Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

focused on aviation and aerospace programs based in

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal Resort town, resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona� ...

, and

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, r ...

, United States. It is the largest accredited university system specializing in

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

and

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

. It has numerous online programs and academic programs offered at satellite locations. Founded at Lunken Field in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

in 1926, it began as a regional school for pilots and aircraft mechanics. With the expansion and development of aviation and related space programs, the university enrolls almost 31,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

History

On December 17, 1925, Talton Higbee Embry and John Paul Riddle founded the Embry–Riddle Company at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio. In spring 1926, the company opened the Embry–Riddle School of Aviation. Following a merger with the Aviation Corporation (AVCO), the Embry–Riddle flying school was closed in 1930. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute Aviation Building

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute Aviation Building

In 1939, Riddle, John Graham McKay and wife Isabel re-established the school in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. Keeping the name, they partnered with the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

to provide flight training under the

Civilian Pilot Training Program The Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) was a flight training program (1938–1944) sponsored by the United States government with the stated purpose of increasing the number of civilian pilots, though having a clear impact on military prepare ...

, and rapidly increase the number of qualified pilots immediately preceding Alumni of this school included John F. Kennedy, who served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in the war, and was elected as

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

in 1960. Following rapid expansion, the school took over the former Fritz Hotel. Embry–Riddle became a nonprofit in 1959. In advance of the announced closure of Tamiami Airport, where the Embry–Riddle Aeronautical Institute was conducting its flight operations, the school moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, in April 1965. Having expanded its programs of study, Embry–Riddle was awarded university status in 1968. It took the name Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University in 1970. It started its international program the same year. In 1978 it opened a second residential campus in Prescott,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Academics

The non-profit university is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

as a level VI institution by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

to award degrees at the associate, bachelor, master's, and doctoral levels. The university's programs in aviation maintenance, air traffic management, applied meteorology, aeronautical science, aerospace and occupational safety, flight operations, and airport management are accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). The bachelor and master's programs in business are accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). All engineering programs are accredited by

ABET ABET (pronounced A-bet), formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., is a non-governmental accreditation organization for post-secondary programs in engineering, engineering technology, computing, and applied ...

. The programs in aeronautics, air traffic management, applied meteorology, and aerospace studies are certified by the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

(FAA). In July 2014, the university became the nation's first FAA-approved training provider for student airline certification.

Professional programs

ERAU hosts a variety of aviation-focused short courses. These courses – ranging in topic from Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Aircraft Accident Investigation and Management – are tailored for professionals involved in the operations, management, and supervision of aviation organizations. The "Worldwide campus" offers courses either online, via video, or face-to-face globally. The Embry–Riddle Prescott Campus is home to the Robertson Safety Institute (RSI); this is a center for research, development, short courses, and corporate outreach in safety education. The campus has resources including the Robertson Crash Lab, Aviation Safety and Security Archives, and access to advanced engineering, scientific, and forensic resources.

Campuses

Daytona Beach, Florida

Embry–Riddle's oldest residential campus () and academic headquarters has been in Daytona Beach, Florida, since 1965. Built adjacent to the Daytona Beach International Airport, the campus is connected to an aircraft ramp owned by the university for flight training. The main campus consists of an aviation complex, academic quad, and residence halls surrounding the student center and Jack R. Hunt Aviator Park. The campus has seven residence halls and one off-campus housing complex. Athletic facilities, the Brigadier General William W. Spruance ROTC Center, and the ICI Center are on the east side of campus. This university's eastern campus serves 6,740 undergraduates and 781 graduate students from nearly 100 countries. All first-year students live on campus with sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Fifty-two majors are offered at this location for 2020–21. The

engineering physics Engineering physics (EP), sometimes engineering science, is the field of study combining pure science disciplines (such as physics, mathematics, chemistry or biology) and engineering disciplines (computer, nuclear, electrical, aerospace, medic ...

program at the Daytona Beach campus is among the largest undergraduate engineering physics program in the country and the only one specializing in aerospace. The Daytona Beach campus has a fleet of 88 Cessna Skyhawks and 14 Diamond DA42-VI's. The ERAU Flying Club's two Cessna 172s and the three

Cessna 150 The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation airplane that was designed for flight training, touring and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 22-23. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. In 19 ...

s of the Eagles Flight Team are also parked on the ramp. Embry–Riddle's Daytona Beach campus has one of the most extensive

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC; or ) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...

(ROTC) programs in the United States and the nation's largest Air Force ROTC program.

Prescott, Arizona

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University's campus in Prescott, Arizona, opened in 1978. The campus is north of Phoenix, Arizona. The campus has an enrollment of about 2,000 students and covers of western terrain. The flight training center is at nearby Ernest A. Love Field. Facilities at the Prescott Campus include the Aerospace Experimentation and Fabrication Building, a wind tunnel lab with one supersonic and four subsonic wind tunnels, the aviation safety center with an accident investigation lab, library, the academic complex, the engineering and technology center, chapel, dining hall, student union and residence halls. The Prescott Campus features four academic colleges and offers 19 bachelor's degrees and two master's degrees, as well as educational programs for youths, students, and working professionals. The Prescott campus offers the only Global Security and Intelligence Studies program in the US. The First Year Experience program is designed to help students transition to college on academic, social, and educational levels. Students in FYE housing are grouped together by major, when possible, and reside with a staff that is specially trained to handle first-year transitional issues. All first-year students who have graduated high school within 12 months of matriculation are required to live in university housing for their first full academic year. Exceptions are made for students who are over 21 years old, are married or have a dependent, have a permanent address in Yavapai County at time of application to ERAU, or students who have lived on-campus at another institution of higher education for at least two semesters. FYE students reside in the Mingus Mountain Complex or the Thumb Butte Complex and are required to participate in the Dining Services meal program. Embry–Riddle's two Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) detachments form the largest university-based

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

commissioning source in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Embry–Riddle's AFROTC detachments also produce more

commissioned officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

and more pilots and other rated officers for the U.S. Air Force than any other institution in the United States except the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...

. The

Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based officer tr ...

(ROTC) also operates a large detachment on the Prescott campus. The Prescott campus is home to the Golden Eagles Flight Team, which competes in the

National Intercollegiate Flying Association The National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) is a professional organization that provides a forum of competition and learning for aviation students from colleges all around the United States. Official NIFA Mission Statement "The National ...

. Prescott's Golden Eagles Flight Team has won the regional championship each year for the past 31 years, and the team is also thirteen-time National Champions winning in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022. With their twelve national wins, the team has also been inducted into the

San Diego Air & Space Museum The San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California. It is located in Balboa Park (San Diego), Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building (San Diego), Ford Building, which is li ...

's Hall of Fame.

Worldwide campus

Embry–Riddle serves more than 22,000 students online and at 130 campuses, more than 100 on military bases and the option to take online courses. It offers 40 degree programs covering many areas in aviation, business, communication, computers, emergency services, engineering, human factors, management, safety, security, logistics, and unmanned systems. Classes are offered online, via video to a classroom or home, or face-to-face. Embry–Riddle Worldwide campus was established in 1970 and became a network of more than 130 learning locations, including military bases. The largest worldwide location is Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University Asia campus in Singapore. Embry–Riddle Worldwide also provides a virtual "online campus". ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Embry–Riddle #1 Best out of almost 300 Online Bachelor's Programs in 2016. Facilities with aviation functions are available for students not able to attend a residential campus. Programs of study are offered at the undergraduate and graduate level (as well as certificate and non-degree), including the rare Master of Business Administration in Aviation (MBA-A), ranked #74 Best Online MBA Program (out of about 250) in 2015.

Research

Daytona Beach

While rooted in aviation, research at Embry–Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus has expanded to include a diverse range of areas, including engineering, cyber and homeland security, human factors, modeling and simulation, and business. The same technologies and expertise faculty have developed and applied to aerospace and aviation related research, they now apply directly to other areas – space systems, high-performance vehicles, unmanned and autonomous systems, robotics, alternative and sustainable energy, medical human factors, commercial space operations and more. The university is expanding its partnerships with industry in developing the Aerospace Research and Technology Park adjacent to the Daytona Beach campus. Embry–Riddle also manages the FAA NextGen Florida Test Bed, where technology is being developed that will support the nation's expanding air transportation needs. Research will contribute to reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions, improving situational awareness for pilots, and providing safer and more efficient passenger service. In 2017, Embry–Riddle partnered with an Orlando, Florida, non-profit, FireSpring Fund, to aid five startups in their research and creation process. FireSpring awarded each startup $25,000 and Embry–Riddle offered each entrepreneurial support, seed funding, mentorship and a home base at the new university research park. The startups were: Embedded Control Designs LLC, Myers Devices LLC, Censys Technologies Corporation, Weintraus LLC, and Sensatek Propulsion Technology Inc. They researched and designed in the areas of: gas-turbine stability, drone data processing and communications, medical safety devices and spacecraft transportation.

Prescott

At the Prescott Campus, $60,000 in Eagle-Prize (E-Prize) Grants is available each year for student teams participating in collegiate, national or international design or research competitions. Teams that participate in high-stature competitions, have a diverse membership and demonstrate a great likelihood of success with sound methodology and clear business plans are most likely to receive funding. Ignite Grants, part of Embry–Riddle's Quality Enhancement Plan, are available up to $48,000 annually for students wishing to participate in research and innovation under the tutelage of a faculty mentor.

Athletics

Daytona Beach Eagles

The athletic teams of Embry–Riddle's Daytona Beach (main) campus are called the Eagles. The university is a member of the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

ranks, primarily competing in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) as a provisional member since the 2015–16 academic year for most their sports (achieving D-II full member status in 2017–18); while its men's and women's

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

teams compete in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) as associate members. ERAU–Daytona Beach competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, cross country,

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

, and track and field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer,

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor), and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

; and co-ed sports include

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

. Prior to joining the NCAA and the SSC, the Eagles competed in the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA) as a founding member of the

Sun Conference The Sun Conference (TSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Eight of the ten full member institutions are located in Florida, with two in Georgia. The Sun Conference co ...

(formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) from 1990–91 to 2014–15. The university announced in July 2014 that it had been accepted into the NCAA Division II membership process. During their time in the NAIA, the athletics program at the Daytona Beach Campus won the Sun Conference Commissioner's Cup for 15 consecutive years.

Prescott Eagles

The athletic teams of Embry–Riddle's Prescott campus are called the Eagles. The university is a member of the

(NAIA), primarily competing in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference (GSAC; formerly the Golden State Athletic Conference until after the 2023–24 school year) since the 2024–25 academic year. The Eagles previously competed in the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) from 2012–13 to 2023–24. Embry–Riddle Prescott competes in 14 intercollegiate varsity sports: men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, track and field (outdoor only) and wrestling; women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field (outdoor only) and volleyball.

Rankings

Embry-Riddle earned four placements in the '' U.S. News & World Report'' 2023 Best Colleges rankings in the Regional Universities South category. * Regional Universities South - 13th * Best Value Schools – 30th * Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs – Tie – 75th ** Best Undergraduate Aerospace / Aeronautical / Astronautical Engineering Programs – Tie – 8th Embry-Riddle earned three placements in the '' U.S. News & World Report'' 2021 Best Colleges rankings in the Regional Universities South category. * Regional Universities South -– Tie – 9th * Best Colleges for Veterans – Tie – 5th * Best Undergraduate Teaching – Tie – 20th Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University is ranked by '' U.S. News & World Report'' in several categories for 2020: * Regional Universities – Tie – 11th * Best Colleges for Veterans – Tie – 4th * 2nd Most Innovative Schools and 42nd Best Value Colleges * Best Engineering Programs (at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate) – Tie – 83rd ** Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical (at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate) – 4th ** Best Graduate Engineering Schools – Tie – 111th * Best Online Bachelor's Programs – 1st * Best Online MBA Programs – Tie 113th * Best Online Graduate Business Programs (Excluding MBA) – Tie – 59th In January 2022, the ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Embry–Riddle Worldwide one of the nation's top online educators for veterans. Embry-Riddle has ranked either 1st or 2nd in this category every year since 2016. Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University is also ranked by ''Forbes'' list of America's Top Colleges for 2018 294th among "Top Colleges", 205th among "Private Colleges", 361st for "Grateful Grads", and 272nd among "America's Best Value Colleges." The magazine also awarded the university a "B" Forbes Financial Grade.

''The Avion''

''The Avion'' is the school's student magazine. It is published bi-monthly with circulation of 1,000 and distributed for free. ''The Avion'' is a division of the Embry-Riddle Student Government Association, which partially funds the organization. The magazine is run entirely by students, and most contributors are volunteers. The editor-in-chief is elected by a majority vote of the publication's staff and receives a 25% tuition voucher for their services. Executive Board members are also elected by the staff, and each receives a 10% tuition voucher.

Alumni

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 1926 establishments in Ohio Air traffic controller schools Aviation schools in the United States Buildings and structures in Daytona Beach, Florida Private universities and colleges in Florida Technological universities in the United States Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges established in 1926 Universities and colleges in Volusia County, Florida