Introducing Embry-Riddle's New Aviation Psychology Program

What is Aviation Psychology?

Aviation psychology (AVP) is an area of psychology that studies how people process, communicate and make decisions in aviation environments. Essentially, AVP is the application of psychology principles in aviation situations.

AVP looks at how factors such as human performance in aviation, system design, decision making and error, crew resource management and training influence aviation safety. The goal of AVP is to identify solutions for building improved systems that are equipped to prevent aviation errors or disasters.

Aviation Psychology Degree Emerges at Embry-Riddle

The B.S. in Aviation Psychology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott Campus was developed by merging the most industry-relevant elements of the Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Factors Psychology programs. Experienced faculty integrated psychology, human factors and organizational behavior coursework and principles against an aviation backdrop to create a one-of-a-kind program.

Through aviation-focused coursework, practical applications and research, students learn how human elements such as attention, perception, stress, teamwork and automation shape safety and performance under complex, high-stakes conditions.

Why You Should Study Aviation Psychology at Embry-Riddle

Embry-Riddle curated this program to address a gap in undergraduate AVP education and offer students a well-rounded degree that optimizes the facilities, resources and amenities available at the Prescott Campus.

The distinctive benefits of Embry-Riddle's Aviation Psychology program are its:

• Unique degree offering: Among very few programs in the U.S. that fully focus on aviation psychology. Most existing undergraduate programs either partially focus on or are adjacent to AVP, while this program is dedicated to the holistic study of the field.
• Balance of technical and nontechnical coursework: Prospective students who harbor an affinity for the human aspects of aviation will thrive in this program.
• Access to an aviation ecosystem: Students will explore endless real-world application opportunities through the Air Traffic Control Laboratory's radar and tower workstations, a dispatch-supported flight line, a variety of advanced simulators and a student body of aspiring pilots and aviation professionals.
• Transferability: This program was constructed to prepare students for the aviation industry and beyond. Students will gain the analysis and leadership skills needed to stand out in all industries where human performance and systems thinking play a critical role.
• Abundant undergraduate research opportunities: Partner with industry-experienced faculty to study pilot performance, customer experience, stress or related research focuses. The Undergraduate Research Institute provides students with faculty mentorship opportunities and over $100,000 annually in funding.
• Research- and practicum-intensive senior capstone: Students in this program engage in vigorous research, practical problem solving and real-world integration, tailoring a capstone project that reflects their robust knowledge and experience.
• Connection to clubs and organizations: The Prescott Campus houses many aviation- and psychology-centered student organizations, including the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), the Prescott Air Traffic Control Club, Psi Chi (the Psychology Honors Society), the Psychology Club and Women in Aviation.

Where Will You Work After Graduating?

Aviation psychology experts are essential to the prosperity of environments where expertise in human performance and safety carries significant weight.

Common places where AVP plays an active role in diagnosing and solving problems include:

• Accident investigation sites
• Air traffic control towers
• Aircraft and system design centers
• Flight simulation labs
• Research labs

When you envision your career in AVP, you can expect to work in settings where your prowess matters.

Careers in Aviation Psychology

Students will graduate from this program prepared for a diverse pool of professional opportunities.

These opportunities range from operations support positions and customer experience roles to risk management occupations and UX domains.

Upon graduating with an AVP education, common titles include:

• Aviation safety investigator
• Aviation security and behavioral analyst
• Configuration analyst
• Environmental health and safety (EHS) engineer group lead
• Flight desk human factors engineer
• HR operations specialist
• Human performance specialist
• Instructional designer
• Project safety engineer
• Research assistant
• Systems engineer

While your degree will directly translate to aviation and psychology workplaces, the knowledge you will enter the job market with will apply across countless industries. 

Aviation Psychology Beyond the Bachelor’s Degree

This degree will sufficiently prepare you for and provide you with multiple direct routes to advanced study, and Embry-Riddle provides multiple pathways to graduate education in related interdisciplinary fields.

Aviation Psychology students who meet Combined Program Pathways qualifications will be able to pursue an accelerated master’s degree in Human Factors or Occupational Safety Management through Embry-Riddle's Worldwide Campus.

Meet the Aviation Psychology Faculty

The Aviation Psychology program is led by a faculty team whose work connects psychological science directly to aviation safety, human performance, air traffic operations and the people who keep complex flight systems moving.

The program’s faculty expertise includes aviation decision making, crew resource management, human factors, occupational stress, psychophysiology, training and selection and the cognitive demands placed on pilots, air traffic controllers and aviation professionals.

Together, these faculty members position Aviation Psychology at Embry-Riddle’s Prescott Campus as a program built for students who want to study the human side of flight: how aviation professionals think, decide, communicate, train, adapt and perform when safety depends on it.

Dr. Michele Gazica, associate professor, chair and program coordinator

As an industrial-organizational psychologist, Dr. Michele Gazica brings expertise in legal analysis, occupational health psychology, the psychology of work, test and measurement theory and work stress. Her background strengthens the program’s focus on the aviation workforce, helping students understand how selection, assessment, meaningful work, stress and organizational systems shape performance and well-being in safety-critical aviation settings.

Dr. Andrea Irish, assistant professor

As an industrial-organizational psychologist, Dr. Andrea Irish's aviation psychology expertise includes aviation workforce issues, crew resource management, discrimination, hiring and selection and training and development. She is also the author of the Airline Quality Rating, a widely recognized measure of airline performance and is involved in aviation- and air traffic control-related research exploring stress, fatigue and performance.

Dr. John Kleber, assistant professor

As a human factors psychologist, Dr. John Kleber brings expertise in aviation human factors, aviation illusion assessment, human-in-the-loop simulation, pilot interpretation of aviation weather products and subjective performance measurement. His work offers students insight into how pilots and aviation professionals make decisions under complex, dynamic and information-rich conditions.

Dr. Rose Danek, associate professor

As a cognitive psychologist, Dr. Rose Danek brings expertise in human factors, learning and conditioning, psychophysiological recording and visual and information processing. Her work supports aviation psychology research that examines how people perceive, process and respond to information in high-demand environments, including air traffic control simulation contexts.

Ready to Get Started?

If this program intrigues you, you’ve arrived at your destination right on time. The Aviation Psychology program debuts at the Prescott Campus in fall 2026.

To learn more about this innovative program, visit the Aviation Psychology degree page or submit an information request to our admissions team.