Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University has earned Federal Aviation Administration approval for a critical training initiative that offers students in its air traffic control program an accelerated employment path.

The FAA announced on Nov. 20 that it had signed an agreement allowing Embry‑Riddle to take part in the Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI). Through the Enhanced AT-CTI program, graduates of Embry‑Riddle’s Air Traffic Management program may be placed directly in FAA facilities for controller training, provided they pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam and meet medical and security requirements.

“The FAA is working to strengthen our controller workforce and create a continuous pipeline of talent,” Tim Arel, chief operating officer of the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization, said in an agency news release. “The safety of the National Airspace System and the traveling public is always our number one priority. Working with schools like Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University will continue that mission.” 

Embry‑Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Florida, campus is the third university to sign an agreement with the FAA for the Enhanced AT-CTI initiative, which was first announced in February.

“Embry‑Riddle is proud to be among the first schools to be signed to the Enhanced AT-CTI program and to be part of an important effort by the FAA to fill the air traffic controller pipeline,” said Embry‑Riddle President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D. “Graduates of our Air Traffic Management program will greatly benefit from this partnership, and our nation’s aviation system stands to gain as well, as these students are eager and well-prepared to safeguard the flying public.”

Embry‑Riddle’s Air Traffic Management program had to undergo an extensive audit by the FAA to show that it provides the same high-level curriculum and advanced technology offered at the FAA Air Traffic Controller Academy in Oklahoma City.

The technology includes an integrated system of new simulators connected with AI-assisted voice recognition, said Dr. Mike McCormick, associate professor and Air Traffic Management program coordinator at Embry‑Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus. The simulators will be installed in the three Air Traffic Control (ATC) labs on the Daytona Beach Campus in December by the contractor UFA, and a new curriculum will be introduced for the Spring 2025 semester, McCormick said.

“This approval provides recognition of the world-class education we provide here at Embry‑Riddle and lets us help FAA solve air traffic controller shortages,” McCormick said. “But it also benefits our students by giving them alternatives, plus the ability to get hired quickly after graduation.”

The Enhanced AT-CTI program will allow Embry‑Riddle students to prepare for and take the Air Traffic Skills Assessment exam on campus, McCormick said.

“We find that when students don’t make it at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, it’s usually because of stress,” said McCormick. “With the Enhanced AT-CTI program, they will be among their peers and living here.” Additionally, if students do not pass on their first attempt, they have a second chance at taking the test at the academy.

“The new program will save me time and money,” said Kyra Hanson, an Air Traffic Management student graduating in Spring 2025.

McCormick has been working for months to meet the FAA’s detailed criteria for the Enhanced AT-CTI program. Tulsa Community College and the University of Oklahoma were the first two schools approved, according to an FAA announcement in October. 

Embry‑Riddle’s Air Traffic Management program has 242 students at its Daytona Beach Campus.

Dr. Alan Stolzer, dean of the College of Aviation at the Daytona Beach Campus, said that Embry‑Riddle’s inclusion in the program attests to the university’s high standards, cutting-edge simulation technology and quality of testing.

“We look forward to further collaborations with the FAA to ensure our training continues to match the academy’s rigorous standards,” Stolzer said.