue Global estimates that a student can finish the B.S. in Professional Flight online in two to three years, based on two courses per term for three years or three courses per term for two years. Because the program is relatively new, that figure comes from course load, with no completion history behind it yet.
Credit and tuition terms belong to Purdue Global and can change, so confirm the current transfer credit and tuition terms with Purdue Global before you build your plan around them.
What the Partner Tuition Reduction Covers
The second benefit is cost. Purdue Global’s partner tuition reduction is 20% on undergraduate programs and 14% on graduate programs, for students and immediate family, per the partnership terms.
Purdue Global’s definition of immediate family includes spouses, domestic partners, parents, siblings, and children. So a parent who has wanted to finish a degree, or a sibling heading to college, can use the reduction too.
A few limits apply. Purdue Global doesn’t combine the partner reduction with its other tuition reductions, vouchers, scholarships, military tuition reductions, or ExcelTrack pricing. If you’re a veteran, compare the options before you enroll so you pick the one that saves you more. Purdue Global also includes books in undergraduate tuition, while graduate students cover their own.
The degree and the flying are paid separately. For your flight training, every Summit package has a monthly option, and financing may be available to qualified applicants through our lending partners. Our financing page walks through those options.
Fly by Day, Study by Night: Fitting the Degree Around Training
Purdue Global built the program so you can work on your degree while completing your flight training or while working as a full-time flight instructor. Our job is to make the flying side fit around it.
We train under Part 61, which means your instructor adapts the syllabus and the schedule to you. You book lessons around your life, and our private pilot packages come in three paces. Our guide to Part 61 and Part 141 flight schools covers how that flexibility works.
A student flying four or five days a week might take fewer courses per term during the busiest stretch, then add a course once they’re instructing on a steadier schedule. You set the pace on both sides, so a checkride week doesn’t have to collide with a final exam.
Who the Purdue Global Partnership Fits Best
This flight school degree partnership suits three kinds of people we talk with most often.
Career Track students who want a bachelor’s on the way to the right seat. You build certificates with us and turn them into transfer credit as you go. Our guide to whether the Career Track fits you is a good starting point.
CFIs building hours. Once you earn your instructor certificate through our instructor training, instructing builds flight time and pays you while you study. If you instruct with us, see our Teach at Summit page.
Parents weighing college. If your senior wants to fly and you want them to finish a degree, this pairing lets them do both from home. Younger students can start with our high school flight training, and the tuition reduction extends to family members.
The pairing fits less well if you want the campus experience, a cohort, and a fixed program calendar. A university aviation program is a good path for that student, and our comparison page explains it fairly.
Where R-ATP Fits, and Where It Doesn’t
Many career pilots ask whether a degree shortens the road to the airlines. The standard airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate is commonly summarized at 1,500 hours, and a restricted ATP (R-ATP) allows fewer hours for some military pilots and some degree graduates.
R-ATP eligibility through a degree depends on FAA-authorized institutions and on the specific coursework and training the rule requires, so don’t build an hour plan around a reduced minimum until you’ve confirmed you qualify. The FAA’s ATP training page explains the higher-education pathway, and our R-ATP and ATP guide covers the basics.
Either way, you finish with a bachelor’s in your field, earned without stepping away from flying. Our post on how long it takes to become a pilot helps you map the hour-building years either way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to choose between flight school and a degree?
No. Through our Purdue Global partnership, you can train at Summit and work toward an online bachelor’s at the same time. Our Purdue Global partnership page has the program links.
How many transfer credits do pilot certificates earn?
Purdue Global offers up to 45 transfer credits for professional pilot certificates and ratings toward its B.S. in Professional Flight. Purdue Global evaluates your certificates and confirms the amount.
Can I study while working as a full-time flight instructor?
Yes. Purdue Global designed the program so you can study while instructing full time. Start with our instructor training to earn your CFI.
Does the tuition reduction apply to my family?
Yes. Purdue Global’s partner reduction covers students and immediate family, including spouses, domestic partners, parents, siblings, and children.
Can I use financing for my flight training?
Every Summit package has a monthly option, and financing may be available to qualified applicants through our lending partners. See our financing page.
Does the Purdue Global degree qualify me for an R-ATP?
That depends on FAA institution authorization and the rule’s coursework and training requirements. Read our R-ATP guide and confirm eligibility before planning around reduced hours.
Start Your Degree and Your Flying at the Same Airport
You can earn your certificates at KLXT and work toward a bachelor’s on your own schedule, without choosing one over the other. When you’re ready to see the program details and the next step, explore our Purdue Global partnership.
